Before I hopped back on a plane to return to the frozen tundra of the north from Las Vegas, a little stroll down the strip was taken to do some star-gazing poker style. Hollywood has Lindsay Lohan, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Pauly Shore, but I was seeking some poker A-listers like Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Erick Lindgren.

The World Poker Tour was on hand at the Bellagio for the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic and the $5,000 preliminary event was just kicking off and instead of the stacks and rows of chips you see on TV, it was a chance to see what these players do with the small starting stacks and small blinds.

Sammy Farha was quietly twirling his unlit cigarette, while Erick Lindgren showed a serious look despite having 400 big blinds sitting in front of him. I checked up on the results from Wicked Chops Poker this morning and saw JC Tran took it down with rocker Sully Erna proving his 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event cash was no fluke being bested only by Tran in the $5K event.

Free live poker theater all for the price of avoiding the siren calls of the penny slots or playing a little above your bankroll in the poker room.