Pokerati » celebrity poker

Celebrity Poker vs. Cerebral Palsy Jacob Zalewski’s charity tourney FTW!

Tim Fiorvanti — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:38:23 +0000

Not to be dismissive of all the good work poker can do, but in Las Vegas, charity tourneys can begin to seem a dime a dozen.

Just about all charity tournaments promise “celebrities”, but few deliver. In the world of big-time charity events that consistently do, you’ve got Ante Up for Africa, the big $5k buy-in event at the WSOP, and, maybe Jennifer Harman’s event for the ASPCA. But one of the best opportunities to play with celebs for a decent price (and a great cause) is at the “All In for CP” 3 charity event, which takes place today at the Venetian at 4 pm PT.

The tournament raises money for the One Step Closer Foundation, an enterprise started by Jacob Zalewski when he was in college. Though the ultimate goal is to find a cure for cerebral palsy, the immediate goal is to allow people with CP to live more normal lives. Many of you who have spent time at the Rio during the last few World Series’ have certainly seen Jacob riding around the halls on his scooter.

This event does not lack in star power, as celebrities have taken down this event in the last two years. First it was actor Mehki Phifer, then last year Simpson’s co-creator Sam Simon won and generously donated the entirety of his winnings. This year’s event will also feature appearances by Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, Montel Williams and WWE Diva Alicia Fox, amongst others, as well as dozens of poker pros including Barry Greenstein, Phil Laak, Dennis Phillips, and Antonio Esfandiari.

As was previously stated this tournament is happening TODAY at 4 PM. Information about the event can be found on Facebook here and on the All In For CP website here. If you’re in the area you should definitely consider heading down and anteing up for this worthy cause.

The Professor, The Prop Comic, and Saving Puppies Red Carpet Coverage of Jen Harman Charity Tourney

Dan Michalski — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:11:33 +0000

Vegas fave Annie LePage and her lapddog playing poker at the Jen Harman SPCA fundraiser. Bijou seems to like their hand or is just hoping for a walk in the big blind.

There was a big charity event Tuesday night at the Venetian … part of their Deep Stacks II series … Jennifer Harman’s Charity Poker Tournament benefitting the Nevada SPCA. This has become one of the bigger Springtime celeb draws in poker, and is always a memorable shindig because of the presence of cute animals. You shoulda seen the look on the dealer’s face when Bijou (pictured here) jumped up and scampered around the table. I think half the players nearby were all cued up with jokes of “reraise!” and “floor!” had the pup, um, pushed a potty stack across the betting line.

Anyhow, I don’t know the numbers yet …I think it was actually smaller than in previous years, with 140something entries 30 minutes before late registration closed. But it really was a lot of fun … and the NSPCA seemed thrilled about the money the event was still raising, not to mention the number of rescued pets being adopted.

Pokerati Red Carpet Video

I wasn’t even sure I was gonna go … had an appointment earlier in the afternoon that ran long as well as friends and relatives in town … but decided to check it out. Walked up to the Nevada-SPCA PR guy and got myself a press badge looking to snap a few photos. He said he had just one badge left but was out of lanyards. I told him not to worry … I was pretty experienced at this kinda thing and could take care of it. Then, less than five minutes later (for my first time ever, seriously) I somehow lost my credential. It had to be within a 30 foot radius of the tournament registration, but no luck, couldn’t find it. (And Venetian can be pretty hardcore about stopping photos from anyone who isn’t Flipchip.)

But right around that time, I ran into Sam Chauhan — life/”mindset” coach to Phil Hellmuth, Paul Wasicka, Antonio Esfandiari, and others. He asked me if I wanted to play, presumably unaware that I had donked off what appeared like healthy winnings the last time we ran into each at the Hard Rock. No problem, he said, I can get you in … we walked a few steps, pointed to some people with clipboards, and boom — within a couple minutes I had a wristband and a seat card. Hmm, not bad …

I was pretty excited actually. Team Pokerati-er Jon Katkin had taken second place at the Emily Jillette charity tourney for Opportunity Village this past weekend for a $5k+ score. And he did it with just a single bullet and 1,000 starting chips. This was my turn … I could feel it … was running good.

