A charity poker tournament held in the midst of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, USA, Tuesday raised about $60,000 for a veterans organization and was won by actor Ben Affleck.

The event, called “Poker at the Ballpark” and held at Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, was sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a pro-poker lobbying group.

The event raised monies for the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA).

According to media accounts of the tournament, it lasted about six hours and included a field of about 100 players, including celebrities such as actors Richard Dreyfuss, Seth Myers and Affleck, comic Sarah Silverman, TV talk show host Montel Williams and poker pros Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein.

The tourney had a $500 buy-in.

Afterwards, the PPA said it will hold a similar tournament next month in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, in the midst of the Republican National Convention.

Republicans generally have more money than Democrats–the Republicans are known as the “party of the rich” while the Democrats are the “party of the poor”–and the PPA plans to take full advantage of that fact.

Next month’s tournament in St. Paul will have a $1,000 buy-in.

For more information about the PPA, visit its website at www.pokerplayersalliance.org.

For more information about the PVA, visit its website at www.pva.org.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)=A0