Jeff Haney on the biggest game in town, happening not on the Strip but downtown at old Binion’s

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | 7:21 a.m.

Upcoming "Cash Poker" game dates at Binion's: April 6, April 27 and May 18

For information on satellite tournaments for the cash game: (800) 622-6468

To contact producers about reserving a spot in the game: www.ultimatepokerchallenge.com

"The Biggest Game in Town," Al Alvarez's 1983 literary gambling classic, chronicled the high-stakes poker exploits of an earlier generation of players.

Much of the book's narrative takes place on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, specifically at the old casino formerly known as Binion's Horseshoe.

Nearly a quarter-century later, the biggest poker game in town - at least for no-limit Texas hold 'em players - has again broken out at Binion's (sans Horseshoe). It's an improbable venue, as the city's big poker action ditched downtown long ago in favor of the mid-Strip megaresorts.

The new biggest game in town comes with a postmodern twist: It's a TV production, filmed for the nationally syndicated show "Cash Poker," an offshoot of the Ultimate Poker Challenge tournament series.

"Unless the $4,000 to $8,000 (limit poker game) is going at the Bellagio, this is it," producer Dan Pugliese said. "The biggest cash poker game in Vegas."

Pugliese also plays in the game himself, competing against a rotating cast that includes high-profile tournament sharps, cash-game pros and amateurs hoping to test their skills against some of the world's top players.

The game does not run every day, but instead materializes for a single day, once every three weeks. Each day of filming generates about four hourlong episodes of "Cash Poker," which airs on WGN (Cox cable channel 16) in Las Vegas.

The first "Cash Poker" game took place last December, with the final game in the series' initial run of eight scheduled for May 18.

"The Ultimate Poker Challenge has been the highest-rated (weekly) poker show for three years, and we're hoping 'Cash Poker' is going to continue that run," Pugliese said.

The big game carries "blinds," or forced bets, of $75 and $150 per hand, along with a $25 ante. Players are required to bring at least $25,000 to the table, although many opt to buy in for the maximum of $100,000.

"Cash Poker" plays on a smaller scale than rival show "High Stakes Poker," an established GSN hit that also features a no-limit cash game but requires a minimum investment of $100,000 per player.

Its lower buy-in makes "Cash Poker" more accessible to amateurs looking to take a shot at a big no-limit game - and get on TV.

Celebrity pros such as Doyle and Todd Brunson, Barry Greenstein, Dan Harrington and Phil Laak have played in the first season of "Cash Poker," along with an assortment of cash-game pros and businessmen such as Las Vegas day-trading impresario Bob Bright.

Oh, and then there was the guy at last Thursday's game wearing a stuffed plush clownfish, a la "Finding Nemo," on his head.

"My wife calls me a clown and my friends back home in my home game call me a fish (poker slang for sucker), so I just put the two together," said Eric Doerr of Newark, Del., who runs an advertising agency. "I decided to come out here on vacation and take a shot at the pros."

Antonio Salorio, a poker pro from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it's not all fun and games given the amount of money at stake.

"It goes back and forth," said Salorio, who was playing in the big cash game at Binion's for the second time. "We try to have some fun, but when the big dollars roll into the middle, it gets very serious."

After hearing about the game from a poker buddy, San Diego poker pro Adam Richardson called the show's producers and secured a seat.

"For me, it's primarily to play against a lot of other guys who want to be playing cards on TV," Richardson said. "I think it's profitable to be playing with people who are here because the TV cameras are here, and there are a few of those in the game at any time."

"Cash Poker" on-air host Chad Brown, who plays in the game when he's not doing TV commentary for it, said the appeal for viewers lies in watching poker players win and lose large amounts of real money - Binion's casino chips and $100 bills are in play - and not mere tournament chips. (Most poker programs show a tournament rather than a cash game.)

For the competitors, especially the amateurs, the thrill lies in having a chance to beat the best at their own game.

"It's like people who go to Las Vegas and play blackjack," Brown said. "They're playing against the best player in the world - the house. Poker's the same. You can pick your limits, and this is a high-limit cash poker game.

"Even if they know that they're playing against players who are better than them, they don't care. They like the excitement. And the way poker is designed, the best players don't always win."

In any generation, the best players will always be drawn to the biggest game in town.

"One day every three weeks, the biggest game in Las Vegas is here at Binion's," Richardson said.