July 12, 2005

Zack Mills' run through the World Series of Poker has ended.

The former Penn State quarterback bowed out of the WSOP's No Limit Texas Hold'em World Championship at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas sometime Sunday, when the field went from almost 1,900 players to fewer than 600.

Mills, who played for the Nittany Lions from 2001 to 2004, qualified for the field of 5,600 when he won an online tournament. He advanced through "Day One" -- which actually spanned Thursday, Friday and Saturday -- with $41,925 in chips before being eliminated.

For many players lucky enough to survive the first four days of the no-limit Texas Hold 'em event, the minimum payout -- enough to cover the required $10,000 buy-in plus some expenses -- is not likely to satisfy their gambling appetites.

They'll be shooting for a spot at the final nine-person table at which the first one out will take home $1 million and the winning player will collect $7.5 million in first-place money.

The World Poker Showdown is making another appearance due to last year's great success and this year it's just in time for Christmas. This year the turnout for the Poker Tournament's Caribbean Cruise is expected to double and maybe even triple last years count. So, if you haven't made any Christmas plans yet, stop on by the website, www.worldpokershowdown.com and signup for your Christmas Vacation of a lifetime.