Matt Damon at the 2009 AUFA Red Carpet.

Celebrity poker players Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have confirmed to participate in the World Series of Poker Ante Up For Africa charity tournament. On July 3, 2010 the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will host the fourth installment of the tournament created by Don Cheadle, Norman Epstein and Annie Duke.

“We are very excited to have Matt and Ben already confirmed to participate in our Fourth Annual WSOP Ante Up For Africa poker tournament,” Duke said. “We look forward to hearing from more big names in the gaming and entertainment industries as they come on board to give their valuable time and energy and bring attention to the dire crisis taking place in areas in Africa like Darfur.”

The event raises funds for key beneficiaries the Enough Project, a group working to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity, and the Darfur Peace and Development Organization, which provides humanitarian and development assistance to the victims of conflict in Darfur, Sudan without regard to ethnicity, gender, age or religious beliefs.

Damon and Affleck are WSOP AUFA veterans and have played alongside other celebrities in past AUFA events such as: Ray Romano, Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson, Jason Alexander, Montel Williams and Shannon Elizabeth. They’ve been joined at the tables by poker pros Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey and Erik Seidel.

The event is a $5,000 buy-in and saw 137 entrants last year when it was included in ESPN’s coverage of the WSOP. The event is typically held the day before the Main Event begins. Last year’s final table included top pros Rafe Furst, Seidel, Ferguson, Phil Gordon and Jenn Harman. Aleksandr Bolotin walked away the winner with $176,449 in prize money.

According to the Enough Project, the WSOP sponsored tournament has helped raise over $2 million to help end the Darfur crisis.

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