Gershon Distenfeld to Donate WSOP Winnings to Charity

Gershon Distenfeld is a nice guy, so the news that he plans on donating any winnings from the Main Event table at the 2020 WSOP tournament ending December 28 should come as no surprise. He starts the final table in sixth place when counting the number of chips, and this could prove to be quite a big gesture.

This successful businessman, who actually announced his news on an appearance on Bloomberg after qualifying for the final table, hopes that his move will pay dividends for those in most need.

A Big Gamble for a Recreational Player

This is a huge gamble for someone who is actually a recreational player. Distenfeld has already managed to largely outperform expectations by getting this far, and if he does win at the final table, then he would go on to play in a head to head with the international winner. The prize? A cool $1 million would be at stake, and that’s something that would go beyond his wildest expectations.

Oh, and to throw something different on it. If he did get to the head to head it would take place on his birthday, so perhaps the omens could be in his favor.

A Surreal Experience on the Final Table

Distenfeld himself has stated that getting to this final table is a surreal experience. Apparently he uses some of his professional experience of working in finance, and behavioral aspects, to help him with his poker playing. He is used to working in the financial markets and making decisions based on how things are panning out in front of him, so it’s clear how that could work well with poker.

But getting to this final table is even stranger considering he initially thought against entering the tournament to begin with. He felt he wouldn’t have the spare time due to his job, but took the initial gamble of entering and it is paying off.

Of course, thanks to his actual career, it won’t hurt him as much in the pocket when it comes to donating money to charity. However, if he did manage to go ahead and land that $1 million prize for winning the entire thing, then that may change things a bit.

Charities Already Chosen

As he already knows he will be walking away with some winnings, Distnefeld has chosen the charities that will benefit. The only thing uncertain is how much they will get as we will only know that at the end of the tournament. Also, it’s all being done net taxes, so no additional financial complications there.

You see, it’s not about money for Distenfeld. He’s not playing poker to try to earn a living. Instead, he states it’s all about the competition and challenge. This gesture is unprecedented, and for the sake of charities, as well as it being just a nice thing to do, then people should be rooting for Distenfeld to do well. Let’s face it, starting in sixth place is not too bad, and with a real chance of doing something pretty special then who wouldn’t bet against him going all the way?