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World-class action sports stars play spectacular poker.

The first-ever PartyPoker.net Big ThrowDown event arrived at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas just in time for the Tournament of Champions on Monday, August 7. Six world-class action sport champions competed around the green baize, having qualified in six thrilling rounds.

Representing their respective sports at the championship table were wakeboarder Josh Sanders, snowboarder Danny Kass, BMXer Dennis McCoy, skater Sergie Ventura, FMXer Jeff Tilton, and surfer Pat O’Connell.

Set in the Rio’s Brasilia 5 convention room, the game got off to an intense start. World Tour rookie Fred Patacchia went all-in with pocket 6s on the first deal. Bobby Martinez then found pocket 10s and called Fred's all-in. Last to act was Shawn Ward, who decided pocket Jacks were good enough to go all-in, as well. When the flop hit the board, the first visible card was a 6, which gave Fred a set. Things got complex when the dealer spread the remaining cards. The last one visible was a Jack, which completed a set for Shawn.

During the very first hand, Shawn collected half the chips in play and sent two players to the rail - the crowd and players went wild. Emboldened by his massive chip stack, Ward began to play recklessly. He doubled up Benji Weatherly twice, losing to a Full House and then to Two Pair. Short-stacked, Ward was soon eliminated.

IMG Vice President James Leitz said, “The PartyPoker.net Big ThrowDown was an exciting addition to the Bank of the West Beach Games. The athletes had a great time, the crowds were enthusiastic, and the drama will make for great television.”

The event had all the drama and thrills of the best poker games, so don’t miss both the main event and the qualifying rounds on TV this fall.

The six qualifying events will be featured in 12-minute vignettes on Fusion TV, which is airing on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) from July through December 2006. Each show will focus on a single qualifying event and will include event highlights alongside interviews with each of the six competitors. The finale will be made into a one-hour special to be shown on Saturday, October 21 at 14:00 ET on OLN.

See the PartyPoker.net Big ShowDown TV schedule here

You can also see the PartyPoker.net Big ThrowDown online via the official website.