2009 WSOP PokerPalooza Caps Four-day Run

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pokerpalooza

The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event draws tens of thousands of visitors to the Rio Convention Center. While a significant portion of those visitors are there to play in the Main Event, thousands more are there to take in the sights and sounds of the WSOP, including the PokerPalooza, the poker world��s largest extravaganza.

The WSOP��s newly-named PokerPalooza, also technically called the Gaming Lifestyle Expo returned in 2009 to the Rio, just a short walk from the giant ballrooms housing the poker play itself. This year��s PokerPalooza ran for four days, July 2-5, opening at 11:00 each morning and entertaining thousands of visitors throughout each of the four days.

As it traditionally does, the poker-lifestyle exhibitions offered a wide range of products, services and general entertainment. Dozens of booths hawked their poker- or entertainment-themed products, corporate sponsors splashed their brand names before thousands of ready eyes, and plenty of the poker world��s stars made cameo visits to the scene to help add to the fun.

The PokerPalooza was divided into a number of "interactive zones" as follows:

? Poker Media
? Poker Education
? Arcade
? Poker Retail
? Poker Circuit
? WSOP History
? ��Lap of Luxury��
? ��Bad Beat Bar��
? Food/Beverage

PokerNews visited the PokerPalooza to sample the fun and share the sights with readers. Here's just a taste of what the PokerPalooza had to offer:

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Jousting action in the arcade area

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Joe Hachem chats with Kathy Liebert after autographing a copy of his new biography, \"Pass the Sugar\"

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A chef serves up a sample from the Rio's Buzio's Seafood PokerPalooza branch location

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About 75 onlookers attend an impromptu WSOP Academy session hosted by instructor Annie Duke

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Doyle Brunson and Mike Caro sign publicity photos for PokerPalooza visitors

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Maybe it's the average poker physique in play? Few visitors challenged the Jack Link's Matador mechanical bull

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The ECM Green eco-friendly table donated by Peter Eastgate picked up dozens of star signatures during its auction

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Racing cars, motorcycles, and other lifestyle attractions near a display detailing the WSOP's history
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