The poker pro who wants to save the world

Abstract

Liv Boeree, a professional poker player, discusses her work with Raising for Effective Giving (REG), a charity fundraising organization based on the philosophy of effective altruism. REG encourages poker players to donate a portion of their winnings to the most effective charities. Boeree argues that the analogy between poker and charitable donations breaks down when it comes to risk aversion, arguing that it is more rational to donate to a single charity with the highest expected impact, rather than splitting donations across multiple charities. She outlines REG’s plans for the future, which include expanding beyond the poker community to other industries with high effective altruism potential. Boeree also offers advice for aspiring effective altruists, encouraging them to learn more about the movement and consider the long-term impact of their career choices. – AI-generated abstract.