The elegant Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco provided an appropriate backdrop this week for a charity poker match between top poker pro Vanessa Selbst and international tennis ace and enthusiastic poker fan Rafa Nadal.
Organised by Pokerstars, the match was organised to herald the imminent start of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monte Carlo, at the same time benefitting a deserving charity.
Nadal is no slouch at the poker tables; he won his first-ever live poker tournament in Prague last December against a slate of top players that included Daniel Negreanu.
On this occasion he did not fare as well, however, and Selbst took the honours.
Rafa’s poker coah, Alfonso Cardalda, said: “Playing against Vanessa was a very important part of Rafa’s poker journey. After winning in Prague, this was his next big step and he played very well against one of the best poker players in the world.”
The event raised $5,000 for the Care International charity and was reportedly much enjoyed by both aces, a fact demonstrated on the Youtube vid published here: