Darfur gets celebrities to the poker table

Shannon Elizabeth has confirmed she will play in the tournament.

Celebrities will use their famous faces for something other than swag and VIP to Body English while in Vegas next month, as a throng of poker-playing stars takes to the tables for charity.

Don Cheadle and Annie Duke's July 5 Ante Up For Africa tournament has drawn tentative commitments from superstars such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Ben Affleck to play some Hold'em to help raise awareness and money for Darfur refugees.

Gina Gershon, Shannon Elizabeth, Willie Garson, Brad Garrett and Jennifer Harman are the latest philanthropic celebs to lend their celebrity to the cause.

Ante Up for Africa will run at 4 p.m. July 5 alongside the World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Anyone 21 or older is invited to attended the tournament, which has a limited number of seats but offers pre-registration.

Donations aren't being required to participate, however, Cheadle and Duke are asking winners donate half of their haul to the ENOUGH Project and the International Rescue Committee, organizations designed to raise public awareness and five aid to the survivors of Darfur.

Among the notable (and, in some cases, not so notable) celebrity names are poker pros such as Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, Joseph Hachem, Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson and Mike Matusow.

Related Article: Celebrities Ante Up for Africa at World Series