Bernard Lee gives away two WSOP event buy-ins to radio show listeners

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Professional poker player and media personality Bernard Lee has chosen two amateur poker players to each receive a $777 buy-in to a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet event in Las Vegas, Nevada next month. The buy-ins were among 20 prizes Lee distributed in celebration of the eighth anniversary of The Bernard Lee Poker Show.

“I am extremely excited to be able to make these players’ dreams a reality,” Lee said. “Nothing can compare with the experience of playing in a WSOP bracelet event. I know this is an adventure both players will always remember.”

Lee initially partnered with Blaycation, a specialty travel company that combines individuals’ bucket lists with unique vacations, to give away one $777 buy-in. Earlier this year, Lee was named Blaycation’s spokesperson. The One Step Closer Foundation, however, offered to sponsor another $777 buy-in after learning of the success of both Blaycation and Lee’s show.

“Bernard has been a loyal supporter of The One Step Closer Foundation for years,” said Jacob Zalewski, the foundation’s president and CEO. “Our foundation makes dreams come true for those individuals who are living with Cerebral Palsy. With our upcoming poker charity event, we felt it would be perfect to provide a WSOP buy-in for an individual to fulfill their poker dreams.”

The foundation’s annual event, Raising The Stakes For CP Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, June 19 at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Expected guests include TV and film personalities Montel Williams, Cheryl Hines, Meki Phifer, James Woods, Jennifer Tilly and professional poker players Joe Cada, and Dennis Phillips. Visit onestepcloserfoundation.org or 1scf.org for more information.

The winners of Lee’s giveaway are Brett Mueller, 27, of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is a Commercial Account Executive for Tyco Integrated Security; and Jay Phillips, 39, of East Bethel, Minnesota, where she is CEO and President of Project Realms.

“I am thrilled to be chosen for such an incredible experience and cannot wait to arrive at the World Series of Poker,” Mueller said. “I would like to personally thank Bernard Lee and all the sponsors for their joint effort in making dreams come true.”

“I'm super excited to have been selected for The Bernard Lee Poker Show contest,” Phillips said. “I’m also excited to participate in the Blaycation experience, which provides an all-around WSOP experience. I've been to Vegas quite a few times but have never been able to attend at this level, where you get to play and a full tour of the event.”

Mueller and Phillips will both play in the Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em WSOP bracelet event at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 3.

Blaycation’s sponsorship of the WSOP buy-in prize highlights their next poker experience, which will be held July 1-6 in Las Vegas, and center around the $777 WSOP bracelet and Main Event.

Lee, a Wayland resident, has won more than $2 million and six titles on the tournament circuit since turning pro following his 13th finish in the 2005 WSOP Main Event. Recognized as “the voice of poker in New England” by Cardplayer.com, Lee is known worldwide as a poker media personality.

The Bernard Lee Poker Show, which airs Tuesdays on RoundersRadio.com, one of the largest online poker talk radio stations in the world with listeners in more than 85 countries. Podcasts are available on RoundersRadio.com and iTunes. The show incorporates interviews with poker players and prominent industry personnel with poker news and tips. Previous guests have included WSOP champions Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker, Joseph Hachem, Jonathan Duhamel, Greg Merson and most recently the 2014 champion, Martin Jacobsen; WPT commentator Mike Sexton and Lynn Gilmartin; ESPN commentators Norman Chad and Lon McEachern; poker superstars Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Dennis Phillips, and Jason Mercier; and members of the 2008 through 2014 WSOP November Nine.

Lee is a poker writer for ESPN.com, Card Player and All-In magazines. His two books, The Final Table, Volume I and Volume II, are compilations of the Sunday Boston Herald poker columns he penned for seven years. Lee is also a poker instructor and commentator for the WSOP and New England’s Eastern Poker Tour. He is a former co-host of ESPN.com’s weekly online poker show, “ESPN Inside Deal.”