Plaza Making It's Move
The world's number one poker player, John Phan, along with superstar Ted Forrest at the Plaza, downtown Las Vegas, playing in the $10,000 buy-in main event of the Ultimate Poker Challenge.
Amir Vahedi Claims 1st in Main Event
11/27/2005 -
Poker and TV go well together these days, thanks to the lipstick camera and the colorful characters who have become big stars. $10,000 buy-in events are no longer a big deal in Las Vegas, but the Plaza in downtown Vegas has gone way out of their way to make TV stars out of ordinary tournament poker 
players. The Ultimate Poker Challenge features daily $500 buy-in events, with single table satellites at $65, giving the players a real solid chance at a seat in an event where 1st place can pay $20,000 or more (see this article). Our friend, Dale Tarbet, having been playing for a little over a year, has had phenomenal success playing live poker in Vegas lately, scoring 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in single table events more often than not. His is not an unusual case, his flamboyant personality and table presence, has carried him to the brink of stardom, which he claims is only a matter of time to acheive. Frankly, we have to agree that for him, it's about to happen. Read more about his take on why he's been winning so much.
Pretty girls are everywhere at the Plaza whenever they host a big event, such as the Ultimate Poker Challenge. Bryianna (right) and Brandie (left), working for Absolute Poker during the $10,000 buy-in championship event, held Sun-Tues, Nov 27th-29th, 2005, are 2 of the nicest gals you could ever hope to meet, inviting us to eat at Absolute's hospitality tent and graciously posing for pictures for us. Absolute Poker, co-sponsoring this UPC, is giving away free poker playing money to some players, just go visit Russ in the tent out back.
The event in late November is the type of thing you can expect to see more of in Las Vegas. TV stars are not necessarily the big names, the idea is to elevate the ordinary poker player to star status. For example, when we arrived at the Plaza earlier today, the featured TV table, was day 2 of the daily $500 buy-in event. The final table was surrounded by all the fancy TV cameras, lighting, comfortable bleachers, filled to capacity with player's friends, familys, and curious onlookers. Steps away, in the normal poker room at the Plaza, were the superstars, and mingling with them close up was not only allowed, but we think encouraged, and all part of the master plan. We think the Plaza has come a long way since last year's World Poker Classic, the $50,000 buy-in main event of which drew only 1 table of players, mostly from one family of largely unknown entrepreneur poker playing stocktraders. The $10,000 buy-in event from that one year ago tourney was cancelled due to lack of interest. After seeing what the Plaza is capable of nowadays, we have done a complete about-face regarding our opinion of their events. This place rocks with poker pizazz. Here are just some of the superstars we saw playing and mingling today...
Scotty Nguyen
Ted Forrest
Phil Hellmuth
David Williams
John Phan
Michael "the grinder" Mizrachi
Barry Greenstein
Men "the master" Nguyen
Clonie Gowan
