Vegas Meets Hollywood at the Phat Farm Stuff Casino Weekend Poker Tournament

The hip-hop remix of "Y-M-C-A" at the Baby Phat Fashion Show

As I took my seat across the table from Shannon Elizabeth, I thought to myself, "Do not get busted out of this tournament while she is sitting across from you." That freakin' Chris Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle) and his sneaky pocket tens were in the big blind. Not only were my dreams of winning the Phat Farm Stuff Casino Weekend Poker Tournament crushed when my pair plus gutshot-straight and flush draws didn't hit, but I was dislodged from the best seat in the house. Damn. Oh, well…

Mekhi Phifer showing Shannon Elizabeth some love after Shannon raked in a monster pot

Anthony Anderson, Summer Altice, Eric Balfour, JC Chasez, Taye Diggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris and Danny Masterson, Mekhi Phifer, Bijou Phillips, and Laura Prepon were just some of the stars in attendance at this incredible event, hosted by Danny Masterson and Phil Gordon. This star-studded spectacle took place at the Palms Casino and Resort recently.



Card Player, as one of the co-sponsors of the tournament, was granted six seats at the event, one of which I was given. Inasmuch as this was my first experience hanging around Hollywood types, I just didn't want to do anything stupid. I accomplished my goal, but another Card Player staffer wasn't as fortunate. After busting out of the tournament, D, we'll call him, accidentally ran into someone, causing him to spill his red drink down the front of his shirt.



"D, do you know who that was?"



"No, but he shouldn't have been standing in the doorway!"



"D, that was Chris Kattan; maybe you should put your drink down and apologize … "



Aside from that incident, the tournament went off without a hitch.



Completely forgetting about poker etiquette, Danny Masterson went on to win his own tournament and $3,000. He bested Jeff Shulman, CEO of Card Player, who won a weekend in the Real World Suite at the Palms, and Mekhi Phifer, who took home $1,500. The tournament was a blast, and the Phil Gordon "raise-the-blinds-as-I-see-fit-so-we're-out-of-this-room-by-six" blind structure worked out surprisingly well. Congrats to all of the winners and participants. The tournament was over, and it was time to party.

Skin, the poolside club at the Palms, and DJ GrandMaster Flash set the stage for part one of what would be a long, incredibly enjoyable evening. Having received a green, sparkly VIP wristband earlier in the day, Card Player Director of Marketing Johnnie Walker and I were ushered to the "VIP" side of the pool, where cabanas were filled with liquor, mixers, and beautiful women. Spotting Phil Gordon and Mike Matusow toward the far end of the pool, we made our way over to them and began taking part in the festivities. Not satisfied with standing near the pool, Phil chartered us our own cabana, which was then quickly stocked with the aforementioned amenities.

DJ AM at the annual Phat Farm Stuff Casino Weekend Poker Tournament

As night descended, the lights around the pool began to rain their neon haze. That electric static sound you hear from speakers when they're turned way up silenced the crowd. Three figures then walked down the runway of the Baby Phat Fashion Show, and the crowd erupted. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony took the stage in triumphant fashion to their most famous song, The Crossroads, and continued their performance while models rocked the hottest new Baby Phat fashions. The event was a smash, and when it was over, DJ GrandMaster Flash kept the party going with his sick abilities on the turntables.



As the party by the pool wound down, the space inside Little Buddha, the Palms' circular, more intimate club, was filling up by the second. The stars were out in numbers, as Mekhi Phifer, Chris and Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Bijou Phillips, Eric Balfour, and a host of others crammed into one of Little Buddha's corner booths. Tequila seemed to be the drink of the night, and Patron was the tequila. Thousand dollar bottles of Patron Platinum were flowing like water; no training wheels were necessary with this crowd.

Laura Prepon

At the invitation of Chris and Danny Masterson, Johnnie and I left Little Buddha and followed the cool kids down to Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Chris had really hooked it up. The bouncer at the door had been instructed to wait for us, and then immediately ushered us to the VIP entrance. Descending the stairs into the main room at Body English, it took a couple of seconds to get acclimated to the new scene: a dark room, overhead lights spinning, the dance floor packed, and people everywhere. The night rolled on, and our beautiful waitress kept the shots and assorted tasty beverages flowing. Everyone in attendance was more than their fair share of being tipsy. Seeing Chris, his shirt tied up '80s style with his stomach hanging out, and Johnnie dancing on the tabletop sent me into uncontrollable fits of laughter that lasted until I rolled home in the wee hours of the morning.