Bet on smiles at SALT

LAS VEGAS — Hedgies flocking to the $3 trillion industry’s largest annual get-together here will be a cheerier bunch than those who came to the desert last year.

Better results and happier investors will do that for you.

Although the average hedge fund performance isn’t anything to write home about — it’s up 3.99 percent through April 30, according to data compiled by Preqin — it’s certainly better than the sub-1 percent gain the industry recorded through the first four months of last year.

In fact, things were so bad last year that featured speaker David Rubenstein of Carlyle Group exhorted attendees not to be “embarrassed about the industry.”

The three-day event, the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, founded and run by Anthony Scaramucci, the former owner of SkyBridge Capital, is known for its eclectic mix of financiers, politicos and celebrities.

SALT speakers this year include Bill Ackman of Pershing Square and Dan Loeb of Third Point — as well as former Vice President Joe Biden, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson.