“Luck Be a Lady” wasn’t the musical jam at Maxim magazine’s 100th Issue Birthday Weekend, but it seemed to be the theme. Who else would throw a party with a girl-to-guy ratio fit for a Mormon king? With those odds, Vegas was bound to be a winning town for the male celebs. But that didn’t stop some equally familiar female faces from joining in on the fun.
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The weekend long event kicked off with Friday evening’s Rock & Roll Poker Tournament presented by LG at the Wynn Las Vegas’ poolside.
Cigar girls, tube tops, and mini skirts circulated as celebs began to arrive. A low-key Nick Stahl was the first arrival and he already had poker on the mind. Stahl admitted, “I’m not going to delude myself and think I’m better than I am.” But that didn’t stop him from strategizing. He shared, “Don’t get too emotional. You can’t play angry because then you make stupid moves. Have some patience.”
Nicky Hilton offered similar advice to big sis Paris. She challenged, “I’m better than her. You need to be patient with that game. She’s not.” A self-proclaimed seven on a scale of one to ten at poker, Nicky advised, “Play tight in the beginning. I always do that in tournaments.”
However, it was difficult to watch Nicky give Paris a run for her money because her sister had yet to arrive. In fact, organizers started the tournament late to accommodate the ever-fashionably late Paris.
As the game was underway, Paris fixed her make-up at the poker table with a hand-held mirror just before the photogs started snapping away. Shortly after, she waved and blew a kiss to Hollywood party promoter Brent Bolthouse, who’d been doing his best Robert DeNiro impression in a corner with friends.
As next month’s Maxim cover girl, Jamie-Lynn Sigler admitted she was there for a mix of business and pleasure. Excited about the new issue’s release, she divulged, “It’s celebrating a new chapter in my life… being a woman. I did my first cover when I was 18 years old. It’s very different. It’s a little more sophisticated and sexy. I’ve definitely come into my own a lot more.” After revealing magazine details, the Soprano was ready to sing about her poker skills: “I’m an actress so I can bluff my way through and try,” Sigler admitted. “I don’t have any strategies yet because I’m a new player, but maybe I’ll develop some tonight.”
At a nearby table, Nicky stood up mid game to take a call. As she passed Sigler, Nicky greeted with her a good-luck kiss on the cheek. While the girls were all giggles and chit chat, Cuba Gooding Jr. had a stone-cold approach toward the evening. Did he have a moment to chat before hitting the tables? “Not when I’m gambling,” I was told. Though, he did stop to shake hands with a Carmen Electra-less Dave Navarro.
Now, where in the world was Carmen? Navarro reported, “She doesn’t play.” Turns out he’s not a pro himself. He revealed, “It depends on the evening. It depends what kind of mood I’m in.” On this evening, his mood disabled him from saying much more. If I wanted to keep up the convo, he’d said, “You’re going to have to follow me.” With Kelly Hu, Kelly Monaco, Shannon Elizabeth, and Anne Heche approaching, I opted to part ways.
Hu proved to be in a playfully mood as she confessed, “I have a horrible poker face. Maybe it’s a good poker face because I laugh at everything I have. They won’t know one way or another if it’s a good or bad hand. I’m always smiling.”
Meanwhile, Heche came prepared with a few lucky accessories. “I have my husband with me and that’s always a good luck charm,” she divulged before displaying a hologram ring that looked like it came out of a Cracker Jack box. She explained, “It’s just a little bit of a wink to remind me to have fun.” Heche and Elizabeth must’ve discussed strategies earlier in the evening because they were both rocking dark shades as the game unfolded.
Earlier in the evening, Monaco claimed warily, “I’m not very good…” But the card shark wound up in the top five for the evening. They key to her success? “These guys here are easy to read!” Monaco revealed, “Throw a little bit of alcohol in them and they’re flubbering all over the place. Any intelligent girl can run these guys any day.”
