Buddhist poker player to give his $600,000 winnings to charity

A Buddhist poker player has said he will give away more than $600,000 of his winnings to charity.

Scott Wellenbach’s third place finish in the Bahamas scooped him $671,240 (£521,384), more than nine times his previous total. The Canadian player said the only way he could rationalise playing a game that could leave others in strife was to donate to those in need.

He told PokerNews.com: “I hope that somehow a wise decision happens and the money goes to good purposes and certain human beings or other sentient beings, animals or whatever, beings with feelings, [so] that their lives are eased in some way.”

The 67-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia, translates Buddhist teachings from Sanskrit and Tibetan when he is not at the poker table. He told the BBC that he reconciles the teachings of his faith with the adrenaline of a straight flush “with great difficulty”.

His previous biggest win was $72,176 in 2017, which, like all of his winnings, went to charity. Beneficiaries of his generosity have included Buddhist nuns in Nepal and Tibet, Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders.

Last year, he told CBC News: ““A significant amount of your money is won from people who are too addicted, too drunk, too unstudied or too masochistic to play well – and we all have those features within us.

“In any case, I feel there’s a tension about winning money under those circumstances and I guess I rationalise my addiction by giving away the winnings, saying, ‘Well, at least I’m doing good things with it.’”

Wellenbach said he did not travel to poker rooms unless he happened to be in the area for work or won an online qualifying tournament (as he did for the Bahamas).

He revealed that he meditates for about an hour every day but more so during a tournament to retain his personal discipline.