Online Poker

Throughout the 2006 film festival in Park City, Utah, celebrities were given a sneak peek of the highly anticipated W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences, due to go on sale to the public in Spring 2006.

Utah played host to the first-ever W Las Vegas Poker Invitational, where 50 celebrities and professional poker players battled until the wee hours of the morning all in an effort to snag the top prize, a fully furnished condo worth $700,000.

The coveted spots were filled by Dave Navarro (who was cheered on by wife Carmen Electra), Anne Heche, Gina Gershon, Shannon Elizabeth, Danny and Chris Masterson, Laura Prepon, Lance Bass, DJ AM, Joe Reitman, Gregory Smith, Justin Baldoni, Kevin Smith, Emile Hirsch, Joel and Benji Madden and more as they competed against poker pros including Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon and Phil Laak.

World Poker Champion Phil Hellmuth won the tournament in dramatic fashion, ultimately beating out the host of the event, Reagan Silber, at a final table that included Annie Duke (finishing 4th), Shannon Elizabeth (5th), Gina Gershon (6th), Julie Yorn (7th) and Chris Masterson, who placed 3rd.

Hellmuth celebrated his victory by immediately applying his studio condo grand prize as a down payment on a $2 million penthouse at the W Las Vegas.

It seems Phil is keen to dispell rumours about his losses at cash games too by detailing all of his 2006 poker exploits on his newly created blog. I'm looking forward to reading some Hellmuth gems on his blog this year if he keeps it updated. Maybe he's not such a "jpoke" after all.