All bets are off when Broadway fans, industry luminaries and stars alike shuffle up and try their luck as Broadway Bets, Broadway’s official game night, returns Monday, June 3, 2024.
The annual event is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Under the inquisitive eyes of the legendary caricatures lining the walls of the theater district’s beloved Sardi’s restaurant, a full house of Broadway talent, industry insiders and theater enthusiasts will join in a friendly Texas Hold ’em tournament for all levels. Newcomers and aces alike will have the chance to play their cards right 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 Sardi’s fare and an open bar.
Tickets and table sponsorships go on sale today at broadwaycares.org/bets.
For those who haven’t quite mastered their poker face but want to go “all in” alongside Broadway’s most prominent players, guest passes offer a chance to observe the poker table action and play other casino games for fun, including blackjack and roulette.
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.
Broadway Bets is made possible by City National Bank, the official bank of Broadway Bets; and United Airlines, the official airline of Broadway Cares.
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.
Last year’s edition of Broadway Bets, which raised a record $332,465, saw Jeremy Hollingworth, partner and president of Cabin Modern, and Broadway Bets mainstay Julie Scheer go “all in” after several impassioned rounds of play. Surrounded by an electric crowd, Hollingworth was crowned Broadway Bets champion when he bested Scheer with a pair of eights and a pair of sevens. Across its six editions, Broadway Bets has raised $1.6 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 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 Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, the HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative. 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.