Binion's celebrates the Las Vegas Helldorado and Memorial Day weekend with a $110,000 poker tournament at Binion's.

The tournament takes place next weekend from May 24-25.

Entry fee is $225 plus the $10 registration fee.

Assuming at least 1,000 players, only the top 25 will pay out, making top-heavy awards with $35,310 for first place, $18,700 for second, and $11,000 for third.

A chunk of the proceeds will benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada and the Elks Lodge Scholarship Fund.

To register, fill out this form and bring it with you the day of the tournament.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Only the best of the best online poker players came out to the Bodog Poker room to play in the $100,000 Guaranteed online poker tournament on Sunday. Bodog regular Matt McCullough came out on top to take the $23,600 first-place prize. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he was the last American poker player standing at the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event last September as a member of Team Bodog. That event was eventually won by Annette Obrestad.

McCullough and company are clearly honing their skills in preparation for the fast approaching 2008 WSOP in Vegas that starts in less than three weeks. This win suggests that he's in good form and should do well in Vegas.

If you want a chance to experience the 2008 WSOP as a member of Team Bodog, then head over to the Bodog Poker room and check out the 2008 WSOP online poker qualifiers.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

New Table Felt Design is Available Exclusively at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino

With the World Series of Poker right around the corner, the spotlight on poker continues to grow. Designed for beginners wanting to learn the basics of poker room play, the Rio proudly offers free gaming lessons and has recently introduced a unique teaching table.

Developed by Rio Poker Room employees, the poker teaching table features a specially-designed felt which visually highlights the key elements of the game. Used as a unique teaching tool, the special table helps students learn the basics of poker.

Clearly depicted on the instructional table felt itself are the hand rankings, betting options and other key characteristics of the game including when to bet, fold and check.

"Most people that take lessons have either seen poker on television, or played casually online or with friends," said Poker Room Manager Jerome Stone. "These folks sometimes just want to become more familiar with the process of the game as it plays out in a poker room. This teaching felt really gives beginners a great level of confidence and comfort."

During the free lessons, students learn the basics using tournament-style play chips to simulate actual poker room play. Personable teaching dealers help guide students step-by-step through the game and answer questions along the way. Daily free poker lessons are available at Rio between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. hourly.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Poker players will be wishing for clones next month. There's that much scheduled tournament poker in Las Vegas during the coming month of June. The 2008 WSOP at the Rio Resort serves as the giant magnet drawing more than 50,000 poker players from around the world for the 39th annual World Series of Poker. Last year, the 2007 WSOP registered more than 57,000 poker players from around the world for the 55 poker events offering golden bracelets. The original and longest running annual poker tournament on Earth, the WSOP. Nothing in tournament poker compares to the big poker show World Series of Poker.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Running from May 29 through July 16, the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza III. The 3rd annual Deep Stack Extravaganza offering the lower buy-in ($330 - $2,500) events. The original larger starting stacks and longer play levels format tournaments have proven to be very popular with tournament players guaranteeing large fields and nice payouts. Check out the schedule of events for the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza III Tournament.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

As rumors swirl of Las Vegas poker rooms closing (ahem, Paris Las Vegas), a new poker room just opened today at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon (formerly Barbary Coast), which is owned by Harrah's (er, Caesars -- we can never get used to the new and old names).

While not actually a poker room but tables inside the casino (like O'Sheas), Bill's poker room is situated near the entrance where the big eBay slots just launched (yep, eBay slots and they're so bright with the big screens you need sunglasses). Two tables have 2/6 spread limit (a format we haven't seen since Excalibur) and no-limit with a single blind of $1 and buy-in from $20 to $200.

The tables used are the old World Series of Poker tables, complete with the PartyPoker.net ad in the middle facing the dealer and TV cameras if there were any.

Like next-door neighbors Flamingo and Imperial Palace, a jackpot will offer payouts for high hands as well as $100 for Aces cracked and $50 for Kings cracked during certain hours.

Alas, as is becoming more and more the trend, the rake is 10 percent up to $5 plus $1 for the jackpot.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

While much of the poker industry is scrambling to stop the negative trends from two years of UIEGA, television network giant NBC continues to add viewers for its 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Played at Caesars Palace Poker Room in Las Vegas earlier this year the tournament is televised every Sunday at Noon EDT in a miniseries of two hour poker shows.

Sunday noon is the perfect time slot for the poker miniseries and it says a lot for TV poker considering this same time slot is often filled by the 800 hundred pound gorilla of TV sports, the NFL. So, how come this NBC produced poker tournament has the appeal to show viewer growth while other big time poker shows are scrambling for solutions to their rapidly declining audience?

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

NBC makes it look easy, but remember, they've been producing sports entertainment for decades and have vast experience in packaging successful TV shows. First, NBC assured an all star cast. They invited the most talented poker stars, mixed in a few stars that play poker, added an Internet champion, and even provided satellites so a couple of players from the street could get an invite. Another important factor is the tournament format. Styled after the well known 64 team single elimination college basketball championships makes it easy for viewers to follow the action.

Flip over to NBC today at Noon EDT and settle in to enjoy two hours of entertaining high stakes poker from Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Will Orel Hershiser finally strike out? Will the WSOP Champion Huck Seed continue to flourish? Can MIT phenom, Andy Bloch, solve the equations for a win? Is this the year for Jesus to finally triump? We're down to eight; but, four must go home today. The surviving four will return next Sunday, May 18 at Noon EDT, for the three hour finale and champion of the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

If you happen to be in downtown Las Vegas right now, Montel Williams has taken over the Golden Nugget poker room.

And not the Montel Williams for charity events, this is his own money, your own money, and money won won't go to any outside company.

Williams will be in the poker room all day today, May 10, playing nonstop $1080 sit-n-gos.

Levels are 20 minutes per round, blinds begin at 50/100, and players start with 10,000 in chips.

First place wins $700, second place wins $300.