WPT Boot Camp 2006: Poker Fantasy Camp Coming to a City Near You

FT. LAUDERDALE, Florida -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Are you the kind of poker player who plops down at a table, crosses your fingers for luck and lets the chips fall where they may? With that kind of attitude you might as well be playing roulette, or maybe just handing your money to strangers walking through the casino.

Real players know that poker is not a game of chance. It's a game of skill where correct decisions must be made to limit or enhance the impact of chance. Poker professionals know those secrets, and everyday players can learn them, too, by attending WPT BOOT CAMP™. In 2006, WPT BOOT CAMP™ will have more sessions and locations, making it easy to find a place and time to learn the lessons that put you on the "Fast Track to the Final Table™."

Following an extremely successful first year of operation, WPT BOOT CAMP™ will again visit favorite destinations such as Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, and Foxwoods in Connecticut. But this year there will also be stops at the Reno Hilton in Nevada, Borgata Casino/Spa in Atlantic City and a new location in Las Vegas -- the MGM Grand.

Poker masters Mark Seif and T.J. Cloutier have been added to the core of instructors, as well as Chip and Karina Jett. Seif won two gold bracelets at the 2005 World Series of Poker and is commentator on the upcoming PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR television program. Cloutier, the author of four poker books, has won 51 major tournaments and played his way to two WORLD POKER TOUR™ Final Tables. The Jetts are an energetic poker-playing couple who have had a great deal of success with tournament Texas Hold 'Em. Chip has made two WPT Final Tables, and Karina has to her credit Final Table appearances at the World Series of Poker, World Poker Finals, LA Poker Classic, and Four Queens Classic.

They join on the instruction team Mike Sexton, WPT television commentator, plus poker expert Alex "The Insider" Outhred, who analyzes all hands played at WPT Final Tables, and two of the leading women in the game, Clonie Gowen and Linda Johnson.

New dates and locations are added throughout the year, so check www.wptbootcamp.com for updates.

The WPT BOOT CAMP is an authentic, in-person instructional experience that features training from experts associated with the WPT program and championship players who have won WPT events. Seminars feature an integrated curriculum that includes live lectures, archived WPT video footage, game play and personal tips by poker superstars.

The exciting two-day camp, which is limited to 60 people per session, tutors students on all aspects of competitive, tournament Texas Hold 'Em Poker.

Using uniquely developed courseware and video footage, students receive hands-on training filled with tips and tools to help them better understand the "tells," "reads," and strategies integral to improving their game. As part of the instruction, students participate in a private No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em tournament where one WPT satellite seat worth between $1,100 and $1,400 is awarded to the winner.

For advanced poker players, WPT BOOT CAMP offers CHAMPIONS EVENTS on an exclusive basis. The three-day seminar is limited to 100 students and features instruction from numerous poker professionals. This unique opportunity begins when students receive a refresher course on poker basics before taking VIP seats at the taping of a WPT Final Table. On the following day, students rub elbows with a number of poker's top stars and are treated to a full day of instruction. Attendees then get a shot at beating the pros during a private WPT BOOT CAMP No-Limit Hold'Em Tournament. Instructors compete alongside students for the grand prize, which is entry to a WPT Main Event (worth between $5,000 and $10,000 - depending on event buy-in). Students also have the chance to knock pros out of the game and receive a $500 reward. This special session culminates with an elegant awards banquet where the tournament winner receives his or her WPT Main Event seat and $1,000 for hotel and travel expenses. The victor will also be bestowed with an etched glass trophy and official red WPT BOOT CAMP CHAMPIONS EVENT jacket.

The current cost for enrolling in a WPT BOOT CAMP is $1,495.00. The WPT BOOT CAMP CHAMPIONS EVENT fee is $2,895.00. For more information go to www.wptbootcamp.com or call 866-WPT-BOOT.

About The World Poker Tour™

The WORLD POKER TOUR is a series of 16 high stakes poker tournaments filmed in exotic locales and leading poker rooms. The show is the highest rated series in the history of the Travel Channel and continues to increase its viewing audience worldwide. With its mix of expert commentary, on-screen explanatory graphics and 17 cameras-- including the revolutionary WPT cam revealing the player's hole cards-the WPT has transformed poker into a televised spectator sport. It has also inspired the poker boom among fans and amateur players, who play at home with friends, and others who are now coming out to compete in WPT tournaments. Last season, the WPT offered more than $35 million in prize money. Filming for Season Three has already begun and prize money is projected to be $70 million. The Season Three shows will begin airing on March 2, 2005. For more information on the WORLD POKER TOUR, go to: www.worldpokertour.com.

About WPT Boot Camp™

WPT BOOT CAMP and WPT BOOT CAMP CHAMPIONS EVENT are highly intensive poker instructional seminars based on elements of the WORLD POKER TOUR, the smash hit television show on the Travel Channel that launched the nation's poker boom. Much like a "fantasy camp," its instructors are WPT hosts and poker champions. WPT BOOT CAMP is the brainchild of Ron Rubens and Steven Berman, co-founders of River Gaming, LLC, who developed the program after years of work in the gaming industry and prior experience producing instructional seminars.