Who could possibly turn down the chance to play in an awesome sit-n-go tournament later on next month, especially if it would allow you to be in the fine company of one of the true legends of hard rock, Scott Ian, the guitarist from the band Anthrax? Well, that is just what is scheduled to happen over at Ultimate Bet as they have committed Ian, himself quite a fan of online casino poker, to join in on the festivities for the second Scott Ian Home Game. There will be a total of 18 different casino poker players competing for the top prize in this competition but only the top five finishers of the contest will be lucky enough to score one of the fabulous prizes that will be available to those lucky few who manage to play their cards right.

Some of the other players who are intent on competing in this contest are names you may recognize from either land-based or online casinos or other famous rock bands such as Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, Vinnie Paul from Pantera and Greg Tribbett from Mudvayne. This is guaranteed to be a casino poker event that will knock your socks off and have you swimming in memories from your early days as a long-haired heavy metal head-banger.

It will be an absolute blast. Some of the other competitors will be the World Poker Champion Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, a very well known and highly respectable World Series of Poker bracelet winner. One of the big prizes that everyone will be going for is a sensational Aruba Poker Classic package that is reportedly worth an estimated $8,500. That sounds like it would be pretty wonderful to win if you asked me.

A new and intriguing crossover between the world of politics and the world of online casinos and poker will happen this week as a former senator from the state of New York will take part in what many people regard as the biggest casino and poker event of the entire year, the World Series of Poker. It seems that Alfonse D’Amato, who served a total of three terms as a New York Senator, cannot get enough of the game of poker, and he has a pretty decent level of skill so he has been known to jump in and play among some of the top professional players in the online casino business from time to time. This time he will be going for glory in the heart of Las Vegas. Officially, he has been put into the schedule to take part in Event 43.

Right now, D’Amato already plays an important role in the business of online casinos and poker. He is the current Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance. The PPA is a special non-profit organization that works to serve casino and poker players everywhere in supporting and protecting their rights within the United States.

This has turned out to be a very important job for the organization since the rights of casino and poker gamers have been stripped over the last few years due to the presence of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. But this time around, the action will be fun, focused and positive for the casino industry, especially the land-based casino industry of Las Vegas that has taken a huge hit in revenue over the course of the last year or so.

One of the most highly anticipated casino events is taking place right as you read this. It is the long-awaited 2009 National Heads Up Poker Championship. Seemingly every other player who loves to go to online casinos would give their right thumb just to be able to be a part of one hand in this tremendous competition. The casino tournament goes from the 5^th of March through the 8^th of March. It is in the world-famous Caesars Palace in the heart of Las Vegas. For fans of online casinos and fierce poker contests, this is one of the top favorite events of the entire year.

The list of the 64 players that have signed on to participate in this event are some of the best-known and brightest stars in the world of online casino and poker playing. With so much talent in the competition, it is very hard to pick a favorite competitor, but for everyone who follows casino and poker tournaments in general, of course each person has someone they love to watch play. This is an exclusive competition in which you must be extended an invitation in order to compete. This is not just for any random Tom, Ned or Joe off the street.

You have to make the cut in order to play at these illustrious tables. Due to considerable criticism coming from players and some of the sponsors throughout the past few years, the officials from the tournament have established an extensive list of qualifications that players must meet in order to be invited to participate in the event.

If you are up on your knowledge of what has been taking place at your favorite online casinos then you are well aware that this weekend saw big things happen over at Full Tilt Poker. A poker player by the name of Steve Gross managed to beat out some 5,325 other casino players in the hugely exciting Full Tilt Poker Series. Gross came away with a cool $275,000. Gross is well known in the world of online casinos and few spectators of fellow competitors were taken at all by surprise by his phenomenal performance.

This weekend brought the eighth, ninth and tenth events of this premium international poker competition. And Gross showed everybody just exactly what he was capable of when he knocked out a player called BUSTYU79 heads up in the big event. It cost $322 to enter in to the Texas Hold’em contest, but Gross was able to get his money back, and then some.

Gross has managed to become a well-known figure in both the online casino poker world and in the live poker competition field and that is an achievement that eludes many powerful and highly skilled players. Back during 2008 he worked hard and ended up finishing in eighth place in a $1,000 re-buy No-Limit Hold’em tournament that was part of the World Series of Poker. He was able to take home $57,000 for that impressive performance and, if this weekend is any evidence, he has no plans to retire from the game of poker any time soon. He has been performing well at events all over the place for quite awhile.

The $250 +20 PKR Headhunter Tournament is going to showcase some of the phenomenal players of the Poker Pack. The top players include David Rheem, Quinn Do, Nam Lee, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee. One of the more recent online casino bounty tournaments that included members of the Poker Pack broke every record in the book. All the players at top online casinos and poker rooms are following the unbelievable successes and the tremendous run that members of the Poker Pack have been scoring. It is a sight to behold for sure.

There is also a Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament to suit the needs of another vein of players who prefer a particular style of poker and assorted online casinos. DafaPoker is the official partner for the Asian Poker Tour, and the folks from both organizations are eagerly anticipating this event since it will be the very first time for anything of its kind on the Asian Tour. The casino action is supposed to start up at about 14:00 on the 31^st of January. There is a buy-in for this tournament as there is for most major online casinos and poker rooms throughout the world but it is reasonable at $185 + $15.

That very same night there is set to be another 13-card tournament event that will involve much higher casino stakes with a $460 + $40 buy-in. There is also a fantastic opportunity that many online casino fanatics will be excited about and that is the first ever GREED tournament that comes packed with a marvelous selection of different cash games.

If you love celebrities and you love poker, there is a marvelous event coming up in just a couple of weeks. Best of all, this awesome event has been planned as a way of giving a benefit to the Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind (TLC). This remarkable charity has been known to do great things for people who are blind. It is for this reason and, of course, for the love of poker, that a good handful of famous and talented people are banding together to play for this worthy cause. The event, titled “All-in To Win,” is scheduled to take place at the Commerce Casino in Califrnia. Some of you might remember that particular location because it is where the popular WPT L.A. Poker Classic is typically held.

­The tournament has gathered some very big celebrity names including Brad Garret, Daniel Baldwin, Judd Nelson, Chris McDonald and Adam Baldwin just to name a few. Everyone is looking forward to this fun, entertaining and valuable event. Having fun while playing poker is a wonderful way to have a blast and do something great for a worthy cause at the same time. You may know Brad Garret from his starring role as Ray’s brother on “Everybody Loves Raymond.” He is already well known around the world of poker after having blessed his fans with many appearances at the World Series of Poker. According to the folks who are planning the event, Garrett is regarded as one of the more experienced stars who is signed up to play in the charity event.

The big grand prize that everyone will be vying for, in addition to fighting for the worthy cause, will be a seat at the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational and $2,500 in cold hard cash. Iif you or anyone you know is interested in donating any funds to the TLC and getting a chance at competing in this terrific event are able to buy into the All-in To Win for only $200. They can also score a re-buy-in for another $200. The money raised through the tournament will benefit infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are blind and have developmental disabilities.