David Chicotsky, aka The Maven (aka THE MAVEN!!!!) trying to win a prop bet that he could have a Pokerati patch “well-positioned” on his Vegas poker pal Stacey Lynn‘s chest before the final table.

I took my seat and shuffled my teensy starting stack. The biggest celebrity at my table was Carrot Top, who isn’t much of a poker player, but hardly knows a red carpet around town that he doesn’t walk. He was in a lot of hands early. I thought about making a move with A-9 suited, but decided no … I knew I had only one chance to be all-in. Sure enough, he was calling every bet. But after two orbits I got QQ under the gun. With blinds still at 25/50, I limped, as expected Carrot Top raised, and then Barry Dakake (executive chef at N9NE Steakhouse) re-raised. It was an easy all-in for me … original raiser folded, and Dakake briefly thought about it and called.

He showed AK. Ace on the flop, no improvement, and adios Pokerati.

Interestingly, before the turn and river, Howard Lederer had shown up to take his empty seat at my table. As he surveyed the felt, I noticed his eyes do a double-take on my left breast, which was appropriately patched up pimping a poker newsy website that we all know well and has prided itself with its ~~90ish~~ easily 60 percent accuracy over the years when nosing around in the Professor’s business.

Alas. the dealer gave my empty seat card to the floor before taking Howard’s and dealing him in. As I walked away, Howard pulled out a stack of 100s and began his usual early-level charity strategy of going all-in on every hand, rebuying like crazy, and even sometimes rebuying for opponents whom he sucks out on. Bummer, If there was one guy I was hoping to see and talk to at that tournament it was Howard the alleged honcho at Full Tilt Poker. But unless I wanted to rebuy with an assortment of 20s, 10s, 5s, and even 1s, some of which was slated to fund breakfast tomorrow without a trip to the ATM, I would miss my chance to engage in 3rd-level poker small-talk with one of the most powerful and currently important (if not controversial) figures in the game.

Oh well, all for a good cause, right?

Check later for real red-carpet celebrity coverage here.

Chau Giang, btw, was the winner … OK, maybe the animals were the real winners … but they don’t get seats in the 2010 WSOP main event.

Bill O’Reilly Says Poker = Patriotism

Dan Michalski — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:12:44 +0000

OK, maybe I’m stretching his definition a bit, but still … gotta like the message Factor viewers are getting when Bill O gives a big American thumbs-up to Eva Longoria for hosting her big charity poker tournament in San Antonio this evening:

This tournament, btw, part of the Second Annual Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night, is now, I’m almost certain, the biggest charity event in Texas — one of a few, if not the only one, that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars at a pop.

Awesome, and good for the beneficiary, Eva’s Heroes.

The guy instrumental in making this event happen, btw: Phil Hellmuth

Dallas (and Houston) people will note that first prize for this $500 buy-in event is a $10k WSOP main event seat. That sort of real-money-value prize is exactly what caused problems for La Riata — Dallas’ highest society charity poker event (also hosted by Phil Hellmuth), which had raised more than a million dollars before a few yahoos from the TABC successfully convinced charity organizers that prizes had to be awarded by raffle, as opposed to tournament outcome. (We told them they were bluffing!) As you can imagine, that can really kill incentive to rebuy. And sure enough it killed La Riata, which is no longer part of the Texas Stampede.

Poker people might find interesting the brands willing to tie their names together for this event — a major national grocery chain, the maker of industrial tractor equipment, and NBA franchise, and Ultimate Bet.

Lady Gaga to Play APT Macau?

Dan Michalski — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:08:51 +0000

Lady Gaga has a new tattoo. WTF — no spade, heart, club, or diamond?

