Hollywood royalty Leonardo DiCaprio has recently given poker fans the opportunity to play against two of Tinseltown’s most famous acting stars. He auctioned off a poker evening with Ed Norton, the star of Fight Club and American History X, and Jonah Hill, the star of Moneyball and 21 Jump Street, to raise money for his charity, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The organisation raises funds and awareness for environmental research. DiCaprio is an outspoken advocate for environmental causes and green energy. This was the third annual auction hosted by DiCaprio’s foundation and was held on the 20th July. One of the prizes on offer for guests to bid on was a poker date with the two actors.
The Oscar winning thespian is a known poker enthusiast himself and he has been spotted at live poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He was mentioned in a tell-all book on Hollywood poker games by Molly Bloom, which is due to become a film starring Jessica Chastain.
DiCaprio gave poker enthusiasts the chance to sit down at the felt with two Hollywood stars. Norton is well-known for his poker skills, having featured in the film Rounders. Along with DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire, Norton is part of an A-List set of poker players who gamble for huge sums at underground poker nights.
An exclusive evening of anecdotes, storytelling and poker action with Norton was considered a prize that any poker fan wouldn’t want to miss out on. They’ll be joined by Jonah Hill, who is less well-known as a poker fan. Regardless of poker skill, both actors offered their services for the auction in Hollywood.
When it came to the bidding, a lone bidder was successful in out-betting the rest of the room. Before the bidding, the official auctioneer Simon De Pury described the lot as an “unbelievable opportunity” for the winner to rub shoulders with the stars and improve their poker skills.
“You’ll receive coaching from one of the best poker players in the world, and hear stories over dinner about how the movie [Rounders] that launched the international poker craze was made,” read the auction listing. With selection of “top poker professionals”.
In the end, the lot was attractive enough for one bidder who registered a winning bet of $121,300 for the prize. The anonymous bidder raised the pot enough to scare off his bidding opponents, as the chance to meet the actors was just too tempting. Overall the charity auction raised a record $45 million which DiCaprio’s foundation will now use to help fund projects that aim to tackle climate change around the world.
