The Real Deal Premieres at the Venetian

The Real Deal had a private premiere at the Venetian in Las Vegas this week. While reviews of The Real Deal, which mixes poker with some comedy and game-showy elements, were pretty positive, mostly people were talking about the upcoming Presidential election.

And it sounds like most poker players are John McCain fans.

Even Scotty Nguyen.

Watch The Real Deal Premiere at the Venetian Hotel on RawVegas.tv

Lacey Jones Is The Real Deal!

We have a healthy amount of skepticism regarding The Real Deal!.

Tickets for the Las Vegas (held at the Venetian) show have just gone on sale. In case you don't remember, the concept of The Real Deal! is pitting two of the world's best poker professionals (Gavin Smith, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, and others have signed on) against a group of randomly selected audience members on stage, where said audience plays poker using handheld "state-of-the-art" technology for a chance to win $1 million will actually be anything anyone gives a shit about is beyond us. But when Freak & Geeks, Undeclared, and Arrested Development get canceled and Two and Half Men and The George Lopez Show stay on air for years, we may be a little out of touch with what the U.S. American public really likes.

What we are pretty sure of is that The Real Deal! co-host Lacey Jones will at least pique our interest enough to check it out.

Speaking of, read more about how to buy tickets here.

Another Poker-Themed Stage Show in Las Vegas Announced. . . Seriously

Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Hellmuth's ego and others to star in new poker-themed stage show at The Venetian.

And to think we thought All In: The Poker Musical was both the beginning and end of poker-themed productions in Las Vegas.

Nope, here comes another, this time from the folks at The Venetian, who just announced it will introduce this fall the "first ever live, interactive poker-themed stage show" called The Real Deal! The show, which is a Vegas-style game show of sorts with prizes, will star poker pros Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Hellmuth's ego, Gavin Smith, Edward James Olmos Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, a woman, Phil Laak, Scotty Nguyen, Todd Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari, who magically continues to make himself relevant somehow in the poker world.

Excerpt below from press release explaining how the show will work:

The Real Deal! will empower the audience to participate both on-stage and from their seats through the use of wireless touch screen devices. The Real Deal! will use a revolutionary multi-player platform with interactive content in conjunction with technology from TimePlay Entertainment, Inc. Playing both against and alongside the pros, audience members will earn points to vie for prizes ranging from The Real Deal! logo'd merchandise to spectacular home electronics and more, including a chance to win a $1 million grand prize.

.......

The large collection of prizes will be awarded to individuals based on their game performance, such as their play of the virtual "ninth hand." However, there will be many other random winning moments! For example, audience members will be able to wager on simple instances that will occur during play, such as the suit of cards dealt on the flop. Every show, audience members will also have the chance to draw for a Royal Flush and win ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

An elimination process will result in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur, and the point leader from the play-along audience, on stage for a three-handed finale.

While we wait for someone to dumb this down for us, check out the show's website here.

Unrelatedly, watch RawVegas.tv's new video hostess Brittney Palmer in action here.