Well it’s back to sleeping ’til noon and gambling all night for this crew.

The Real Deal! has folded up shop. The interactive poker game show at The Venetian, which debuted at the end of October and went through a little revision in the middle of November, didn’t survive until the end of December.

You could say this was a BAD BEAT for some ROUNDERS who had to ANTE UP for their stage debut. You could say that, if you were a total jerkwad.

By Jason Scavone

Late-night Real Deal: Keeping it real … er.

Just a couple of weeks after the premiere of The Real Deal, the show is already making some minor tweaks. The Venetian’s poker show will now run Thursday through Monday at 5 p.m. and be dark on Wednesday with a 10 p.m. show on Tuesday nights starting on Nov. 18.

The previous schedule was Tuesday through Sunday at 5 p.m. with 8 p.m. shows added Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The change was aimed at bringing in a crowd heavier on industry people and to give the 10 p.m. crowd more of a you-and-your-buddies feel. Plus, host Vinnie Favorito can let loose at the 10 p.m.

“If they do something stupid, I’ll let them know,” he said in October. “Overall, we’re pretty nice to the people. It’s not my typical show. I’m not your typical game-show host. I’m pretty edgy. But you can be edgy sarcastically and it still gets across.”

By Jason Scavone

If we were going to the Playboy Mansion, we’d be smiling like The Joker.

With the celebrity-filled premiere in the books, The Real Deal! at The Venetian was settling into its regular routine of bringing in civilians to take on the regular rotation of poker pros last night.

After Daniel Negreanu and Phil Helmuth were on stage Tuesday, Thursday saw friends Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak prepare to do battle with several amateurs over the course of the evening. Just before the curtain went up, Esfandiari got ready for his first stint in front of the crowd.

“There are a lot of things that need to get fine-tuned, but I think there’s definitely potential,” he said. “It’s the first show of its kind. Not everything is going to get figured out right away, so they’re working on that right now. I’m excited to be up there and play tonight, because I didn’t get to play on the opening.” Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Speaking of ‘Things we will never, ever get tired of …’ (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

The Real Deal! officially kicked off last night at The Venetian, bringing in a cadre of celebrity players that when all together on stage clocked in around a combined 500 years old. Don Johnson was the whippersnapper of the group at a spry 58, which might explain why the first thing you’d think of to describe last night’s amateurs is “befuddled.”

Joining Johnson at the show were Steve Lawrence, Tim Conway, Robert Wagner, Mike Connors and Bob Newhart, while the crowd included Jill St. John and Clint Holmes. Jennifer Tilly, straddling the line between celebrity and poker pro, also played against the two pros for the evening, Phil Helmuth and Daniel Negreanu. The pros rotate who plays for the evening, and other card sharps include Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman, Eli Elezra, Gavin Smith, Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak.

So here’s how it works: Every seat comes equipped with a touchscreen device. As the tournament progresses, the audience gets a hand for every hand dealt on stage. You can choose to bet or fold as the hand plays out while an interactive leader board on stage tracks everyone’s score. If you have the high score by the end of the show, you get to come on stage and play against the pros. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone