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Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007

WPT expands brand portfolio

Poker Table

By Arthur Crowson

The World Poker Tour announced it has finalized five-year deals with both the Amateur Poker League and Classic Gaming Cruises yesterday.

The two new partnerships will compliment the ever-expanding number of projects the WPT is currently involved with.

"These innovative partnerships are an exciting addition to our business as they help create a broader experience for WPT fans and players of all levels of locations," said WPTE founder, president and CEO Steve Lipscomb. "Poker is not just about the tournaments anymore. It's a phenomenon that has captured and held the attention of millions of people around the globe and we want to continue creating these exciting opportunities for everyone to experience and enjoy the sport of poker."

According to the Amateur Poker League Web site the unique partnership will provide an opportunity for amateur players to qualify in a professional-level tournament. The two brands will be combined to form the World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League (WPTAPL) which will hold over 500 tournaments on a weekly basis with 30,000 players in 180 venues.

All players participating in the events will receive WPTAPL points which will be posted on www.wptapl.com. Points will qualify players for regional tournaments and the regional winners will go on to compete in a WPTAPL Championship event held in Orlando, Fla., in April 2008 for a shot at winning a seat into a $10,000 WPT main event.

In addition each month the WPT will give WPTAPL members one seat into the Celebrity Invitational Tournament. The Celebrity Invitational is an invite-only where top poker pros and Hollywood celebrities compete for thousands of dollars and a seat into the $25,000 WPT World Championship.

The five-year agreement will cover tournaments spread across a variety of locations including the United States, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Players of all skill levels will able to play in these free, live, No-Limit Hold'em events.

The second partnership the WPT signed onto is with Classic Gaming Cruises (CGC). The goal is to create WPT cruises, the first of which will launch in February. The cruise will run from Miami to the Caribbean on CGC's partner Norwegian Cruise Line.

WPT cruises will offer players the chance to sail aboard cruise shops while enjoying exclusive parties, a full spread of cash games and of course a WPT tournament where the victor earns a spot in a WPT event.

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