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WPT
Ladies' Night Features Cancer Benefit Auction
Press
Release
LOS
ANGELES, California -- World Poker Tour Ladies' Night(R)
returns to the Bicycle Casino packaged with some exciting ribbons
and bows -- the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon, an online
auction benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation,
and Jennifer Tilly. One of the most popular events on the World
Poker Tour, the event has become the prestige tournament in
women's poker. This year, the competition will be raised to
a new level as actress Jennifer Tilly and several of poker's
up-and-coming ladies compete at the Bicycle Casino in support
of breast cancer research.
The activities
begin today, Friday, August 11th, as the World Poker Tour kicks
off its first annual online auction on its website, WorldPokerTour.com
featuring several VIP packages including: Four day-spa gift
certificates, a seat at this year's WPT Celebrity Invitational(TM)
in Los Angeles, and 12 box seat tickets to an LA Clippers basketball
home game.
Net proceeds
from the auction, which runs through September 5th, will be
donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The
WPT has retained CharityBuzz, an online company that uses brand
marketing and fundraising strategies to help organizations support
various causes, to aid in the effort. To date, the Komen Foundation
has invested $630 million in breast cancer research, education,
screening and treatment programs. To complement the online auction,
the Bicycle Casino will host a gala and cocktail hour on August
19. Ladies will walk the PINK carpet and bid on the items to
show their support for breast cancer.
As the gala
comes to a close, the pink carpet will heat up with the 500+
women who will fight it out on the felt for one seat at WPT
Ladies' Night IV. The Bicycle Casino will stage its Ladies'
Poker Party open tournament, inviting all women over 21 to play
in the $125-buy-in event ($100 buy-in plus the $25 entry fee).
Ten percent of each $100 buy- in is being donated to the Komen
Foundation. The victor from that event will earn the highly-coveted
seat in the televised WPT Ladies' Night IV tournament on Thursday,
August 31st.
"We
are thrilled that the Komen Foundation has come on board to
join forces with WPT Ladies' Night and the fight against breast
cancer," said Robyn Moder, Co-Founder and Executive Vice
President of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE). "We
at the WPT feel this is a great opportunity to shine a spotlight
on the importance of breast cancer awareness and to celebrate
women poker players at the same time. Our goal is to make this
annual program grow in stature and monies raised each year so
that we can help in the quest to find a cure."
Spectators
are encouraged to come out to watch the taping of Ladies' Night
IV, which will also feature:
* Defending
WPT Ladies' Night III Champion and Academy Award(R) nominated
actress Jennifer Tilly (Bullets Over Broadway, Monsters, Inc.);
* Joanne
"JJ" Liu (fourth place finisher at the Five Diamond
World Poker Classic, 17th place finisher at the Grand Prix de
Paris);
* Duke University
alumnus and law student Vanessa Rousso (seventh place finisher
at the Season IV WPT World Championship(TM);
* Anahit
Galajian (seventh place finisher at the LA Poker Classic); and
* Erica
Schoenberg (who finished in 16th place at the Season IV WPT
World Championship).
The women
will be competing for a $25,500-seat in the WPT World Championship
to be held in April 2007 at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
In addition
to contributions from the Travel Channel, the WPT will donate
$5,000 to the Komen Foundation in honor of the event winners.
Poker fans will be encouraged to supplement total donations
by going to the WPT website, to bid in the online auction that
runs through September 5th. Players will also be encouraged
to donate beyond the amount of their buy-ins on day one of the
tournament.
Women interested
in registering for Bicycle Casino's Ladies Poker Party on August
19th and 20th should call (562) 806-4646 or go to thebicyclecasino.com.
To watch the taping of WPT Ladies' Night IV on August 31st,
fans should arrive by 3:00 p.m. Seating is on a first come,
first serve basis. The Bicycle Casino is located at 7301 Eastern
Avenue, Bell Gardens, CA.
The World
Poker Tour and its companion series from WPTE, the Professional
Poker Tour, air every Wednesday night on the Travel Channel
at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
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