Paul De Freitas
A great number of golfers displayed their skills on the poker table. Relive the spectacular rounds of Texas Hold’em at the Chipping All-In Poker Tournament featuring tour legends such as John Daly, Jimmy Walker, Max Homa, and many others.
The Chipping All-In poker tournament became the stage for the biggest names in golf. This iconic event in the world of poker instantly grabbed the attention of poker players and professional athletes as they gathered for a cause.
MGM Resorts International, the biggest gaming content management firm Loaded, and the World Poker Tour joined forces and presented the highly-touted online poker tournament, which was available through Twitch and YouTube.
In 2020, the world of competitive poker made a huge impact by announcing a star-studded event that featured top-notch athletes from different sports. To everybody’s surprise, almost all the top names in golf answered the call.
The Chipping All-In charity poker tournament became the poker battleground of famous names, including professional poker players and world-class golfers. All the high-profile players were scattered in multiple tables as they competed for a slot and climbed their way to the final round.
The live audio from each player gave an immersive poker experience for their viewers. That significant move made a huge difference to all online poker participants of the tournament since they were hearing everyone on the table as if they were playing a session in real-time.
Aside from the quick chit-chat from their favorite golfers, viewers who donated their share to charity got a personal shout-out. Organizers made the event more interesting after viewers got their ability to field live question and answer sessions with the biggest names in the world of golf.
All proceeds went directly towards the MGM Resorts Foundation’s Employee Emergency Grant Fund. Their aim is to help and support every company employee who got affected during the height of the pandemic.
On top of that, MGM's goal was to give quality entertainment to their patrons through this charitable event. According to MGM Resorts Senior Vice President Lance Evans, “It is in our DNA to offer live entertainment and sports experiences to fans worldwide, even in the toughest of times.” As the event concluded, the Chipping All-In charity poker tournament helped raise around $150,000 to help aid MGM employees and their affected families.
During that time, MGM Resorts closed all of their American-based casinos as a result of the global pandemic. This move resulted in a significant number of layoffs in the company’s roster. Aside from the event proceeds, MGM shelled out $1 million at that time to their Employee Emergency Grant Fund. While celebrities such as Jay Leno and David Copperfield also expressed their helping hands supporting the affected MGM employees.
As the tournament reached its conclusion, the Korn Ferry Tour golfer John Chin bested everyone on the table, including his fellow Korn Ferry Tour player, Taylor Montgomery and former NBA superstar Bill Laimbeer.
The biggest Cinderella story in the Chipping All-In poker tournament came when the PGA tour player Keith Mitchell eliminated the 15-time World Series of Poker bracelet holder Phil Hellmuth. It was in the 90th minute of the tournament. Everyone was shocked, even Hellmuth and Mitchell, but in the end, the two of them enjoyed their overall experience while playing poker.
The tournament saw a field of 58 individuals. However, players were trimmed down after the preliminary tables. In the end, the final round of players featured pro golfers Danielle Kang, John Chin, Pat Perez, the Canadian golfer Graham DeLaet and the 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Aaron Wise. Taylor Montgomery, John Oda, and one of the top-ranked female poker players in the world, Maria Ho.
At the final table, everyone did their best to clinch the win. However, the main showdown was between John Chin and the UNLV alum Taylor Montgomery. Chin managed to get the upper hand and became the tournament champion. Chin later said that “I had a great time playing, all to help out an amazing cause. I caught a lot of cards during the tournament, and the chips went my way.”
MGM Resorts Foundation, in cooperation with its partners, established this poker event to help collect money and provide aid to community partners and all affected MGM employees during the full swing of the Covid-19 global pandemic – full time, part-time, and their immediate family.
Loaded is the biggest management firm that handles the majority of gaming content creators and influencers. Top gaming personalities such as Ninja, Shroud, and CouRageJD are among their talented roster.
The leading figure when it comes to the world of competitive poker since 2002. They are responsible for making poker one of the most popular competitive games with their series of international tournaments.
