Stars Shine on PokerStars as David Costabile Wins $1 Million Charity Event

May 11th, 2020 | by Jason Reynolds

The stars were out in force on May 9 as PokerStars joined the industry’s recent series of coronavirus relief efforts.

David Costabile has won the Stars Call for Action by PokerStars charity MTT and helped to raise more than $1 million. (Image: Wikipedia/chrisjortiz)

With the community at large rallying to help those in need, PokerStars partnered with Hank Azaria to put more money in the pot.

Dubbed Stars Call for Action, the celebrity online poker tournament was designed to raise at least $1 million for charity.

Stars Show they Care

The event was the brainchild of The Simpson’s star Azaria and screenwriter Andy Bellin. In an effort to help CARE International during the global pandemic, the two called in some favors. The end result was a star-studded MTT on PokerStars.

To add some extra interest, the tournament was streamed on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook. James Hartigan and Lex Veldhuis were on hand to provide commentary as Azaria, Bellin, Amy Schumer et al battled for supremacy.

Fans were able to make donations as they watched the celebrities making their best poker faces on Zoom.

The event as a whole was about raising money and providing some light relief from the current problems facing the world. However, the international cast of stars couldn’t help but be competitive.

With David Schwimmer, Wayne Bridge and Macaulay Culkin just a few of the celebs falling short, David Costabile became star of the show. The American actor may not have been the most experienced player at the final table but the cards were in his favor.

As the final six battled for the $100,000 top prize, ruby legend Mike Tindall crashed out in sixth. Chris Moneymaker was next to fall, closely followed by Casey Affleck. With three left, poker pro Jennifer Shahade was the best on paper.

PokerStars Pros Fall as Costabile Rises

However, a dose of bad luck saw her A♣Q♣ beaten by four-card-flush for Douglas Costa’s A♦T♣. Down to two, The Wire’s Costabile got the rub of the green. A couple of double ups saw him move into the lead before a pair of fours got the job done.

Jamming from the button, Costabile had the lead over Brazilian soccer star Costa who called with A♣K♣. The coinflip could have gone either way but the 8♦9♦J♠6♥T♣ board sealed the deal for Costabile.

Stars Call for Action Result

1^st – David Costabile – $100,000

2^nd – Douglas Costa – $75,000

3^rd – Jennifer Shahade – $40,000

4^th – Casey Affleck – $30,000

5^th – Chris Moneymaker – $20,000

6^th – Mike Tindall – $10,000

*All prize money will be donated to charity.

With that, the charity event was over and Costabile had $100,000 to donate to his charity of choice, World Central Kitchen.

Everyone else that made the final table was also given money for their charity, while funds collected via donations will be given to CARE International.