TheVegasEye.com

The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino awarded two winning poker bracelets and more than $147,500 in prize money during the first four events of The Grand Poker Series. Matthew May, 27, of Suffolk, England, won the first bracelet Friday during Cards, Celebrities and Cause – a Montel Williams hosted celebrity charity tournament which raised more than $25,000 for Williams’ Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Siriwan Sukmekerd, 41, of North Las Vegas, Nev., won the second bracelet after dominating the Golden Nugget Poker Queen Ladies Event, pushing through a group of 219 women to take the win Monday. During the celebrity charity tournament, which kicked off The Grand Poker Series, more than 100 players vied for the top recognition, including noted professionals Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Jamie Gold, Marsha Waggoner and Robert Williamson, other celebrities such as Defending the Caveman’s Kevin Burke, Las Vegas illusionist Criss Angel, impersonator Gordie Brown, comedy magician Nathan Burton and Miss Nevada Veronica Grabowski showed support by attending the Red Carpet event or making donations directly to the charity. The Poker Queen Ladies Event included professional poker women such as Debbie Burkhead and Women in Poker Hall of Famers Barbara Enright, Marsha Waggoner and Susie Isaacs battling for the bracelet. The Grand Poker Series, the month-long event in the classic Las Vegas casino’s newest events center, The Grand, runs through July 6 and features six daily tournaments on more than 50 tables, hosting 24/7 cash games, sit & go satellites, and much more, including $70 Super Satellites every Friday at 8 p.m. where players compete for a spot in the $550 Saturday noon tournament. The daily tournaments begin at 11 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Registration for all events remains open, and seats can be secured by contacting or stopping by the Golden Nugget Poker Room. A complete schedule of events is available by visiting our website at www.goldennugget.com/casino/poker_gps.asp .