Ramin Karimloo, Anthony Rapp, Aaron Tveit & More to Join BROADWAY BETS

A royal flush of Broadway favorites will raise the stakes when Broadway Bets, Broadway's official poker tournament, returns this Monday, May 22, 2023.

Special Broadway guests set to ante up include Kelli Barrett (Parade), Robert Creighton (Frozen), Christopher Innvar (To Kill a Mockingbird), Ramin Karimloo (Funny Girl), Brian Koppleman (TV's Billions), Anthony Rapp (Rent, Without You), Jarrod Spector (The Cher Show) and Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge! The Musical).

Broadway Bets brings the Texas Hold 'em tournament back to the New York City theater district's beloved Sardi's restaurant. The event is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Tickets and table sponsorship information are available at broadwaycares.org/bets.

Newcomers and aces alike will have the chance to go "all in" and win the coveted title of Broadway Bets champion. Prizes will be awarded to all players who reach the final table.

Doors will open at 6 pm with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres; the tournament begins at 7 pm. All Broadway Bets (#BroadwayBets) ticketing levels include hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.

Broadway Bets' founding co-chairs are Paul Libin, executive vice president emeritus of Jujamcyn Theaters and president emeritus of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees, and Robert E. Wankel, chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization and president of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees.

The tournament directors are Mark Shacket, partner at Foresight Theatrical, Brett Sirota, co-founder and partner at The Road Company and Alex Wolfe, associate general manager at Foresight Theatrical.

Texas Hold 'em-style tournaments begin with each player receiving an equal amount of chips. Two blinds are posted per hand to force the action. As players progress, the number of blind bets increases. As players drop out, tables are combined until one final table of players competes for the championship title.

For those who haven't quite mastered when to fold 'em, guest passes offer a chance to observe the poker table action and play other casino games with an opportunity to win prizes.

Broadway Bets' last edition in 2019 saw a packed competition and audience raise $315,200. In the final round, Elliot Greene, executive vice president of The Shubert Organization, and actor Ted Koch went head-to-head for the top prize. Surrounded by an energetic crowd, Greene was crowned Broadway Bets champion when he bested Koch with a pair of queens. In its five editions, Broadway Bets has raised $1.3 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the philanthropic heart of Broadway, is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance.

For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, at facebook.com/BCEFA, at instagram.com/BCEFA, at twitter.com/BCEFA and at youtube.com/BCEFA.