As we all know, the Virginia Tech campus was stricken with a terrible tragedy this past week when a student open fire on several defenseless students and staff resulting in the worst gunfire disaster at the hands of a fellow student.

The poker community is well known for its charity in helping out those in need. A bit oxymoronish considering the object of the game we love is to take each others' money.

PokerStars is well-known for helping out charitable causes with its online tourneys and this Saturday will be no exception

From the PokerStars blog, here's Otis describing the Virginia Tech charity tourney open to all players:

Poker is an important part of all of our lives. However, in light of the all-too-real tragedy at Virginia Tech, it's a lot easier to see that our game is just that...a game. When faced with the insanity of real life, it's sometimes hard to figure out how to help.

PokerStars and its players are stepping up to help the people of Virginia Tech with a special fundraiser. Here is a snippet from the announcement:

This Saturday, 28 April 2007 at 3:00pm eastern U.S. time, PokerStars will host a tournament to raise money for the Hokie Spirit memorial Fund. The Fund has been established by Virginia Tech to cover expenses including, but not limited to: grief counseling, memorials, communication expenses, comfort expenses, and incidental needs of those affected by the tragedy.

You can find this tournament under the Tourney/Special tab on PokerStars, under the name Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund - $20 fundraiser. $0.01 from each entry will go toward the tournament's prize pool. The remaining $19.99 from each entry will be matched by PokerStars and then sent to the Fund. Registration is open now.

For those wishing to contribute directly to the Fund, information on doing so is available on the Virginia Tech website.

If you are one of those people who have been trying to come up with a way to help, this is one way you can use your bankroll for good.