SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — PartyPoker.com today announced that the company’s marquee poker event – the PartyPoker.com Million II tournament with an estimated total prize pool of $1.5 million – has been selected as a charter event for the newly formed World Poker Tour (WPT). PartyPoker.com is the first Web-based card room to join the WPT ranks which includes such traditional land-based poker brands as Bellagio, The Bicycle Casino, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Lucky Chances Casino, Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, Reno Hilton, and others.
“We are extremely pleased to have the PartyPoker.com Million II join us as one of our events,” said Steve Lipscomb, CEO of the World Poker Tour. “The PartyPoker.com Million II is a unique event that combines the rapidly growing technology of the Internet with the excitement and drama of a live major championship poker tournament.”
As a charter member of the WPT, PartyPoker.com will receive substantial television, print, Web, and on-location promotion for the PartyPoker.com Million II, of which the finals will be held in March 2003 aboard a luxury cruise ship sailing the Caribbean. In addition to the first place prize, the winner of the PartyPoker.com Million II will qualify to participate against the winners from all other WPT events in the “Battle of Champions” to be held at the end of the tour.
“We are thrilled that the PartyPoker.com Million II has been invited to join the ranks of the World Poker Tour with so many of the world’s premier poker championships,” said Mike Sexton, Poker ambassador, PartyPoker.com Host, and creator of the PartyPoker.com Million II. “Our tournament will provide recreational poker players throughout the world the opportunity to qualify for an actual WPT event without ever leaving the comfort of their own home.” Sexton has also been selected to team with actor Vince Van Patten as the official commentators for the WPT.
Qualifying play for the PartyPoker.com Million II has already started with the first of three semi-final rounds scheduled for August 2002. The buy-in Toto SGP for the tournament is $25 and players may register online at http://partypoker.com/ppmillion2.htm. Players may accrue bonus chips during regular play at PartyPoker.com to improve their odds of winning in the semi-final rounds. All semi-final winners will receive a free luxury cruise (for themselves and a guest) in conjunction with the PartyPoker.com Million II Finals scheduled for March 2003. For more information on PartyPoker.com and their tournaments, please visit http://www.partypoker.com.