What would she do with her winnings? She responded, “Pay my mortgage? No. I wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping it because I’m not a true gambler. I’m a gambler with fake money, but not with real money. When it comes to charity, that’s the best way to go! I’ve known one too many gamblers in my life. It doesn’t end up good!”
Also in the scene: Haylie Duff hiding out in the LG lounge as her boyfriend played in the tournament, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden greeting Navarro with a pat on the back, and Paris Hilton posing for pictures with MTV VJ, ET correspondent and former Maxim cover babe Vanessa Minilo.
A Different Kind of Clubbing
By morning, various celebs and high rollers gathered for the Shotgun Golf Invitational, Maxim’s private golf tournament. No details were divulged on the daytime festivities, but that evening marked Maxim’s Birthday Celebration at the Wynn Las Vegas’ club Tryst.
Before the bash, I caught Cuba Gooding Jr. on his way in. Apparently, it wasn’t quite the weekend he’d had in mind. “I was horrible at poker and the golf game went to sh*t,” he grimaced, “but other than that it was great. Every day above ground is a good one. God bless us all!”
An ever-sharply dressed Taye Diggs chatted for a few before slipping in. Did Diggs join Gooding on the golf course? Diggs revealed, “I do not play golf, but I just came from the [Floyd Mayweather-Zab Judah] fight and enjoyed myself. It was my first fight. We had to pawn some tickets so we were hyped for that!” So what would the rest of the weekend entail? Diggs confessed, “A lot of drinking and dancing. Then, some water and recovery.”
If the evening turned out anything like his favorite Vegas memory, Diggs was in for an interesting trip. He reminisced, “In my single days, [I had] a threesome with some strip–No I’m just kidding! Me and my friend were so hopped up on Red Bull and Vodkas that we entered the strip club at seven in the morning. We stayed there until nine, by ourselves, just watching… From 7 to 9 a.m., the women… you know… it’s not high time. No offense to those working ladies, but it was quite an experience!”
Basketball player and professional charmer Rick Fox joined in on the fun, but remained mute on specific details from his favorite Maxim party memories. He laughed, “I can’t speak on that, my dear. You’re not going to get that one out of me. I was in San Diego at a party a few years back and I’m still answering for it. I’ll put it that way.” Fox continued, “If you come in and have a drink, we might create one!”
It was certainly an offer I shouldn’t pass up, but Haylie Duff was approaching. I’d missed her the night before and wanted to catch up. Duff admitted, “This is actually my first Maxim party.” Didn’t her attendance at the poker tournament count? She said, “I didn’t play. My boyfriend… who is hiding over there somewhere… is a really good poker player. He played. I got to hang out and watch. I don’t have a poker face. Whether I get a good card or bad card, everyone knows it.” She was short on Vegas stories as she explained, “I just turned 21 in February. This is my first trip to make Vegas stories.”
With that, we both opted to hit the party. Upon entry, hip hop blared while unknowns crowded around booths hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite superstar. I caught Gooding posing with a fan for photos while a sultry dressed Christina Aguilera nuzzled up to hubby Jordan Bratman.
A booth was set aside for Nick Lachey who was scheduled to attend. Toward the end of the evening, he seemed to be a no-show, which must’ve disappointed new love interest (or so rumors say) Vanessa Minilo who’d earlier told a foreign television crew, “Once I walk through that door, whatever goes on in there, stays in there!”
When Ludacris performed, everyone including James Franco and girlfriend Ahna O’Reilly stood on their booths to catch a glimpse. By the end of the evening the likes of Hayden Christensen, Tori Spelling and her man Dean McDermott, Gabrielle Union, Usher, and ‘Lil Jon trickled in until the wee hours of the morning.
The Maxim Birthday Celebration at Wynn Las Vegas’ Tryst concluded a weekend long event that was definitely 100 issues in the making. Only, I hope it won’t take 100 more to get a party like that going again.
