Bunch of No-Names at Celebrity Poker Final in LA

The final table has been set for the Los Angeles Poker Classic Celebrity Invitational Tournament.

Unfortunately for the folks who run the tournament, however, none of the celebrities who made the final table are anybody that anyone has heard of.

The tourney began Saturday night at the Commerce Club, a poker cardroom in Commerce, California, USA, just outside Los Angeles.

Over 100 celebs from entertainment, sports and pro poker were entered, all by invitation only.

After playing into the wee hours, action broke until that evening, Sunday, when it resumed and continued until a final table of six players remained.

Play will now be on hold until Wednesday, March 2, when the final table will be played out.

The winner of the tournament is to receive free entry into a World Poker Tour event.

Here are the six final table members for the 2011 L.A. Poker Classic Celebrity Invitational Tournament, followed by their chip counts:

Damon Schramm, 865,000 chips; Davidi Kitai, 845,000; Almira Skripchenko, 710,000; Dan Heimiller, 700,000; Dinara Khaziyeva, 670,000; George Rechnitzer, 660,000.

So who are these guys?

An Internet database search reveals that Kitai, from Belgium, is actually quite successful--he's won almost $1.5 million playing live tournament poker in his career.

Skripchenko, from France, has earned about $118,000 playing live tourney poker, the data shows.

Heimiller, from Henderson, Nevada, USA, has been the most successful of the final tablers--he's won about $2.7 million playing live tournament poker in his career, the data shows, and won a World Series of Poker bracelet in a stud event in 2002.

Rechnitzer, from Beverly Hills, California, USA, has earned about $512,000 in his lifetime playing live tourney poker, the data shows.

No earnings information was available about Schramm or Khaziyeva, suggesting they've never won much if anything.

By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
tomsomach@yahoo.com