"The Elvis Extravaganza" will be held in The Pavilion Showroom at the Tropicana Express, Jan. 6-7, from 7-9 p.m. Elvis impersonators from throughout the Southwest will compete for the Southwest Regional Title and the winner will advance to the finals to be held in February in Florida.

The Riverside will have an Elvis tribute show Jan. 2-8. "Happy Birthday to the King" will play at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.

At Harrah's from Jan. 19-31, it will be Todd Luxton: The Ultimate Elvis Tribute nightly except Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $17.95, $22.95 and $27.95.

Sammy Shore, an American comedy legend who founded the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip and was hand-picked by Colonel Parker to be Elvis' opening act during the King's infamous 1969-1972 Comeback Tour in Las Vegas, will headline at Don's Celebrity Theater at the Riverside, Jan. 10-13. Tickets for his 7 p.m. shows are $20.

The 6th annual Winter Break will take place as a citywide event, Jan. 4-10, and feature a wide variety of events for the 50-plus age group. It's a festival celebrating living life to the fullest. Activities will include dancing, bingo and slot tournaments, healthy cooking classes, wine tasting, fitness activities, activities for Red Hat Ladies, singles functions, karaoke, a car rally, educational seminars, a trade show, ongoing live entertainment, and much more.

In 2007, Winter Break drew more than 5,000 guests. With more than 10,000 hotel rooms and nine casino hotels, Laughlin is the perfect host for this festival. One admission price of $49 entitles guests to one full week of official Winter Break activities.

On Jan. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., the International Chili Society and Golden Nugget Laughlin will host the Laughlin Regional Chili Cook-Off. There will be music, food and beverage vendors, raffles, chili tasting, and more. The competition will include Salsa, Red Chili, and Chili Verde. More than 70 cooks are expected for the event and the winner will advance to the World Finals in Reno to compete for a $25,000 purse.

The 7th Annual Cloud's Jamboree will be held, Jan. 11-27, at the Avi Convention Center, RV Park and River Garden Pavilion. The event will feature booths at all three sites with gems, precious and semi-precious stones, jewelry, lapidary equipment, metal detectors, arts, crafts, etc., daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's free to browse.

Texas 7 Poker is the all-new easy-to-learn table game that offers players a twist on their favorite Texas Hold 'em. The fast-paced card game gives participants the opportunity to win payouts totaling more than 50 to 1. What separates Texas 7 Poker from other table games is that it is played in the casino pit, rather than the poker room.

Texas 7 Poker players compete against the house dealer using their two hole cards and five community cards. In addition to "Ante" and "Play" bets, players have the option to place a bonus "Twenty Plus" bet, a separate bet based on the player's first two hole cards.

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Harrah's poker room has been expanded to accommodate more players and is now located near the high limit slot area in the main casino. The poker room features six tables, higher limit games, daily tournaments and promotions, including "23 Jewels on the River" "Monster Stack Tournament," and "Mega Beat Jackpot." Player tracking for Harrah's loyalty Total Reward members continues to be available. Poker players may sign up for tournaments at the poker room registration desk at least one hour prior to the start of a tournament.

No Limit Texas Hold 'em tournaments will be held in the poker room at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily except Saturday.

Monday through Wednesday, tournaments are held 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and feature a $30 buy-in and $10 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 in non-value tournament chips to begin the tournament with 15-minute rounds.

Thursday tournaments are held at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and feature a $60 buy-in with a $5 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 (buy-in) and $3,000 (re-buy) in tournament chips with 20-minute rounds.

The 10 a.m. Friday tournament features a $40 buy-in with a $20 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 (buy-in) and $3,000 (re-buy) in tournament chips with 15-minute rounds. The 7 p.m. Friday tournament features a $60 buy-in and $40 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 (buy-in) and $3,000 (re-buy) in tournament chips with 20-minute rounds.

Saturday features one tournament at 10 a.m. with a $30 buy-in and $10 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 in tournament chips with 15-minute rounds.

The 10 a.m. Sunday tournament features a $30 buy-in with a $10 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 in tournament chips with 15-minute rounds. The Sunday 7 p.m. tournament features a $60 buy-in with a $5 re-buy with players receiving $2,000 (buy-in) and $3,000 (re-buy) in tournament chips with 20-minute rounds.

The poker room offers progressive Aces and Kings Cracked daily between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The poker room also offers free poker lessons daily at 9 a.m.

On Jan. 12 and 13, a Dixieland Festival will be held in the ArrowWeed Lounge at the Avi. Three different bands will rotate daily from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Viewing and listening to Bobby Morris' New Orleans Jazz Band, The Dixie Stompers and Chicago 5 is free.

The next date for Tom & Sharon's Ballroom, Latin and Swing Dance Party is Jan. 19 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. For information, call 702-298-2535 or 928-754-2097, ext. 5708.

The Aquarius has Wayne Newton set to headline in the Outdoor Amphitheater on March 15 and Travis Tritt to follow on March 29.

At Harrah's on the casino floor on New Year's Eve, Harrah's guests will be given party favors and then be showered by a balloon drop at midnight.

On New Year's Day, there will be a special brunch at the Range Steakhouse served from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $39.99.

The Fresh Market Square Buffet will offer a New Year's Day menu from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and be closed between 2 and 4 p.m. on Jan. 1. It will cost $16.99. The Fresh Market Square Buffet will be closed for dinner on Dec. 31, 2007, due to a special invited guest celebration. For more information on the holiday specials call 702-298-4600.

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