button in Safari'American Pie' Star Shannon Elizabeth is Bringing Her Wildlife Mission to Las Vegas
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Actress, poker player and conservationist Shannon Elizabeth is bringing her mission of helping wildlife to Las Vegas this summer as she hosts the second-ever Rhino Rumble charity poker tournament.
After starring in some of the biggest comedy movies from the turn of the century, including American Pie and Scary Movie, Elizabeth, a longtime poker player, went on to found the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation and open the Khusela Endangered Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
"I've been living in South Africa, running my charity out there," Elizabeth told PokerNews in a recent interview. "And we have a blind black rhino (named Munu) that was our inspiration for creating our sanctuary."
Now, Elizabeth, who recently made headlines for making over $1 million in her first week on OnlyFans, is gearing up for the charity poker tournament in Las Vegas that will take place right before the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Raising Money for Endangered Wildlife
The first-ever Rhino Rumble took place in July 2024 and in partnership with poker pro Matt Stout and his Charity Series of Poker (CSOP), and was attended the likes of Poker Hall of Famer Barry Greenstein, 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen and World Poker Tour (WPT) Executive Tournament Director Matt Savage, who will be emceeing this year's event.
"That event was incredible. So many people came out to support us," Elizabeth told PokerNews. "The vibe in the room was amazing. And we went until late at night. Just playing and having fun."
After skipping the event in 2025 due to scheduling conflicts, Elizabeth said this summer's event will be even better than the inaugural edition.
"I want to duplicate it again, but like, double it," she said.
The second annual Rhino Rumble Poker Championship will take place June 28 at The Stirling Club in Las Vegas. Once again, the event will be a partnership between the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation and the CSOP.
The night will kick off with a cocktail hour before a No-Limit Hold'em Tournament with $5,000 in cash prizes and over $10,000 in prizes supporting the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. Players who purchase tickets before June 28 will receive an additional 5,000 in chips. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation website.
Rhino Rhumble Poker Championship Details
- 4:30pm Poker Lessons (upon request)
- 5:00pm VIP Reception Begins
- 6:30pm Players Seated & Welcome Remarks
The tournament comes at a time that Elizabeth's Khusela Endangered Wildlife Sanctuary could use the money. She said she is gearing up "to expand the sanctuary," including working with local partners in South Africa to build a wildlife rehabilitation center for orphaned animals.
"We're starting to make some headway with the local community to start helping them ... So there's a lot going on out there, so we really need to raise funds."
Wanting to Shadow a Poker Pro for a Year
Elizabeth has played poker since the early 2000s, when she finished runner-up in the 2004 Celebrity Poker Showdown and later finished third in the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Championship for $125,000.
More recently, Elizabeth played at the 2024 WSOP and on the SunBet Poker Tour in South Africa. Elizabeth told PokerNews she "might play some events" while she's in Las Vegas and is even interested in shadowing a professional poker player for a year to improve her game.
"I think that's kind of my dream in the future," she said. "Because I really do want to get better at it. Because I do love the game.
"Honestly, until I can shadow a poker player for maybe a year, I don't see me getting better. Because I just haven't like had the time to focus on it. And I feel like the game has changed so much from when I was playing before. So I play now and I know I have a lot of things I'm doing wrong."
Elizabeth appeared as a guest on the PokerNews Life Outside Poker Podcast at the 2024 WSOP, where she talked about her biggest Hollywood roles, getting into poker, starting her wildlife conservation and more.