Not exactly … but like Michael Phelps, she did get a special invite — as the pop singer will be playing a show at the Galaxy StarWorld Casino at the same time. Personally, I’m gettin’ a little tired of being bluffed by muffins, but that’s neither here nor there when you’ve got a chance to make a cameo appearance in Johnny Chan’s forthcoming Chinese-language “Poker King” movie, right?

From EarthTimes:

Dear Lady Gaga,

“I wanna hold them like they do in texas please, fold’em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me.” We certainly hope so and cannot believe the coincidence that you are playing live in Macau on Saturday 15th August while the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival is in full swing at the Galaxy Starworld.

Your ‘Fame Ball’ Tour has been a huge hit and we are sure the plaudits in Macau will be the same as in Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul and Manila but imagine the reaction if you showed your poker face at the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival! Not only will the venue be full of the world’s best poker players, the tournament is also the backdrop to the first ever Chinese language poker movie ‘Poker King,’ which people would go ‘gaga’ for if you took on a cameo role. Forget the wigs, keep the bleached blonde hair and think about the exposure to a huge audience!

You are well known for your dazzling array of outfits and admired for your mix of music and independent attitude. You have gone acoustic and proved you have real talent but the bottom line is nobody has actually seen your poker face! We see you with cards and the glamour in the ‘Poker Face’ video but in fairness we don’t know if you can hold’em.

We undoubtedly are trying to spread the word about poker in Asia, and, despite what some poker purists might argue, you have brought the great game to the attention to millions of new people through your worldwide best selling hit. You have a new tattoo that is the big news at the moment but we finally see your poker face… now that is different, that is serious news! ‘Poker Face’ is not about poker and you cannot play cards? Don’t worry, we have got plenty of people that could teach you!

You are in Macau while the premier poker event in the region is on! The festival runs from the 12th – 23rd with the Main Event getting underway on the 20th. We have a special Celebrity event featuring Hong Kong and Chinese language stars on Tuesday the 18th which you would be more than welcome to attend. We have also openly invited Michael Phelps to come along and are waiting to hear back but in fairness you are in the same city while the event is on so come on, all expenses are on us, just dance!

Congratulations on your nine MTV Video Award nominations but do us and the world a favour, come and see us in Macau and show us your poker face! We would be honored.

Best wishes,

The Asian Poker Tour

The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival will run from August 12-23, 2009 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau. The Main Event in 2008 was won by 20-year-old US hotshot Yevgeniy Timoshenko, who scooped US$500,000 after emerging triumphant from the star-studded field that featured players from over 40 countries. The Asian Poker Tour Macau hosts over 20 events with 15 official side events – the first four taking place between the 12th – 16th August featuring guaranteed prize pools. Day 1A of the Main Event kicks off on the 20th August. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/.

Ivan Neville at National Poker Week

Dan Michalski — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:04:49 +0000

Had a brief little run-in with Ivan Neville (of the Neville Brothers, and now Dumpstaphunk), who’s a low-stakes poker regular at Harrah’s New Orleans, any casino town he plays music in, and online. Not only did he sing the National Anthem at the USO/PPA charity event last night, but also he’s gone to some meetings with Congresspeople representing Louisiana and Texas … and in at least one case, his presence helped poker win out on a double-booked sked. Oh, and in addition to inspiration for further political involvement, he got an education on how the rebuy period really changes tournament action.

Says Neville: “Poker’s a friggin’ American pastime!”

Neville Brother on Poker+Politics

Celebrity Follow: Lou Diamond Phillips

Dan Michalski — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:25:18 +0000

Lou Diamond Phillips is the lone (non-poker) celebrity remaining in the main event, with a respectable 607,000 chips. (Avg. is 481k.) I’ve played with him once before … and it was a memorably odd night of poker, to say the least.

The recap of that eve has been lost in the old-old Pokerati archives, but I was able to dig up some pics from that eve:

(L to R) Lou D Phillips, Clonie, and The Big Randy in an intense hand of 50-cent-dollar no-limit hold’em at The Lodge.

