Strip Poker: The Orleans Open Attracting Big Fields

With no Mardi Gras beads or party floats in sight, the Orleans Open that began on July 14 has attracted large fields. The tournament series is characterized by small buy-ins and a variety of events, which include Omaha eight-or-better, seven-card stud, seven-card stud eight-or-better, and no-limit hold'em.

"We are very pleased with the turnouts. We attracted pretty big fields because of the end of the World Series of Poker," said tournament director Garrett Okahara.

Up to today, there have been 13 preliminary events, which have attracted around 3,500 players, making the overall prize pool nearly $1 million.

Today is the beginning of the championship events, starting with a $540 buy-in Omaha eight-or-better tournament. All events leading up to this point were less than $330. Some of the pros who showed up to play in this event included Davidson Matthew, James Van Alstyne, Thor Hansen, and "Miami" John Cernuto. The final table plays out tomorrow for a first-place prize of almost $25,000.

Tomorrow is the $540 buy-in limit hold'em championship. The series will conclude with a $1,050 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship that begins on Sunday. Mega-satellites and single-table satellites will be available until the start of the tournament.

Click here for Video from the event. For more information on the Orleans Open, contact the poker room at 702-365-7150.

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