The breast cancer awareness pink ribbon, an online auction benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and Jennifer Tilly. One of the most popular events on the World Poker Tour, the event has become the prestige tournament in women’s poker. This year, the competition will be raised to a new level as actress Jennifer Tilly and several of poker’s up-and-coming ladies compete at the Bicycle Casino in support of breast cancer research.

The activities begin today, Friday, August 11th, as the World Poker Tour kicks off its first annual online auction on its website, WorldPokerTour.com featuring several VIP packages including: Four day-spa gift certificates, a seat at this year’s WPT Celebrity Invitational(TM) in Los Angeles, and 12 box seat tickets to an LA Clippers basketball home game.

Net proceeds from the auction, which runs through September 5th, will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The WPT has retained CharityBuzz, an online company that uses brand marketing and fundraising strategies to help organizations support various causes, to aid in the effort. To date, the Komen Foundation has invested $630 million in breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. To complement the online auction, the Bicycle Casino will host a gala and cocktail hour on August 19. Ladies will walk the PINK carpet and bid on the items to show their support for breast cancer.

As the gala comes to a close, the pink carpet will heat up with the 500+ women who will fight it out on the felt for one seat at WPT Ladies’ Night IV. The Bicycle Casino will stage its Ladies’ Poker Party open tournament, inviting all women over 21 to play in the $125-buy-in event ($100 buy-in plus the $25 entry fee). Ten percent of each $100 buy- in is being donated to the Komen Foundation. The victor from that event will earn the highly-coveted seat in the televised WPT Ladies’ Night IV tournament on Thursday, August 31st.

“We are thrilled that the Komen Foundation has come on board to join forces with WPT Ladies’ Night and the fight against breast cancer,” said Robyn Moder, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE). “We at the WPT feel this is a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on the importance of breast cancer awareness and to celebrate women poker players at the same time. Our goal is to make this annual program grow in stature and monies raised each year so that we can help in the quest to find a cure.”

Spectators are encouraged to come out to watch the taping of Ladies’ Night IV, which will also feature:

• Defending WPT Ladies’ Night III Champion and Academy Award(R) nominated actress Jennifer Tilly (Bullets Over Broadway, Monsters, Inc.);
• Joanne “JJ” Liu (fourth place finisher at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, 17th place finisher at the Grand Prix de Paris);
• Duke University alumnus and law student Vanessa Rousso (seventh place finisher at the Season IV WPT World Championship(TM);
• Anahit Galajian (seventh place finisher at the LA Poker Classic); and
• Erica Schoenberg (who finished in 16th place at the Season IV WPT World Championship).

The women will be competing for a $25,500-seat in the WPT World Championship to be held in April 2007 at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

In addition to contributions from the Travel Channel, the WPT will donate $5,000 to the Komen Foundation in honor of the event winners. Poker fans will be encouraged to supplement total donations by going to the WPT website, to bid in the online auction that runs through September 5th. Players will also be encouraged to donate beyond the amount of their buy-ins on day one of the tournament.

Women interested in registering for Bicycle Casino’s Ladies Poker Party on August 19th and 20th should call (562) 806-4646 or go to thebicyclecasino.com. To watch the taping of WPT Ladies’ Night IV on August 31st, fans should arrive 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.

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