LDP (as we called him before he became @LouDPhillips) was in town for the Deep Ellum Film Festival, so Robert Wilonsky invited him to a $.50/$1 Batface game at The Lodge. Clonie Gowen and Rick Fuller were there, as was David Williams I believe. Lou was actually running over the table … building his stack to about $700, which was very threatening in that game. Then Jerome Bettis showed up (out of nowhere and uninvited, btw) … The Bus was apparently at The Lodge on unrelated lap-lovin’ business, and couldn’t help but pull away when he heard there was a poker game going on in the champagne room.

Ahh, remember the good-ole-days of 2005, when poker was on its exponentially fast pop-cultural rise, and nights like these happened all the time?

But then things got kinda strange as Lou began playing shirtless and was flexing whenever he pushed all-in …

Bizarre, I know … but hey, it’s a small poker world.

BREAKING: Somebody Challenges Somebody to Heads-Up

Dan Michalski — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:34:32 +0000

This just in over the poker transom:

Nicole Sullivanâ€™s Poker Skills Tested
HollywoodPoker Celebrity Player Nicole Sullivan Challenged to a Headâ€™s Up Game by a German Fan

A german fan! I won’t waste your time with the rest of the press release, but it did make me lol while shaking my head, because I had no idea who Nicole Sullivan was … yet it does deserve more ink that Mike Sexton faux challenge to Paris Hilton that may or may not have something to do with charity … But in this case … Nicole Sullivan … we’re talking the girl who played Holly the dog walker on King of Queens.

Durrr challenge Durrr shmallenge!

UPDATE: OK, I have to give you a little more because it’s funny … and I think I kinda get it now:

A gracious Nicole had this to say about the bout, â€œHollywoodPoker is the fix that a poker-loving mother of two needs. I put the little ones to bed, pour a glass of wine and have a little fun. Low stakes, high entertainment!â€

Nicole currently stars as Rita Clemens on Lifetime TVâ€™s original sitcom Rita Rocks as an overworked wife and mother who forms a garage band in the middle of a full-blown identity crisis.

~~You can’t make this stuff up!~~ Reminds me of the Chicken of the Sea ads on Celebrity Apprentice. And really, it’s hard to poo-poo any efforts to bring more wine-drinky moms into poker.

Random Notes from WPT Invitational Cocktail Party

California Jen — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:48:43 +0000

With a cold coming on, I juiced up on cold medicine and headed down to Commerce Casino last night for the pre-tournament WPT Invitational cocktail party. In more of a stuffy-headed fog now, I give you a few observations from the festivities:

photo: pokergossip

William Hung was the first “celebrity” I noticed, as he arrived as soon as the red carpet was ready for action. And the poor guy was the only one from the red carpet featured by Perez Hilton today, and not featured in a particularly good way.

Food was excellent as usual, with a random assortment of Asian and Greek set-ups, along with the yum-yum appetizers floating around the room on waitersâ€™ trays.

No DJ in the outdoor area like last yearâ€™s event, but it actually made for a more conversation-friendly atmosphere on the patio.

Wicked Chops scored seats in the tournament. I spent way too much time trying to figure out how that happened.

photo: pokergossip

Reports of the demise of the Phil Laak/Jennifer Tilly relationship were evidently untrue, as the two looked typically couple-y as usual – Jennifer in a beautiful outfit, Phil in saggy jeans and a hoodie.

Some celebrities on the â€œconfirmedâ€ list were no-shows, such as Camryn Manheim, Montel Williams, and Nelly. (Yes, I was more than disappointed about one of those absences!)

CORRECTION: Manheim was there, and Jen was still disappointed. -DM

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are still a couple and just as adorable as ever, with Shannon checking on Derek and his amateur poker experiences throughout the evening.

