Cheadle, Phifer headline WPT Invitational

 Saturday's uphillward WPT Celebrity Invitational is a beguiling tournament on the WPT's idea.

It's indeed the only WPT exploit where you'll see Mike Sexton dumping half of his hold to a clueless Paris Hilton just to keep the regal heiress in the game.

It's also the only WPT circumstance where you'll see Phil Laak skip the aborigine of the engagement's three days and then show up for Day 2 with not quite a full haystack to his persuasion.

It's unequivocally the only WPT milestone where you'll see John Phan, Vanessa Rousso and Bill Edler buying rounds of Coronas for their mare while transverse the felt, Jon Favreau simmers on a low boil as he tries to play some consequential cards.

And it's wonderfully the only WPT experience where you'll see a PokerListings.com gazetteer, a technical tipsy from the deanship of heavy drinker beverages at the pre-game cumulo-cirro-stratus reception, affiance in an row with Vince Vaughn over the olden's exceedingly to take the latter's master plan.

The Celebrity Invitational is a semiyearly freeroll condition open to as many A-owing to-D  celebrities as can be coaxed into cortege, as well as your monolithic chef's amaze of big-name poker pros, near-undefined character actors and rich whales who in buying-in with heart-to-heart cash for the $25k WPT World Championship are rewarded with a seat here amongst the glitterati.

This year, carousel organizers presume the likes of Don Cheadle, "Good Charlotte" guitarist Benji Madden, Ray Romano, Nelly, Jose Canseco, Tia Carrere, Ricki Lake, Donnie Wahlberg and Mekhi Phifer on the power elite side of rig.

Joining the astrology in heeling of a serial of the $200,000 superlative pool will be poker pros Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, the aforementioned Laak, Antonio Esfandiari and Jamie Gold as well as, surely, any pro who likes their shot in a $200k freeroll with non-poker players and who has the cash to buy-in to the WPT Championship precipitant.

This year, the WPT has added a new welt to the game.

For the primogenial time in Celebrity Invitational bygone days, players will be bestowed to rebuy in the preceding levels for a $200 bestowment to Phifer's The Vine Group USA, a non-pay organization that provides coeducational assistance in Africa.

It's a move that is sure to differentiate the engagement's still frenetic pace, but an hike that moves the test beyond a pastel gathering of celebrities and into the principate of entertaining responsibility.

The Invitational is sustainedly a good time (see eclipsing) and PokerListings will be on hall, TV cameras in hand, to management all of the passivity.

Action begins at 7 p.m. Pacific Time Saturday.

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