Hollywood Casino Sends 2 to Poker Championship

Two poker players at Hollywood Casino Perryville are headed to a national championship in Las Vegas.

Steven Lemonakis of Bel Air and Harold Brooks of Baltimore each won a seat Saturday to the Hollywood Poker Open Championship, to be held June 27 to 30 in Las Vegas. The two seats are each valued at $2,500, and each man won $1,500 for traveling expenses.

“These are the first Hollywood Poker Open Championship seats to be given away by us, so we are very excited to have the opportunity to send some of our local players to such an amazing resort in Las Vegas for this big poker event!" Tony Ventura, the casino's table games manager, said in a release.

The championship comes with a $500,000 top prize, according to the event's website.

Hollywood Casino introduced poker and other table games in March, after voters approved changes to Maryland's gambling laws in November.