Christopher Abbott Joins Broadway Bets at Edison Ballroom on May 18
christopher abbott is set to join Broadway Bets when the event returns May 18 at the Edison Ballroom. The Broadway Cares benefit moves from its longtime home at Sardi's Restaurant to a larger setting, with a guest list that reaches beyond the usual Broadway crowd.
Edison Ballroom on May 18
Broadway Bets is Broadway’s official game night, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares, and the move to the Edison Ballroom gives the fundraiser more room for its Texas Hold ’em tournament and side games. Guest passes will let attendees watch the poker action and play other casino games for fun, keeping the event open to nonplayers who still want in on the room’s energy.
The change in venue is the clearest operational shift here. Sardi's has been the traditional setting, but the Edison Ballroom points to a larger-scale event with more tables, more guests, and more space for the fundraising machinery that sits around the tournament.
Abbott, Azaria, Briones
The special guests include 2026 Tony nominee Christopher Abbott, Emmy winner Hank Azaria, Isa Briones, 2026 Tony nominee Nicholas Christopher, 2026 Tony nominee Christiani Pitts, 2026 Tony nominee Hannah Cruz, 2026 Tony nominee Mark Strong, 2026 Tony nominee Sam Tutty, and three-time Tony nominee Patrick Wilson. Broadway Bets also brings in poker pros Andy Frankenberger and Erik Seidel, which suggests the night is built to keep the card table credible as well as theatrical.
That mix matters because the event is not just a photo-op. Broadway productions represented with tables include Beaches, A New Musical; Death Becomes Her; Dog Day Afternoon; Every Brilliant Thing; Oedipus; Ragtime; Schmigadoon!; and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), giving the fundraiser a cross-section of current Broadway titles rather than a single show’s promotional push.
Final table prizes
Prizes will go to the 10 players who reach the final table, including a cross-country private jet flight on Aero, one week at the Secret Villas in Key West, a catered dinner party for 12 by Sweet Hospitality Group, and a whiskey tasting at The Macallan. The tournament directors are Mark Shacket, Brett Sirota, and Alex Wolfe, while the founding co-chairs are Robert E. Wankel and the late Paul Libin.
For a reader tracking Broadway as a business, the useful detail is simple: this year’s Broadway Bets is bigger, broader, and less tied to a single restaurant address. The move to the Edison Ballroom, plus the lineup of theatre names and TV-adjacent guests, makes the May 18 edition look like a stronger draw for both players and pass holders.
