American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth will host the second annual Rhino Run charity poker tournament in Las Vegas on June 28 to raise funds for endangered wildlife reserves in South Africa.
Actress, poker player, and conservationist Shannon Elizabeth will bring her mission to assist wildlife to Las Vegas this summer, hosting the second annual Rhino Rumble charity poker tournament.
After starring in some of the most famous comedy films of the turn of the century, including American Pie and Scary Movie, Elizabeth, a longtime poker enthusiast, founded the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation and opened the Khusela Endangered Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
"I've always lived in South Africa, where I run my philanthropy," Elizabeth recently told PokerNews. "We have a blind black rhinoceros there named Munu, who was the inspiration for our conservation area."
Elizabeth (who recently made headlines for earning over $1 million in her first week on the OnlyFans platform) is now preparing to host this charity poker tournament in Las Vegas, ahead of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Raising funds for endangered wildlife
The inaugural "Rhino Rush" will take place in July 2024, in partnership with poker pro Matt Stout and his Charity Series of Poker (CSOP). Attendees include Poker Hall of Famer Barry Greenstein, 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen, and World Poker Tour (WPT) Executive Director Matt Savage, who will host this year's event.
“That event was incredible. So many people came to support us,” Elizabeth told PokerNews. “The atmosphere in the room was amazing. We played until late at night, just playing cards and having fun.”
After missing the 2025 event due to scheduling conflicts, Elizabeth said this summer's event will be even better than the first one.
"I hope to replicate that success, but on a double scale," she said.
The second annual "Rhino Rush Poker Tournament" will be held... June 28 The event will be held at The Stirling Club in Las Vegas. This event will once again be hosted by the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation in partnership with CSOP.
The evening will kick off with a cocktail party, followed by a No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament, offering... $5,000 cash prize and more $10,000 Prizes will be awarded to support the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. Players who purchase tickets before June 28th will receive an additional 5,000 chips. Event tickets can be purchased on the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation website.
Rhino Run Poker Tournament Details
The tournament comes at a time when Elizabeth's Khusela Endangered Wildlife Sanctuary is in dire need of funding. She says she is preparing to "expand the sanctuary," including working with local South African partners to establish a wildlife rehabilitation center for orphaned animals.
"We've started to make some progress with the local community and started to help them... so there's a lot going on over there, and we really need to raise funds."
I want to study under a professional poker player for a year.
Elizabeth started playing poker in the early 2000s, when she finished as runner-up in the 2004 Celebrity Poker Showdown and later finished third in the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Championship, winning $125,000.
Recently, Elizabeth participated in the 2024 WSOP and the SunBet Poker Tour in South Africa. Elizabeth told PokerNews that she "might play some tournaments" during her time in Las Vegas and is even interested in studying with a professional poker player for a year to improve her skills.
"I think this is my dream for the future," she said. "Because I really want to become stronger, and I truly love this game."
"Honestly, unless I can learn from a poker player for about a year, I don't see myself improving. Because I haven't had the time to focus on it. And I feel the game has changed so much since I used to play it. So when I play now, I know I'm making a lot of mistakes."
Elizabeth appeared as a guest on PokerNews' "Life Outside Poker" podcast during the 2024 WSOP, where she discussed her most famous Hollywood role, how she got into poker, founding a wildlife conservation organization, and many other topics.
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