visitmylasvegas.com » Gambling

Harrah’s Operating Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET), has launched the World Series of Poker Academy, a new instructional camp that offers participants an opportunity to learn first-hand from some of the poker world’s greatest players.WSOP Academy instructors include 10-time World Series of Poker® bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth Jr., 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem, 2004 World Champion Greg Raymer, former FBI agent Joe Navarro - an expert on nonverbal behavior - and WSOP bracelet winners Scott Fischman and Mark Seif, among others.

“School is in session at the World Series of Poker Academy,” said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP. “Our new academy is a tremendous value. Participants will learn from the best minds in poker and have a chance to win a seat in the 2007 WSOP Main Event.

“If you want to learn the basics or master the game, the WSOP Academy is for you,” Pollack said.

The first season of the WSOP Academy will be capped by a three-day Main Event Primer at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The Main Event Primer begins July 3 and ends July 5 - the eve of the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’Em World Championship at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino®, home of the 2007 World Series of Poker.

Hellmuth, Hachem, Raymer, Navarro, Fischman, Seif, Alex Outhred and other top professional players are scheduled to help Main Event Primer participants prepare for the game’s most prestigious competition, which last year awarded more than $82.5 million to the WSOP Main Event alone.

All sessions of the WSOP Academy provide participants with in-depth seminars, interactive workshops and customized handbooks. Each session will also include a tournament that awards a seat in the $10,000 buy-in 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event.

The first WSOP Academy was held at Grand Casino Tunica in January. The second is scheduled for Caesars Indiana April 7-8. The third - a Ladies Only WSOP Academy taught by poker pro Annie Duke, who won $2 million in the 2005 Tournament of Champions - is set for Caesars Palace on June 8-9, the eve of the World Championship Ladies No-Limit Hold’Em tournament at the 2007 World Series of Poker.

According to odds makers at Sportsbook.com, celebrities Ben Affleck and Toby Maguire will not have what it takes to leave the World Series of Poker Championships with a bracelet. The Hollywood hunks are each a 2000-1 bet to rake in all the chips.

The Rio All Suite Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada will host the tournament from July 28th to the final play downs on August 10th. Front runners to take the title are 5 time bracelet winner Phil Ivey at 150-1 and Poker lifer and legend Daniel Negreanu at 225-1. Leading up to the tournament Negreau has had an impressive showing in World Series events including four top ten finished and winnings of almost $500,000. Ivey is also on the upswing, having just placed second in the Omaha High/Low World Series game on July 8th.

“This tournament is the grand daddy of live poker, if the limit of 8000 entries is reached the first prize could pay out $10 million dollars,’ said Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com.

According to a story by Howard Stutz in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Hard Rock is turning to the folks who operate PT’s Taverns for casino managment.

Hard Rock Hotel purchaser Morgans Hotel Group announced Wednesday it will contract with a small Las Vegas-based gaming company to manage the iconic casino.

Golden Gaming, best recognized as the operator of the PT’s taverns and restaurants in Las Vegas, will operate the Hard Rock’s 30,000-square-foot casino once Morgans’ $770 million purchase of the rock ‘n’ roll themed property closes.

The World Series of Poker ended Day 17 with two unknown players claiming their first WSOP bracelets while the world’s top poker players were bluffing their way through the first day of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Tournament.

It was girl’s night out at the World Series of Poker Ladies Event with the debut of the Hollywood Poker Diamonds, an all-star female celebrity team playing for charity, sponsored by Hollywood Poker.com.

Team member Mimi Rogers (”The Loop,” The Door in the Floor) finished as the last celebrity standing in the tournament placing 33rd and winning $5,132. Also finishing in the money was Victoria Pratt (”Daybreak”) placing 72nd and winning $2,053. Both ladies will donate 25% of their earnings to the charity of their choice. Rogers played for Dream Foundation and Pratt played for St. Jude’s Hospital.

The Ladies Event held July 9-10, 2006 at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas had over 1,100 participants playing for a $1 million plus prize pool up from last year’s tournament with more than 600 players.

Celebrity participants Rogers, Pratt and Kelly Hu (X-2: X-Men United, “In Case of Emergency”) out lasted last year’s reigning champ Jennifer Tilly.

“This was an amazingly fun experience to sit down and play with over 1,100 women,” said Rogers. “I’m happy that Hollywood Poker allowed me to play on their team and help me raise money for my charity. This event has proved that women in poker rule!”

Commenting on the tournament Pratt quipped, “It was a thrill playing in the largest World Series of Poker Ladies Event ever. I’ve never sat for that long before. When I sit for 14 hours, I expect to end up in New Zealand, but ending up in the money was a kicker.”