The $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo tournament is underway with a sizeable 900 runners juicing up the prizepool.

Despite the relatively small buy-in, there are big names aplenty at the felt looking to kick-start their 2009 World Series in style by picking up one of the early bracelets.

Included in that number is none other than Mike Matusow. He still has chips in the $40k event that started yesterday, but that didn't stop "The Mouth" from registering for the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo tournament that began this afternoon.

"I was hoping to pick up a bunch of chips before two o'clock then go over there," he said. "But that didn't work out really well when one guy hit a six outer on the river against me."

Matusow is making friends, however, claiming almost every player at the table bought a copy of his recently released book Check-Raising The Devil.

"Now I have to be nice to them," he said.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to book a spot in the NBA Finals tonight with a win against the Denver Nuggets, team owner Jerry Buss may miss it.

Buss is in the Omaha field today playing poker instead.

However, something tells us his eyes, and mind, may be elsewhere after the 6 p.m. PT tip-off.