Logo-PGT

Over the past couple of years, there have been a few World Series of Poker bracelets that made their way eBay, most recently Tom McEvoy. Jerry Yang, Brad Daugherty and Peter Eastgate also auctioned their bracelets off for one reason or another. Max Pescatori is the latest to join is the latest to join the list to benefit victims of the 2016 earthquake in the Italian city of Amatrice.

Pescatori will donate 100% of the funds to the charity Capiricchia del Cuore – which translates to “Carpricchia in our heart”. Capiricchia is an area of Amatrice that was severely affected by last year’s earthquake. “A poker friend of mine, ‘Crisbus’, used to visit the area hit most violently. He returned to find this charity that helps directly with the risk that funds get lost.” 

A winter of heavy snowfall made recovery efforts worse, and the charity is providing basic homes to victims that lost their homes. The reserve price for the bracelet sits at $6,000, but Pescatori is hoping to raise more.

“I hope $6,000 is the beginning – $11,000 is the cost of mobile, basic home – so I hope that they can purchase one and help a family,” Pescatori said. “But you never know, some folks have expendable money, so why not gift your wife or husband, any poker fan with an item not possible to buy? And of course, do some good.”

Pescatori has four bracelets in his career and is offering his 2015 $10,000 Seven Card Stud HiLo Championship bracelet. 

Pescatori was inspired by the story of Piotr Malachowski – a Polish Olympian that donated his Silver medal to raise funds for a three-year-old boy with cancer. “I was reading the story last fall, and I realized that discuss throwers make less money compared to poker players and their careers are much shorter. It was amazing what he accomplished.”

Pescatori said that other poker players in Italy had made different types of donations – the most popular were donating a percentage of their action to charity.

“It’s not only money that we need to raise,” Pescatori said. “But to make people understand that earthquake relief is still needed.”