Former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champions Jamie Gold and Peter Eastgate are co-hosting a charity poker tournament that is to be held in England later this week, event organizers announced.

The event will be a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with a buy-in of 500 British pounds, equal to about $824.

The buy-ins will go toward the Jamie Gold Foundation, a charitable organization set up by Gold after he earned $12 million when he won the 2006 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The charity tourney is to be held at the Casino at the Empire in London, England, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, 2009.

The tourney, part of England’s “Poker in the Park” poker-themed community celebration, is open to the public.

So what do tourney participants get for their 500-pound buy-in?

Besides a charitable donation that is tax-deductible, they will get a chance to play poker against two past WSOP Main Event champs (Eastgate won the WSOP Main Event in 2008) and a slew of local celebrities.

And there will be prizes.

The top finishers in the charity tourney will split up about $35,000 worth of prizes, including hand-tailored clothes, seats into top poker tournaments, poker supplies, vacations and jewelry.

The Jamie Gold Foundation funds numerous established charities, such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Montel Williams Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Sunflower Children, Covenant House, the Fallen Heroes Fund, the Fulfillment Fund and the Abolish Slavery Coalition.

For more information about the charity tourney, or to register for it in advance, go to www.pokerinthepark.com/jamie-gold-charity-tournament.html.

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