Widely regarded as the Godfather of poker in Scandinavia, and looked up to by thousands of players around the world, Hansen now lives in the US and faces large medical bills.
Betfair will be hosting a charity event on Thursday February 9, 2012 at 21:30 CET. The event will feature a $1 + $10 buy-in with the $10 tournament fee going to the recently created Thor Hansen Fund.
“We are delighted to help out Thor at this time,” said Betfair Global Poker Marketing Manager Asko Heiskanen.
“I hope other operators across the industry join us to raise as much money and awareness as possible for one of poker's most well-loved players,” he added.
Players will receive 1,500 chips for the initial $1 buy-in, and will be given the option of a 3,000 chip add-on for an additional $1.
Betfair has pledged to match whatever money is raised, up to $2,500.
Hansen is the owner or two WSOP gold bracelets and has earned almost $3 million playing live poker tournaments.
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