(Edited from Press Release) – What kind of event could attract such diverse celebrities as Burt Reynolds, James Woods, Ray Romano, Jason Alexander, Mimi Rogers, Stephen Collins, Jennifer Tilly, James Garner, Kevin Weisman, David Sutcliffe, Lou Diamond Phillips, Anne Heche, Ron Livingston, and Cindy Margolis, the most downloaded woman on the Internet?

The World Poker Tour Invitational, of course! The most sought after ticket in poker. The event at Commerce Casino, televised annually on the Travel Channel, draws more than 75 celebrities, competing against 200 of the leading players in the game—including many of the poker millionaires created by the WPT $150-million in prize pools over the past four years.

This is where you’ll see T.J. Cloutier, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren and Phil “The Unabomber” Laak go head-to-head with the biggest names in television and film for a piece of a $200,000 prize pool and a $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in April. The last celebrity to exit the tourney will also earn $10,000 for his or her favorite charity.

This year’s WPT Invitational is slated for Feb. 22-23, with the Final Table on Feb. 24. Last year, stage and screen actor Tom Everett Scott became the first celebrity to make the final six, finishing third in the event and pocketing $25,000. The winner was Costa Rican poker star Alex Brenes. In 2003, Laak, “The Unabomber,” took home the title after an animated performance that included pushups and shadow boxing with his tablemates.

“The WORLD POKER TOUR is all about letting people live their dreams and celebrities are no different. They all want to be the one counting the money at the Final Table,” said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and Founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc.

“We’ve made the WPT Invitational, already the most prestigious poker tournament in Hollywood…We anticipate a blockbuster event!”

Fans may view the Final Table on Feb. 24, with seating available on a first-come, firstserve basis. The tournament will begin at 5 p.m. but it is suggested that that fans arrive by 3 p.m. to ensure a spot.

The WORLD POKER TOUR is the global leader in poker. The WPT introduced poker to a worldwide audience through its innovative and riveting brand of televised poker, now seen in more than 130 countries and territories.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2006 at 11:10 am and is filed under Land-Based Casino Poker, Poker Players, Poker Tournaments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.