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World Poker Tour Makes Canadian Debut

Posted on May 6, 2008

The WPT Canada (WPTC) tour kicks off today with its first stop—Coast to Coast Poker Championships, presented by British Columbia Lottery Corporation—at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, British Columbia. WPTC is the dedicated tour for Canada, a country where some of the world’s greatest poker professionals call home and poker is booming in best-in-class casino properties nationwide.

“Canada is an incredible destination for poker, which we have experienced first-hand during three successful Canadian events on the main WPT tour,” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President and CEO. “The sport of poker has long been growing in Canada, fostering poker fans and creating world-class poker professionals. It was only a matter of time before WPT offered a tailored tour unique to Canadian poker fans, and couldn’t be more thrilled to finally launch it today.”

Held May 5 – 13, 2008, the event features multiple tournament options including a super satellite, bounty event, and a $3,000 CDN main event where players will face pros like Gavin Smith, WPT Season IV Player of the Year; “Yukon” Brad Booth; and Canadian Poker Tour Player of the Year Jody Trainer. Antonio Esfandiari, face of the WPT Poker-Made Millionaire™ will also play in the bounty and main events, representing www.worldpokertour.com. Esfandiari recently placed eighth out of 842 players at the European Poker Tour Grand Finals in Monte Carlo.

The Coast to Coast Poker Championships schedule is as follows:

May 5th @ Noon -$500 ($460+$40) No Limit Texas Hold'em

May 6th @ Noon - $220 ($200+$20) Super Satellite; Awards one $4,000 package for every 20 entries

May 7th & 8th @ Noon - Final Table May 11th @ 1pm - $1,000 ($920+$80) No Limit Texas Hold'em with Bounties

May 9th & 10th @ Noon - Final Table May 11th @ 6pm - $3,000 ($2,800+$200) No Limit Texas Hold’em MAIN EVENT

May 11th, 2008 @ Noon - $200 ($125+$15+$60) Mother's Day No Limit Texas Hold'em and Brunch

May 12th, 2008 @ Noon - $300 ($270+$30) Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha

May 13th, 2008 @ Noon - $300 ($270+$30) No Limit Texas Hold'em

The May 11 Coast to Coast Poker Championships final tables will play down on the WPT Canada set and will be filmed for television broadcast in Canada. Poker pro Kenna James will make his WPT Canada debut as TV commentator alongside host and well-known Canadian sports announcer, Jim Van Horne. The WPT Canada Coast to Coast Poker Championships television episodes will debut in Canada late this summer.

The public, age 19 and older, are invited to watch the tournament events and final tables free of charge. To play, register in-person at River Rock Casino Resort or call 604-247-8983. Visit www.wptcanada.net or www.bclc.com or for more event details.

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