Contrary to all reports from the tournament, Antonio Esfandiari was not the first person eliminated from the tournament, as Mike â€œSirWattsâ€ Watson (former WPT champion) was out of the tournament and standing with us at the bar when that announcement was made. Ouch.

New to my social radar were Mike Watson and Shane Schleger, both of whom were introduced to me by Gavin Griffin and Kristin Roberts and very nice to chat with.

Also met Jamie Gold for the first time, who was extremely friendly and psyched about his Aced Poker affiliation, though my question about his possible ownership in the company was met with the standard â€œdetails of the contract cannot be disclosedâ€ line. Good brief chat anyway. (His calling card gives him the title â€œPoker Philanthropist.â€)

Mekhi Phifer took the reigns during the rebuy period, grabbing the mic and encouraging players to rebuy (or even just donate) to his charity, The Vine Group, to help educational efforts in Africa. He was a great spokesperson for the organization and raised $78,270 for it, while managing to maintain his usual humble but outrageously sexy demeanor.

RE: Mekhi Pheifer in Final 25 at WPT Invitational

Dan Michalski — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:04:17 +0000

Funny, for all the poker entertainment on TV tonight, I probably won’t make it over to Fox Sports to see the latest Season 7 episode of the WPT. However, I can’t help but find myself following their celebrity invitational on the internet. Don’t really know what that means … maybe just that I definitely want some WPT action, but I’m just as happy following chip counts and hand updates at my leisure while I flip between WSOP Europe, High Stakes Poker, and maybe even a little Annie Duke meets Donald.

Seriously, looks to be an interesting final sprawl shaping up with 13 players remaining (Steve Sung and Paul Darden just went out). I bet the vibe inside the Commerce is pretty electric. This, frankly, is poker I’d probably want to watch on TV right now:

Remaining Players

Player Player Name Chipcount

Jose Tavares 1,250,000

Tom Hall 1,200,000

Scott Clements 1,080,000

Average Chipcount: 666,153

Frank Hustek 600,000

Ottavio Tassone 520,000

Nicholas Gonzalez 440,000

Freddy Deeb 410,000

Ali Nejad 400,000

Bob Ruhl 300,000

Teddy Monroe 250,000

Jack Haley 225,000

Mekhi Phifer 200,000

Haig Papaian 200,000

WPT Celebrity Invitational Update/Correction

Dan Michalski — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:30:09 +0000

For some reason I found this email that just came in about the WPT Celebrity Invitational quite amusing:

From: Samuel Quinto
Date: March 1, 2009 5:19:33 PM PST
To: Matthew Savage
Cc: Lindsay at World Poker Tour
Subject: Re: WPT Invitational Day 1 Chip Counts

There was an error on the chip count list,

Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Eric Bana, and Abraham Lincoln did not play the Celebrity Invitational. We apologize for any inconvenience this might has caused.

If Abraham Lincoln were playing in this event, of course, I’m pretty sure that would be “good for poker”.

UPDATE: The WPT seems to have a good sense of humor about it. Though I do see a little continued cred-jabbing between the Commerce and the WPT.

Clonie v Full Tilt – The Saga Continues

Kevin Mathers — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:00:34 +0000

Attorneys for Tiltware, the parent company of Full Tilt Poker, filed a motion yesterday to dismiss Clonie Gowen’s case against them for $40 million as an alleged 1% owner of the company. For those interested in reading the motion, it can be read here.

Charity Poker Un-Riata’d in Texas?

Dan Michalski — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:32:22 +0000

Say what you will about Phil Hellmuth, but he has helped raise more than $1 million for Texas charities, despite gov-connected haters who, for a brief while, tried to squelch his fundraising efforts.

Brian the commenter down below inquired about whether or not you could have charity tourneys with money prizes in Texas, and whether or not you could advertise and promote them. The answer, of course, is … hard to say.

