A Poker Tournament of Champions

The Rio Hotel & Casino is the stage of some of the most electrifying poker action on the planet at the moment. The 40th annual WSOP event is in town and the tournament is heating up with the big names of the poker world paving the way for an exciting climax.

The tournament commenced on May 26 and runs thru until July 15. Currently the players are involved in Events 4 thru 7. The Champions Invitational kicks off on 2 June with freerolls, followed by the Pot-Limit Omaha.

As it stands this is what poker fans can expect in the coming days:

• June 1-3 - World Championship 7 Card Stud (Event 6) $10,000
• June 2-4  - No Limit Hold'em (Event 7) $1,500
• Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball No-Limit (Event 8)

Looking Sharp
The final table of the $40,000 2009 WSOP championship tournament is loaded with young players. Seven of the nine who'll be sitting in, are 34 years old or younger. The poker stars' chip counts going into the final table are currently listed as follows:

Isaac Haxton - 5,955,000

Vitaly Lunkin - 4,565,000

Lex Veldhuis - 3,805,000

Greg Raymer - 3,345,000

Alec Torelli - 2,340,000

Justin Bonomo - 1,685,000

Dani Stern - 1,300,000

Noah Schwartz - 660,000

Ted Forrest - 560,000