Press Release
Pam "Queen Kitty" Brunson To Face Defending Champion Joanne "JJ" Lui In WPT Ladies Night V Final Table At Bicycle Casino
Brunson Beat 125 Players in the WPT Ladies-Only Poker Tournament, WPT Ladies' Night, Which Raised Over $21,000 for Breast Cancer Research
LOS ANGELES (August 21, 2007) – Pam Brunson, daughter of poker legend Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and sister of pro Todd Brunson, will head to her first World Poker Tour® (WPT) final table on August 31st,where she will face five of poker finest female pros during WPT Ladies' Night V.
Brunson will join defending champion Joanne "JJ" Liu; "first lady of poker" Linda Johnson; cash game queen Mimi Tran; top pro Kristy Gazes; and poker journalist and pro Melissa Hayden for the chance to win a $25,000 seat into the premiere tournament on the poker circuit—the WPT World Championship. WPT Ladies' Night V is part of the WPT Legends of Poker circuit at the Bicycle Casino, where Brunson's father won his World Poker Tour title in Season III.
Brunson earned her seat in Ladies' Night and a $34,435 cash prize by beating a field of 125 celebrities, pros, and local ladies last weekend during the WPT Ladies' Night V tournament at the Bicycle Casino. Each year, the ladies-only event brings together top female pros, celebrities, and local players who "go all in for the cure" to play for cash, a seat in the WPT Ladies' Night Final Table, and to benefit partner Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the leader in the global breast cancer movement.
This year, WPT partnered with the Ladies Poker Association (LPA) for the first-time, making the event an official LPA stop and raising the buy-in to $1,000. With the Bicycle Casino donating 15% of each buy in, combined with auction prizes donated by LPA and cash donations made by patrons and players, the event raised awareness and over $21,000 to benefit breast cancer research. Additionally, CharityBuzz.com is hosting an online auction through August 23rd to further benefit the cause. WPT and Hands On Mobile will also each donate $5,000 to Komen for the Cure.
"Breast cancer is a horrible disease that affects so many people, which is why we are honored to do our part to help find the cure for breast cancer," said Robyn Moder, Executive Vice President, WPT Studios. "Ladies' Night raises funds for a great cause while promoting awareness and strength among the poker and general community alike."
Amid her excitement and phone calls to her famous poker family, Brunson, who lost her mother and grandmother to breast cancer and has a close friend battling the disease, offered up advice, "One thing my friend always says and I'd like to pass on is, ‘get your mammograms' It's SO important."
To support the event and the ladies, Bicycle Casino hosted an appreciation party before the tournament where the players ate Yummy Cupcakes, sipped complimentary cocktails from Pinky Vodka, and played the new WPT® Texas Hold 'Em 2 by Hands-On Mobile while getting free pedicures. Players also received gift bags filled with products from Republic of Tea and pink Save the Ta-Ta's t-shirts.
To watch the taping of WPT Ladies' Night V on August 31st, fans should arrive at the Bicycle Casino 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 Ladies' Night final table will air on GSN in 2008. For more information about the event, visit www.worldpokertour.com.
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About WPTE
WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour®, a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and is scheduled to begin broadcasting on GSN in early 2008. WPT is licensed for broadcast globally. WPTE also operates a real-money online gaming website, www.worldpokertour.com, which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and other restricted jurisdictions. WPTE currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com/media
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-800 I'M AWARE.
About The Bicycle Casinov
Established in 1984, The Bicycle Casino is home to the best gaming action in all of Southern California. With over 175 tables featuring every variety of Poker and California games, the Bicycle Casino ranks as one of the world's largest card casinos and is renowned for its World Class Poker Tournaments, Cash Giveaways and unsurpassed Customer Service. As a charter member of the World Poker Tour since 2003, the Bicycle Casino has continued to be at the forefront of the poker revolution with their signature event, Legends of Poker. For more information, contact www.thebike.com or call the Welcome Center at 562.806.4646 ext 545. For media related information, contact Marketing at kelleyo@thebike.com or 949.230.9957.
WPTEG
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion of WPTE's brand licensing, the development of new television and film projects, the development of WPTE corporate sponsors and other business development activities, as well as statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of WPTE. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WPTE's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a current source of revenue and GSN as a future source of revenue, and the risk that GSN will not exercise its options to air season of the WPT series beyond Season VI; difficulty of predicting the growth of our online gaming business, which is a relatively new industry with an increasing number of market entrants; reliance on the efforts of CryptoLogic to develop and maintain the online gaming website in compliance with WPTE's business model and applicable gaming laws; the potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming that would directly compete with WPTE's television programming; the risk that WPTE may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination or impairment of WPTE's relationships with key licensing and strategic partners; and WPTE's dependence on its senior management team. For more information, review WPTE's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
Lyndsay LaGree
WPT Enterprises
323 599 9145
llagree@worldpokertour.com
