Ocean's Eleven Hosts California Ladies State Poker Championship

It's hard to keep coming up with new ideas, but Ocean's Eleven Casino always meets the challenge when it comes to the California Ladies State Poker Championship (CLSPC). Under the direction of Marketing Director Billie Brown and Tournament Director Star McCormick, Ocean's Eleven recently hosted another magnificent series of tournaments and parties for the ladies.

The themes of the five-day event were cruising and "Survivor." Some participants wondered where the "cruise" would sail, but all of the events were land-based and took place in the casino or the city of Oceanside, California, its home. In addition to poker, there were lots of social activities that enhanced the camaraderie among the participants. The extravaganza began with a cocktail party and fabulous buffet dinner on a Thursday. Friday featured a beach party in the "Survivor" motif, complete with a catered meal and lots of fun and games during the day, and a buffet dinner before the evening tournament. Events at the beach pitted the two previously chosen teams against each other in some "challenges," with the winners getting points toward gifts. The competitive challenges included filling buckets with water from the ocean, passing beach balls, rocket-launching, kite-flying, and solving a jigsaw puzzle.

Saturday's activities included a brunch, a fashion show, a well-attended poker seminar presented by Linda Johnson and me, another delicious dinner, and a poker tournament. Sunday started with a scrumptious brunch, followed by a tournament and a fabulous dinner/dance and awards presentation. Attendees were treated to prime rib and lobster, and then danced until way past midnight before moving the party into the casino's bar. All good things have to come to an end, so the official events of the CLSPC concluded with a brunch and freeroll poker tournament on Monday morning.

The entire staff of Ocean's Eleven is to be commended for hosting another successful CLSPC. General Manager Bob Moyer and owners Dan Dreger and Haig Kelegian were on hand throughout the event to make the ladies feel welcome. The culinary department under the direction of Chef David provided very tasty cuisine at every opportunity. The event also featured many special touches, such as long-stemmed chocolate-covered strawberries, and homemade candy and cakes. Players were even treated to Haagen-Dazs ice cream during one of the tournaments. Carlos Lopez and his staff did a great job of setting up and tearing down tables and chairs many times throughout the five-day event. The decorations in the tournament area were very festive, and gave the room a nautical feel to match the event's cruise theme. And, of course, the tournament staff and dealers did an outstanding job of running all of the tournaments.

Special congratulations are extended to Sharon Silvas, an employee of The Bicycle Casino, for winning the title of California Ladies State Poker Champ. Sharon was thrilled with her win and vowed to be "the best representative ever." She will represent Ocean's Eleven Casino in ladies tournaments all over California, and also at the World Series of Poker.

I can hardly wait to see what Ocean's Eleven has in store for the ladies next year. I already know that it will be a first-class event in a first-class casino. Sign me up!