From Chessboard to Poker Table
Growing up in New Jersey, Dan was a chess prodigy with a keen sense for strategy. As a teenager, when he discovered poker, he quickly realized it combined everything he loved – analytics, competitiveness, challenge, and the potential for extraordinary earnings. By the age of twenty, he was among the most successful tournament players in the United States. In 2012, he broke through the glass ceiling – winning millions, making final tables at WSOP, EPT, WPT, earning the status of a respected professional. But even at the top, something felt off. The question wasn’t “how to win more,” but “what’s it all for?”
Double Up Drive: When EV Means Human Life
Smith became interested in the philosophy of effective altruism – the idea that if we donate, we should do so in a way that ensures our gift has the greatest impact. Inspired by platforms like GiveWell, which analyze the effectiveness of charitable organizations based on metrics like the cost of saving a human life, Smith began thinking about calculating the value of help. In 2014, he launched his own project: Double Up Drive.
The concept was simple – every December, he would reach out to the community and announce: “Every dollar you donate to these vetted charities, I will double.” His challenge did not fall on deaf ears. Other players, donors, and entrepreneurs joined him. The community grew, and so did the results. In the first ten years, Double Up Drive raised over $25 million, which went to specific, independently vetted programs: malaria net distribution, deworming children in developing countries, direct financial transfers to extremely poor areas, vaccinations against preventable diseases for just a few dollars. All with an emphasis on transparency, efficiency, and verified impact.
A Story That Struck
One of the most powerful moments of the initiative was a project in a small community in Southeast Asia, where a pilot program of direct cash transfers was implemented. Families, who previously lived on less than $1 a day, received $1,000 in cash and a simple mobile phone to manage their finances. The results were astonishing: a sharp decrease in child mortality, investments in basic housing, school supplies, and small local businesses. This experiment – supported by the Double Up Drive community – was later cited in academic studies as an example of exceptionally effective intervention in the cycle of poverty.
Poker as a Tool of Trust
This approach – thoughtful, systematic, without drama – reflects the kind of player Dan Smith is at the table. Not theatrical, not flashy. Thoughtful, patient, disciplined. This is why the community believed him. Double Up Drive became not only a donation platform but a brand of trust. Each year more well-known players joined the challenge – Fedor Holz, Erik Seidel, Stephen Chidwick, and hundreds of regular grinders from the online scene. And every year they managed to fund real, life-saving help.
Smith never acted like someone who wanted to lead a movement. He did what he felt was right. He didn't host galas. He didn't seek the title of philanthropist of the year. And perhaps that’s why he became an authentic voice of the poker community that showed it can be not only competitive but also compassionate.
Beyond the Game
Even though Smith continues to play and his name appears on the leaderboards of major events, his greatest legacy lies outside poker tournament databases. It lies in the thousands of children who live healthier lives today, in communities that gained access to clean water, in people who received a second chance. Thanks to a player who could calculate EV better than most of the planet, many now live longer and more dignified lives.
Want to Help Too?
The Double Up Drive community is open to anyone who wants to donate meaningfully. On the official project website www.doubleupdrive.com you can find a list of currently supported organizations, an overview of impacts, and the option to donate with confidence. Poker can change lives – and thanks to Dan Smith, it can also save them.
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