From LA Times Poker aficionados will descend on Las Vegas as the 44th World Series of Poker kicks off at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The first event, which began Wednesday, is a two-day No-Limit Hold ‘em tournament exclusively for casino employees. This year, the World Series of Poker, first held in 1970, will run until July 15 and will feature 62 events on 480 tables. Seemingly every major poker variation is present in the tournament, with buy-ins for the various events ranging from $500 to $111,111. Anyone 21 years or older can enter. Tens of thousands of poker enthusiasts…

When Seth Palansky gets questions about Caesars Interactive rolling out WSOP online poker in Nevada, he inevitably mentions patience. That’s the virtue the company cited when Station Casinos rolled out its Ultimate Poker website last month, becoming the first fully legal real-money gambling program to launch in the United States. “But being first didn’t matter…”, said a spokesman for Caesars Interactive. “There’s got to be a little patience,”. Caesars is now preparing to launch a fully functional WSOP.com during the 44th annual World Series of Poker to perhaps become the second website in Nevada to offer real-money poker tables. And…