Columnist Susan Snyder: Excalibur poker table quite a deal

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | 8:15 a.m.

The World's Largest Poker Table is to be unveiled at Excaliber on Wednesday.

I know I'm excited.

The 30-by-12-foot table is on tour as a promotion for "WiseGuys on Texas Hold 'Em," a DVD to be released today. The table seats up to 10 players at once and uses chips that are 12 inches in diameter and cards 39 inches long.

The table will be set up in the Excaliber hotel rotunda and open for two hours of public play starting at 2 p.m. Players are chosen on a first-come, first-served basis and will play strictly for fun -- i.e., not for money.

If nothing else, traffic for this unveiling should be considerably less frustrating than that of the opening of the World Market Center furniture showroom near downtown.

Speaking of traffic jams, yet another study has shown that talking on cell phones makes people drive like buffoons.

And it doesn't matter whether drivers use hand-held or hands-free models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety officials declared July 12, citing a study of Australian drivers.

Using telephone company records, the study found a connection between drivers' cell phone calls and their treatment in hospital emergency rooms for injuries sustained in crashes that happened while they were on the phone.

Drivers who are distracted by phone conversations are four times more likely to crash, the study concluded.

It's the lack of attention paid to the act of driving -- not the act of holding the phone -- that seems to make the difference.

Study or not, if we're honest with ourselves it's not hard to think of a time in the past week or month in which we've missed a turn or passed our destination because we were engaged in a conversation with someone who isn't even inside the car.

Neighbors of the off-duty Las Vegas Metro Police officer who was critically injured by a hit-and-run driver as he rode his bicycle through Red Rock Canyon last week are raising money to help the officer and his family during his recovery.

Owners of Las Vegas Cyclery are seeking donations on behalf of the family of Don Albeitz, who remains hospitalized at University Medical Center since being struck by a tractor-trailer while riding along State Route 159 Wednesday morning.

Heather and Jared Fisher, who are Albeitz's neighbors in Blue Diamond, have purchased yellow Livestrong bracelets from the Lance Armstrong Foundation and will give one to each person making a donation in any amount to Albeitz's fund, Heather Fisher said Monday.

"They're selling really fast. I bought 500 and we're almost out," Fisher said.

Donations may be made in-person at the Blue Diamond Market, the Blue Diamond Library or at Las Vegas Cyclery, 8221 W. Charleston Blvd.

Nevada Highway Patrol officials on Saturday arrested Michael Reich, the Pahrump resident suspected of driving the truck that hit Albeitz, and charged him with felony hit and run and other traffic offenses that are misdemeanors.

About 60 area bicyclists rode two-by-two through Red Rock Canyon Thursday morning in a "Ride of Silence" to reinforce the public's awareness of the need -- and law -- that cyclists and motorists must safely share the roads.