Poker And Rock & Roll Coming To Television's VH1 Classic

The worlds of poker and rock & roll will once again cross paths and come to our television screens when five legendary rockers and two fortunate online poker playing fans battle it out on March 14th.

The VH1 Classic Rock And Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament will air on the cable station VH1 Classic at 10PM (Eastern Time) on that day, bringing not only the skill and challenges of the game of poker but also treating fans to some of their favorites from the entertainment world. Leading the pack for the rock stars will be vocalist Sully Erna of the band Godsmack, who very well may be the most skilled player at the table. Erna, when the band isn't calling him to tour or practice, often has been found in many World Poker Tour events and also cashed at last year's World Series of Poker Main Event (placing 713th out of the monstrous field). He will be joined by four other legends of the rock world in drummer Vinny Paul of Pantera, guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax, guitarist Ace Frehley of KISS and bassist Dusty Hill of ZZ Top.

Filling out the final three spots at the table are a couple of very skilled online players that earned their way to the final table with these giants of the music world and a live player who won his way in through the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Ian Hamilton and Rob Cross battled their way through 10,000 players at Ultimate Bet (which is also a sponsor of the event) to end up in Las Vegas and Steve Thomas will represent the Flamingo at the table as well. All of the competitors are battling for a seat at the 2007 UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, but the real winners will be the eight charities that the players will represent.

The competitors will be playing to win money for their designated charities that will be donated from a prize fund in the name of the player. The players have chosen the following charities to receive their donations: Vinny Paul (The National Children Cancer Society), Ace Frehley (The Alzheimer Foundation of America), Dusty Hill (Hepatitis Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine), Sully Erna (Tikkanen Fund, Community Alliance for Teen Safety), Scott Ian (LifeBeat, Incorporated), Ian Hamilton (Nevada Cancer Institute), Robb Cross (Doctors without Borders) and Steve Thomas (TenderLife).

Hosting the festivities will be ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and noted poker player Mark Tenner, with background and color provided by popular VH1 Classic host Lynn Hoffman. Coming in as guest commentators during the program will be Phil "The Unabomber" Laak and Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, who should add their own peculiar charm to the tournament proceedings. Matt Savage takes on the task of Tournament Director for the event and should add a stable hand to control the rockers at the table.

The inaugural VH1 Classic Rock and Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament will air on VH1 Classic at 10PM (Eastern Time) on March 14th and should be a highly entertaining broadcast featuring the best of the music world taking on online players, all in the name of charity. Mark your calendars now and get ready for rock & roll and poker to display their best.

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