Brian ‘Smitty’ Smith would stand out in the $1,000 WSOP Mystery Millions anyway. A tall guy with a broad smile, fully decked out in purple, he jokes that he’s a “walking billboard” for the pancreatic cancer charity Purple Pansies.
But he stood out even more on Sunday, as the grinder from Atlanta, Georgia, pulled a gold chest for $100,000 and immediately announced it was all going to the charity so close to his heart.
“One of our closest family friends, Maria, she’s a stage 3 pancreatic cancer survivor,” he told PokerNews. “Maria lost her mother in three months since getting diagnosed with the disease years ago, and unfortunately, one of my dear friends lost his father a few months ago to this awful disease.”
“I play poker and donate a lot to charity. I’ve been affiliated with a lot of organizations. I love giving back. I’m very fortunate and blessed that I get to do so. This was a very obvious charity to support this year at the World Series of Poker.”
Giving it All Away
As per The Hendon Mob, Smith has just over $270,000 in live tournament earnings, so his $100,000 pull plus the minimum $2,350 he’s already locked up represents a significant score in the context of his poker career. But the charity always matters more than the money, he says.
“I donate a significant portion of anything that I win, even if I’m down on the summer. If I’m down $150,000 but I win $100,000, I’d still donate $10,000 to the charity. It’s just the way that I operate.”
Smith describes himself as an Omaha player, admitting, “I had no expectations for this event… I maybe play like one no limit tournament a year. I probably only play 7 or 8 tournaments total a year… but when you get a chance to buy in for $1,000 and make a few million, it’s really hard to turn that down.”
“If I’m down $150,000 but I win $100,000, I’d still donate $10,000 to the charity.”
“I was always a cash game player, never had the stamina or the interest in tournaments, but now that I don’t really play for money, I’m more into the giving back part. I’m more into the tournaments. I’m more into trophies and championships.”
But Smith might have to start firing at more tournaments. “I was on the biggest sun run before coming to the World Series,” he says. “My last 13 tournaments, I made 8 final tables and just decided why not this one.” It’s a sun run that those affected by pancreatic cancer can certainly get behind.
“I’m Known for the Wrong Reasons”
It’s far from Smith’s first rodeo at the WSOP, but he says he was “known for the wrong reasons” before, as the player at the center of the pot-shorting controversy at the $300 Gladiators event during the 2024 WSOP. “Ever since then I think karma’s been in my favor,” he adds.
“I’ve been in poker since 16 years old. My dad would tell you before that, when I was in my mom’s womb, he was running hand combinations,” he laughs.
“People ask all the time when they make donations at the table. I kindly ask that if they’re interested in learning more, they go to purplepansies.org”
A highly successful sales leader at a large insurance and human capital consulting firm, Smith lives in Atlanta with his wife Stacy, three-year-old son Harrison, and dog Birdie. His dad was a good stud player who taught him the game, and actually paid his way through college by heading down to Atlantic City to hit the tables.
Bringing it back to the charity, he says: “People ask all the time when they make donations at the table. I kindly ask that if they’re interested in learning more, they go to purplepansies.org, and then I give them a wristband if they hit that donate button.”
Those players include some of the very best in the game right now, whom Smith battled on the opening days of the $10,000 PLO Championship. “Shoutout Chance Kornuth and Shaun Deeb… they were all like super interested in donating, so it’s nice to see some of the big names in poker giving back,” he smiles.
Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino