Partners in Poker

LOS ANGELES – (PRESS RELEASE) -- When the World Poker Tour kicks off its spellbinding Season IV action on the Travel Channel March 8, about the last thing you'd expect to experience is love at the poker table. But, in what may be one of the most in intriguing aspects of the WPT, this year the Tour will showcase a half dozen happy couples, who are living the poker lifestyle, with both partners playing professionally.

It's a real "full house" when two people manage challenging poker careers, while raising children, managing a household and still making time for a little romance. Poker is a complex profession. Besides the fluctuating periods of financial stability, there is no healthcare and few 40-hour weeks with weekends off. Moreover, tournament play requires a great deal of travel, which means additional expenses and time away from home. Now let's imagine what happens when they are both competing for the same million-dollar winnings!

Actually in the case of Jennifer Harman and Marco Traniello, Karina and Chip Jett, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Aidilay (Lily) Elviro, Marsha Waggoner and Kenna James, Juan Carlos Mortensen & Cecelia Reyes, and Phil "The Unabomber" Laak and Jennifer Tilly -- their respective partners are their biggest cheerleaders.

"The advent of the World Poker TOur has made it possible for many more people to earn a good living at poker...and many of those are women. It's been gratifying to see how many couples feel comfortable at our 17 events," said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE)

"They travel together, compare strategies against their opponents, commiserate with each other over 'bad beats,' and celebrate their victories -- but watch what happens when they end up at the same table! He's just likely to 'come over the top' and she'll call his 'All-in.' It's just like at home -- each one wants the upper hand!"

But as competitive as they can be at the table, says Chip Jett, "It's great having someone who really understands the highs and lows of poker, that has been there herself and is able to understand when I talk about a hand or why I get upset if I get knocked out of a big tournament."

So how does one become a poker couple? The Jett's actually met playing at a casino, as did Marsha Waggoner and Kenna James. Lily Elviro and Michael Mizrachi were both dealers. Cecelia Reyes and Marco Traniello got tired of standing around at the rail watching their partners through nine hours of poker and wanted in on the action. They'd been picking up knowledge by listening to conversations their spouses had with friends. Phil Laak and actress Jennifer Tilly met when she came to play in the WPT Hollywood Home Game tournament.

Mizrachi, Laak and Mortensen are all WPT Champions. Several of the women also play at the highest level of the game. Harman is considered one of the best high stakes players in the world. Tilly won the two more prestigious women's events in poker in 2005 -- the WPT Ladies Night and the Women's Open at the World Series.

But their own victories are oftentimes not even as thrilling as seeing their spouse rack up those chips. "The first week that he watched me, I knew he had talent," said Harman. When Marco decided to try his hand at one of the big tournaments, Jennifer placed in the money at five events and Marco in seven. "I was so excited that he was doing well, that I did well, too!" Jennifer says. "It might have taken a little bit away from my concentration, but who cares? It was just so exciting!"

The Jett's have extended their poker partnership into teaching. They are both instructors at WPT Boot Camp, the fantasy poker camp that travels around the country educating aspiring WPT champs.

Togetherness is a key theme for these couples. So that he didn't have to be separated from his growing family, Michael Mizrachi, purchased a luxurious tour bus with his $1.8 million WPT winnings so Lily and their baby could travel around the country with him. With grandma as nanny, both players were free to play the various WPT events.

One thing all of the partners seem to share is a love of the flexible hours and the unlimited freedom that comes from not having an office job. But given that pros frequently play into the wee hours, poker partners have to be night owls.

"Poker couples on the WPT are like 'suited connectors' -- sequentially numbered cards of the same suit," says Lipscomb. "Different in many ways, there are strengthened by their likenesses."

To see some of these couples and all of the WPT stars in action, tune into the Travel Channel, every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S.