July 05, 2010 (Las Vegas, Nevada) – The air is alive with the rustle of chips, and the players’ concentration is palpable at the 2010 World Series of Poker, taking place at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. A poker super-star and an XC skiing super-star faced off this afternoon at feature Red Table 359 in the Amazon Room.

Petter Northug at the WSOP showdown in Vegas. © Jesse Winter

In seat #1 sat Peter Northug, arriving with one of the largest media entourages of the event, causing more than a few cute girls to giggle and whisper, “Who’s that?” At the opposite end of the table sat Greg the ‘Fossil Man’ Raymer, 2004 WSOP Champion.

Greg the ‘Fossil Man’ Raymer. © Jesse Winter

Flying a little more under the radar was Sweden’s star xc skier, Marcus Hellner. He was seated a few tables away from Thor Hansen, one of Norway’s leading poker professionals. Hansen is himself a ski racing fan (not surprising giving his nationality) and was seen chatting amicably with Hellner earlier in the day. Buried in the acres of standard tournament tables, and sporting a stealthy PokerStars.net jacket, Hellner was open about his relative lack of card playing experience.

Thor Hansen (l) and Marcus Hellner. © Jesse Winter

“I’ve played one or two small tournaments, and I play for myself,” he said, modestly brushing aside his win over Northug on Sunday night at the Palms in a private game. He talked about his rollerski in the Nevada desert with the Northug brothers, saying that he was impressed by the quality of the roads.

“They were great tracks with very little traffic. It was hot, but it was a great workout.” On the whole, he has been enjoying his trip to Vegas. He wouldn’t comment on any party plans, perhaps not wanting to jinx his luck at the tournament, which runs till midnight tonight and picks up again on Tuesday at noon.

Ray Romano (Everybody loves Ray). © Jesse Winter

The WSOP attracts stars of all kinds and also in the sea of players we noticed Ray Romano from Everybody loves Ray who is also at the tournament.

Whether tomorrow comes for Northug in the tournament remains to be seen. He managed to survive Raynor, who gambled with all his chips, going ‘all in’ on the flop (the first three cards drawn by the dealer) with a pair of 8s and lost to a pair of aces, taking him out of the running very early in the contest. As of this report Northug’s chips are dwindling and he may have to make an aggressive move, something he’s known for in xc ski racing, if he’s going to keep his poker dreams alive.

Northug's feature Red Table 359 in the Amazon Room. © Jesse Winter

Stay tuned to skitrax.com as we bring you more action direct from the WSOP and tomorrow’s rollerski sprint showdown at the Palms Resort and Casino, here in sizzling Las Vegas.

During the evening, with Northug and Hellner both playing conservatively, Hellner looked to be ahead of the Northug in chips.  Then Northug made a bold move on one hand going all in and survived, doubled his chips on the hand. With several hours to go both players remain upbeat and eager to make it to midnight when the tournament ends for the day – the poker action resumes on Tuesday at 12 noon.