SOURCE: Business Wire

(Los Angeles, CA) — WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) will roll out the red carpet on March 3 for the most glamorous stop on the poker circuit—the 5th Annual World Poker Tour® (WPT) Invitational. Each year, the exclusive, invitation-only event welcomes famous Hollywood faces and world-class poker professionals who go head-to-head in a freeroll Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament for charity, cash prizes, and eternal bragging rights.

Held at the prestigious Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, the three-day event will kick off with red carpet arrivals and a cocktail party for over 400 attendees, WPT Champions and celebrity players, including James Woods, Don Cheadle, Camryn Manheim, Woody Harrelson, Jay Mohr, Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Mekhi Phifer, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Cheryl Hines, Ron Livingston, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, Danny Masterson, Kerry Washington, Marlon Wayans, Rex Lin, Orel Hershiser, Judy Greer and many more.

Also enhancing the event will be gifts, entertainment, fare, and more from sponsors Budweiser®, Blue Diamond Almonds™, Helio™, and Yummy Cupcakes. Further elevating the A-list affair in its fifth anniversary season, the WPT also partnered last month with leading nonprofit arts and entertainment advocacy organization, The Creative Coalition (TCC), and will donate $10,000 to the fund.

“The Invitational is one of our favorite events—it’s amazing to watch as the field of A-list celebrities and top pros come together to battle it out, then sit side-by-side in utter awe of each other,” said Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of WPTE. “As this fifth anniversary season continues to mark major milestones for the WPT, we expect nothing less than the biggest and best WPT Invitational yet.”

Offering celebrities a chance to brush up on their skills before the event, WPT hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will level the playing field with a “WPT Academy.” The exclusive tutorials will be hosted February 22 at Premiere Magazine’s “Haven”—a three-day pre-Oscars event in the Hollywood Hills complete with daytime spa treatments, luxury gifts, evening parties and more.

The last celebrity standing in the Invitational will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice and the final six players will go head-to-head March 5 on the WPT set taped for broadcast on the Travel Channel. The winner will receive $100,000, a $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship, a WPT Champion title, and of course—bragging rights. The $225,000 prize pool is provided by Commerce Casino.

The WPT Invitational will air July 4, 2007, on the Travel Channel at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. World Poker Tour airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. For more information regarding the WPT Invitational, visit here.