The Commerce Casino in Los Angeles is hosting the 9th edition of the Annual World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational that started last Saturday. Professional poker players, movie stars, musicians and sport stars complete a field of 500 players who will play for the main prize. For the second year in a row, Chrysalis has been chosen as the charity partner of the tournament.

LeRon Washington was the winner last year, as he defeated Sean Urban in the heads-up to win a prize of $100,000. In 2010 the Celebrity Invitational gathered a total of 564 players and the final table included the “Real World: Las Vegas” star Trishelle Cannatella and renowned professional poker player Thor Hansen.

Only 115 poker players still remain in the field, with Linda Johnson as chip leader after Day 1. Johnson has 198,100 chips and is followed by player Phil Laak. Linda Johnson is no stranger in the poker world and is known as one of the co-founders of the Tournament Directors Association and has also worked with the WPT.

Three-time WSOP bracelet winner and professional poker player Barry Greenstein is in third place with 109,400 in chips after Day 1 of the poker competition in Los Angeles. Action will continue on Sunday when the six poker players who will go to the final table will be decided.