We’d like to take this opportunity to officially thank Hugh Hefner for allowing the team at PKR use of his Sky Villa at the Palms Resort and Casino as the WSOP party season cranked up to 11 last night.



C'mon girls, we said only six at a time on the revolving bed!

From the World Series of BBQ at the Golden Nugget (which also hosted the Suzie and Howard Lederer Charity Tournament) to 888.com’s party in the Kingpin Suite at the Palms, it was another night of fun and frivolity, which ended the next morning in pain and suffering.

Gareth Edwards, Jenn Huxley and the 888 guys scored the coup of the night with former world heavyweight champ (probably now better known for his role in The Hangover) Mike Tyson joining his good mate Jeff Fenech and Test cricket great Shane Warne for a pre-Main Event tune-up alongside the awestruck 888 qualifiers.



How did that bowling alley get into the suite?

Meanwhile, the bed was (literally) spinning, the Bunnies were dancing and the Jacuzzi was bubbling in Hef’s suite as the PKR guys welcomed a who’s who of the poker world, with the odd Vegas celeb thrown in for good measure.

Like total professionals, we were front and centre today for the red carpet at Ante Up for Africa, the annual WSOP charity event. Well, half of us were – and the other half couldn’t get in to cover the event. Double Down for Africa we say …


  YOU can tell the Main Event is less than 24 hours away with hundreds of excited online qualifiers filling the hallways around the Amazon Ballroom, soaking up the atmosphere and grabbing a quick pic with the pros as they scurry through the Rio.

The prized catches seem to be Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, who actually have RVs hooked up in the car park. With a myriad of hidden passageways snaking behind the public access areas, neither player needs to go elbow to elbow with the unwashed masses during breaks in play.



PokerPalooza (formerly known as the Gaming Life Expo) is also underway, with the Crown team once again prominently positioned to sing the praises of our premier event, the Aussie Millions. My learned colleague Stephen Doig is going to take a trip through PokerPalooza once the Main Event gets cranked up tomorrow.


  THE Harrahs team that run the WSOP mostly get things right, but the treatment of players in the final preliminary event has been very shoddy. With the celebs taking centre stage (and ESPN even filming Ante Up for Africa as part of their WSOP coverage), the remaining five tables in the $5000 No Limit Hold’em Six-handed event have been shunted into a distant corner of the Amazon Ballroom.

Once the Ante Up for Africa crowd had adjourned to the nearest VIP facility, you would have through the Six-handed event would have taken centre stage. Nope, the final table stayed tucked away at the far end of the room.



Annie Duke and Don Cheadle with Ante Up for Africa winner Alex Bolotin – worthy event, but where does it really sit as part of the WSOP schedule?

Thankfully, a vocal group of Aussies made sure everyone knew that a bracelet was up for grabs as they cheered Melbourne’s Sean Keeton in his chase for the $1 million first prize.

Issues relating to the sellout of the last two $1500 No Limit Hold’em events and scheduling late in the WSOP will no doubt be reviewed once the 2009 Series is don and dusted. It’s safe to say that with no tournament options at the Rio for Main Event players arriving a few days early that other Vegas properties have been reaping the benefits.

  WE know the good folk of the US are doing it tough, but a good lawsuit will always prevail over a good cause, as we discover in today’s Only in America:

“A man who says he was sickened by a box of raisins donated to a food program by Rhode Island's prison system can proceed with a lawsuit against the agency. The state Supreme Court said Tuesday that a lower court judge erred by dismissing a 2006 lawsuit from Thomas Adams. Adams alleged that he suffered nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea after eating a box of raisins in October 2004. He says he found an insect larva and insect dung near the bottom of the box. The raisins were stored at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections food distribution centre. They were then distributed as part of a federal food program for needy residents. Adams got the raisins in a food giveaway by a Providence church.”

• Remember, you can keep up to date with the latest happening from the 2009 World Series of Poker by following twitter.com/bluffaussie.