Here is the rundown on the early details of the third annual Vinny Lecavalier celebrity poker tournament to be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino on Sept. 11. This event has been popular in the past, and likely will be once again. This is the release sent out by the Lightning and the VL4 Foundation:

One of the most popular and successful charity events in the Tampa Bay area is back for a third year on Thursday, September 11 as the 3rd Annual Vincent Lecavalier Texas Hold’Em Celebrity Poker Tournament once again invades the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

Join the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Vinny Lecavalier and a full house of celebrity friends as they go all-in to benefit the Vinny Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital, scheduled to open in 2009.

Among the celebrities participating will be Lecavalier’s Lightning teammates, new Lightning head coach Barry Melrose and a host of other celebrities from sports and entertainment to be announced soon. 

This year’s tournament will offer a prize pool in excess of $45,000.  The tournament winner receives $10,000. In addition, celebrities will compete for a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice for the “last celebrity standing.” As an added incentive, any player who knocks out a celebrity will be rewarded through a progressive celebrity bounty prize pool.

The evening gets started at 6 p.m. with a private VIP/Players Party, followed by the Wild Card Party featuring entertainment, a silent auction, a raffle, gaming, cocktails and Hors de Oeuvres for all guests at 7:15 p.m. The tournament gets underway at 8 p.m., with an awards ceremony to follow.

An individual buy-in for the tournament is $550, but don’t worry if you’re not an “ace” player. The tournament offers all players an unlimited number of re-buy opportunities during the first hour of play for $100 each. VIP All Access passes (including VIP Party, Wild Card Party and a spectator pass for the poker room) are also available for $450 each, and individual guest passes (ballroom only) can be purchased for $250. To register or obtain a copy of the rules, visit www.vinny4.com .

And don’t forget to look at post below and offer me up what kind of a coundown you want to see. Some have been asking about me offering my thoughts on the roster, et al., which I will do at some point, but right now, let’s stick with some sort of top ten list or some variation of. And who knows, if all remains slow, I’ll get to as many of them as I can!!!!