But I definitely have noticed a change back to the older, better ways. Back in the day, tourneys like La Riata used to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by throwing a terrible-blind-structure event with lots of overpriced rebuys as wealthy Dallasites (and a few Batfaces) competed for a prize that generally consisted of a seat to the WSOP main event. But then the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) started threatening event hosts with liquor license gankage if they gave away a prize with any money value to the tournament winner — only a raffle was allowed, they said … and this of course was coming at the same time TABC was arresting drunk people in bars.

Anyhow, all this — which really, was fueled by some shady business practices of non-underground tournament operators, not any clear interpretation of the law — led to the bigger events to remove any competition for a prize … Dale Hansen canceled his huge fundraiser at Lone Star Park, Phil Hellmuth had to cancel an event in Houston that stood to raise at least a quarter-mil for the Susan B. Komen Foundation, and big charity events that carried on, like La Riata, basically had to take away every incentive for rebuys, which crippled fundraising efforts.

But after laying low for a couple years, charity events and the lawyers counseling their organizers seemed to re-reinterpreting Texas charity laws, hosting (and promoting) their poker-for-good-causes nonetheless — with real prizes! The Boys & Girls Clubs, Bea’s Kids … they all went off without a hitch. And earlier this summer, probably the biggest such event took place in San Antonio, with Tony and Eva Parker hosting a star-studded red-carpet charity tourney (emceed by Phil Hellmuth, of course) — resetting a standard that suggests it is indeed OK to give away a $10k+ prize package to raise hundreds of k.

More than 1,200 people showed up for the sold-out, $300 buy-in event … wild rebuys were flying around … and though I don’t have exact fundraising numbers, in the end it looks like they reached their goal — or at least came very close to it — of $300k for Eva’s Heroes.

Citizen report here. [SpursReport.com]
San Antonio Express-News here.
And here (with red-carpet pics).

Keep scrolling below for the scraps of a post I started but never quite got finished. The point of this post was ~~drop a lot of celebrity names for SEO purposes~~ going to be about how this event was presented by UltimateBet.com (not even dot-net!) … and pointing out the uber-legitimate businesses willing to partner with UB for it. AeroMexico, Citibank, HEB, the San Antonio Spurs, and more than a dozen others. Wow — awesome.

I still think that component is interesting. But I suppose the more immediately pressing question the Tony Parker event raises is whether or not it’s a sign of better charity poker to come (back) in Texas.

Charity Poker Back in Texas
Tony and Eva Parker’s Celebrity Casino Night in San Antonio

Big Tourney Weekend

Dan Michalski — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:21:20 +0000

There’s a lot of action going on, now and into this weekend …

First off, in the online world, the WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) is going on on PokerStars. You can rail it live as an observer on PokerStars itself, of course, or if you’ve got an offline life you can follow it semi-live on the PokerStarsBlog in the capable hands of our own California Jen and some of your other favorite bloggers (Change100, Tuscaloosa Johnny, Otis).

Believe it or not, they’ve also got “TV” coverage of these big online tourneys — they’re about halfway through 33 of them. Check it out right here if you’ve got a half-hour to kill:

The new PokerStars TV will also be all over the EPT Barcelona, which just got underway — including some live video coverage viewable on the internet, along with more traditional blog-coverage and chip updates.

On the salty side of the pond, the Borgata Poker Open is getting heated in Atlantic City. That’s where Pauly’s at. And he’s covering all the action (along with the ever-illustrative Tropical Steve and poker-media journeyman Michael Friedman) on the official Borgata Blog. The WPT main event kicks off on Sunday. The WPT has their own blog-crew coverage, too — something called “The Muck”.

Meanwhile, I’m stuck here in Vegas, where it’s a Freerollin’ Saturday for me:

I start the day in Event #2 of the PokerListings Run Good Challenge. Supposedly we’re having some blind-structure issues with PokerStars, but regardless, it will be a chance to redeem myself from my lackluster Event #1 performance.

Then, later tomorrow evening, it’s the grand-opening tourney at the Hard Rock, where I’ll be playing against Phil Hellmuth, Anjela Brunson, Rick Fuller, Scott Fischman, Scott Ian (of Anthrax), Jeremiah Smith, Andre Agassi, Montel Williams, Randy Couture, Jermaine O’neal, Paul Pierce, and others for an important motorcycle. Will be texting in updates via CSR should you care to follow my quest against a field that should be a combination of great and terrible, with a less-than-skill-friendly blind-structure.

Click below for more detailed info on the event itself, and the motorcycle.

It really is shaping up to be a Good Poker September.

**MEDIA ALERT****MEDIA ALERT****MEDIA ALERT**

HARD ROCK OFFICIALLY UNVEILS FIRST OF ITS KIND POKER LOUNGE

WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â To celebrate the grand opening, Hard Rock Poker Lounge is hosting a red carpet VIP poker tournament Sept. 13.Â The winner will be awarded a priceless Hard Rock Chopper motorcycle, a custom-made collector piece that has been a valuable part of Hard Rock history since the property opened.Â Players will get their first chance to experience poker Hard Rock style with bottle service, a specialty food menu and the decadent atmosphere that separates the Poker Lounge from traditional poker rooms.

WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The exquisite room is the real star of the evening. Expect some of Vegasâ€™ favorite famous names, pros from the poker world, plus a few surprise Hollywood and Sports celebs.Â Expected to attend include: pro poker players Chad Layne, Scott Fischman, Anjela Brunson, Rick Fuller, Jeremiah Smith, Phil Hellmuth, Stan Goldstein, Jason Newitt and more; Scott Ian Rosenfeld of Anthrax; local celebrity Zowie Bowie; Sal Masekela and Clinton Sparks of Daily 10; talk show host Montel Williams; tennis pro Andre Agassi; UFC fighter Randy Couture; Jermaine Oâ€™Neal of the Toronto Raptors; Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics; UFC fighter Mike Swick and more.

WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008
Media Check In:Â 4:30pm
Red Carpet:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5:00pm
Tournament:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6:00pm

WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Poker Lounge â€“ located across from Pink Taco
4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89052

Table Scene More celebs checking out the Hard Rock

Dan Michalski — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:59:10 +0000

From another HRH-lovin’ tipster (the words … photo by me):

Perhaps if the music thing doesn’t work out for Billy Bob, he can take up professional poker as his next gig.

Billy Bob Thornton was spotted playing poker in the new Poker Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Thursday night. He was joined by friends and bandmates from The Boxmasters in the back room of the lounge that some are calling the Billy Bob Thornton room – an oversized image of the actor/musician hangs on the wall above the table. Thornton was back inside the Poker Lounge Friday morning signing the large picture of himself. Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters performed yesterday night at The Joint.

ALT CAP: Billy Bob Thornton doing his best Sammy Farha at the Hard Rock.

Kumbaya Poker (at the WSOP)

Dan Michalski — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:48:45 +0000

The RSVP’s for the Ante Up for Africa tournament (July 2) are coming in. Confirmed celebrity charity players so far:

Don Cheadle
Matt Damon
Ben Affleck
Adam Sandler
Ray Romano
Charles Barkley
Jason Kidd
Kevin Pollack
Cheryl Hines
George Lopez
Joe Trohman (Fall Out Boy)

Sweet … as the song goes, “Ain’t no party like a J. Kidd party ‘cuz a J. Kidd party don’t stop!”

It’s a $5k buy-in for a luck-heavy blind structure. Remember when the concept of paparazzi-able celebs playing terrible poker used to make for good TV? Click here for a special registration form for Event #167.

The beneficiaries of this event (which raised $700k last year) are enoughproject.org and notonourwatchproject.org.

Mekhi Phifer is Here; All is Well

California Jen — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:05:51 +0000

My World Series of Poker is complete.

Mekhi Phifer – actor, director, producer, ~~hottie~~ poker player – has entered the $1500 no-limit hold’em tournament. He does enjoy any opportunity to play poker, but he might have just used this as an excuse to be in the same room with me. Just a hunch.

And he flashed the peace sign when I snapped the picture. It’s a secret code; trust me.

Other things are happening here at the WSOP. People are playing cards, moving chips around, etc. I will try to take note of some of those things in between Mekhi ~~stalkings~~ sightings.

UPDATE: I just saw Mekhi leaving the building. No doubt being seated for some time next to Phil Hellmuth in full NASCAR gear hurt his game. Now he’s been eliminated from the donkament, and there is a certain sadness all around. Well, okay, just with me. I’m sure I’ll see him at the main event though, if not at another $1500.

Shannon’s New Relationship

California Jen — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:49:08 +0000

Since Shannon Elizabeth was on (and off) Dancing With the Stars recently, there has been much speculation about her relationship with dancing partner Derek Hough. Wicked Chops even reported that she is now teaching him how to play poker, among other things. But that’s neither here nor there for this post…

Shannon Elizabeth – Courtesy of NBC Sports

Shannon’s newest confirmed relationship is with Doyle’s Room. In a press release dated May 22, the site announced her addition to Team Brunson with numerous references to “sultry” and “luscious” and “titillating” Shannon. I’m not quite sure if they think she’s hot… Regardless, she will be playing the 2008 WSOP as a member of Doyle’s Room. She began her friendship with the site when they sponsored her in the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Championship, and it appears that their bond turned into a full-blown sponsorship agreement, at least through the summer.

The press release is here for your reading enjoyment.

Sultry Shannon Elizabeth Slated to Join Team Brunson

While poker faces are usually displayed to mask a playerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s true intentions and emotions, even the most seasoned card players are about to have a hard time concealing their collective glee as DoylesRoom.com reveals an irresistible poker face of its own.

DoylesRoom today announced the addition of luscious Hollywood pinup girl Shannon Elizabeth to their celebrity roster. Comprised of a potent mix of both acclaimed poker pros and card savvy celebrities, Team Brunson is always equipped to make a splash at the hottest live, online, and televised poker events. The addition of Shannon Elizabeth will sexily raise the stakes even higher.

Shannon Elizabeth first gained notoriety with her role as Nadia, a titillating foreign exchange student in the now classic American Pie comedies. Shannon has compiled an impressive resume that is as varied as it is exhaustive. Film buffs have celebrated her provocative performances in Scary Movie, Tomcats, and Cursed, among other leading blockbusters. Channel surfers surely put down their remotes when they stumble upon her roles in That Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ70s Show and the television hit Dancing With The Stars.
With electric appearances in Playboy and Maxim magazine, this ravishing beauty has seduced men across the globe.

In recent years, Shannon Elizabeth has quickly proven that poker prowess and stunning looks can easily go hand in hand. As a near-fixture at the tables in Vegas, Shannon has already competed in the legendary World Series of Poker and was the first woman to advance to a semi-final round in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Fresh off the heels of her appearance in the hilarious poker film The Grand, Shannon Elizabeth is set to take the real life poker world by storm at countless 2008 WSOP events, including an appearance in the main event.

Poker TMZ

Dan Michalski — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:18:00 +0000

Celebrity poker player seen at Starbucks on Warm Springs/Rainbow: Penn Jillette

Out of context comment to his wife as she steps inside to use the restroom: “I’m gonna kick you in the balls!”

Player	Player Name	Chipcount
	Jose Tavares	1,250,000
	Tom Hall	1,200,000
	Scott Clements	1,080,000
Average Chipcount: 666,153
	Frank Hustek	600,000
	Ottavio Tassone	520,000
	Nicholas Gonzalez	440,000
	Freddy Deeb	410,000
	Ali Nejad	400,000
	Bob Ruhl	300,000
	Teddy Monroe	250,000
	Jack Haley	225,000
	Mekhi Phifer	200,000
	Haig Papaian	200,000