NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Some of Hollywood’s biggest names put on their poker faces Saturday to compete in the Big Slick KC Poker Tournament.
This is the fourth year celebrities Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis and Rob Riggle have hosted the Big Slick KC weekend-long fundraiser. All three men are hometown boys.
“Kansas City is our home,” said Riggle. “It’s where we’re from. We love KC and we want to be connected to it.”
So they invited their Hollywood friends to join them in raising money for the oncology division at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
“They have fun playing Whiffle Ball, they have fun watching baseball, they’re playing poker, and they’re going to have a great party tonight,” said Rudd’s mother Gloria.
Each year, the hosts manage to raise the bar.
“The second year we wanted to break $100,000 and we raised $210,000,” said Gloria. “Last year was year three and we netted over $525,000 for the hospital.”
Whether they win it all or go bust in Saturday’s poker tournament, they’re changing the lives of so many children who are struggling to hold on.
“They’re so glad to be able to do it and that’s why our celebreities come to the hospital when they’re here,” said Gloria.
Whoever wins the tournament will be guaranteed a seat at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada.