This just in over the poker transom:

Nicole Sullivan’s Poker Skills Tested
HollywoodPoker Celebrity Player Nicole Sullivan Challenged to a Head’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, “HollywoodPoker 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!”

Nicole currently stars as Rita Clemens on Lifetime TV’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.

Photo: © Erik Kabik

From our sources at the Hard Rock, the ever-important details about Paris Hilton’s poker action:

She did the tournament Friday night at 11 p.m. as part of her weekend-long birthday celebration. She was with about 20 friends and had a special section reserved for her, however, the room was not closed and other players cycled in on her table. There was about 50 people in the un-advertised tournament. A DJ was brought in for her and the room had a great party atmosphere and vibe that evening. The buy-in was $100 and she was knocked out in about 45 minutes.

The heads-up Championship wasn’t the only red-carpet poker going on in Vegas this weekend. Paris Hilton was in town for her 28th birthday party (at Body English) and recouped the next day by playing a relatively low-key sit-n-go at the Hard Rock with boyfriend Doug Reinhardt and crew. No word on the buy-in ($500? just a guess) or whether or not they kept to TDA-sanctioned random seat draw regulations … or even if she mighta been paid to play … but still, glad to see her make poker part of her birthday weekend and Vegas trip.

Thanks to Vegas-scene photog Erik Kabik for the pics:

Photo: © Erik Kabik / RETNA/ www.erikkabik.com

High Five: Paris Hilton and friends celebrate pocket jacks holding up during her 28th birthday tournament at the Hard Rock Poker Lounge in Las Vegas, March 6.

More…

Poker poker poker poker poker. Is that what you were looking for? Information about poker? So are a lot of people, apparently.

For the third straight year, “poker” was the most-searched term on the ’net, according to the search engine Lycos. Rounding out the top five were “Paris Hilton,” “YouTube,” “Golf,” and “Sarah Palin” (you betcha).

Soon after comes 2003 American Idol runner-up “Clay Aiken” in 7th, by which search one might also find news about 2008 WSOP bracelet winner Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, I suppose. And despite the fact that her online poker site was shut down in late ’06 and her marriage to poker player Rick Solomon was annulled early in ’08, “Pamela Anderson,” somehow remains popular on the intertubes, coming in 9th.

See the rest of Lycos’ top 50 search terms here.