Venerable Superstar & Young Phenom Join Ranks of WPT BOOT CAMP(TM) Instructors

Venerable Superstar & Young Phenom Join Ranks of WPT BOOT CAMP(TM) Instructors

Two WPT(TM) Champs to Provide Insight From Their Invaluable Experience

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- If you yearn to have the sharp instincts of a poker pro, here's your chance to "get inside the head" of a WORLD POKER TOUR(TM) champion. WPT BOOT CAMP(TM) named two-tournament victor Ron Rose and young phenom Scott Fischman as its first champion-instructors for the series of traveling instructional seminars designed to advance the knowledge of students seeking a "Fast Track to the Final Table(TM)."

Rose and Fischman join the WPT BOOT CAMP instructional core, which already consists of WORLD POKER TOUR commentators Mike Sexton and Vincent Van Patten, as well as the show's associate producer, Alex "The Insider" Outhred. Sexton, Van Patten, and Outhred were all instrumental in selecting Rose and Fischman for the school.

Steven Berman, co-founder of WPT BOOT CAMP, said that while Rose and Fischman are at different ends of the age spectrum, they have proven skills that have confounded their opponents and put them at the top of the game.

"Ron Rose is a brilliant poker tactician whose background in mathematics will be an important part of our curriculum," Berman said. "Scott Fischman, on the other hand, has shown a natural knack for the game and will be a force in the poker world for many years to come."

There are few people better to learn poker from than Ron Rose, who is a regular at Final Tables. In the summer of 2001 he received the Best Overall Player Award at the Aviation Club in Paris, France after winning three major tournaments in a single week, followed by a return visit to Paris in 2002 that resulted in a win at the No Limit Hold'Em Summer Tournament. And before 2002 ended, Rose won the Omaha Hall of Fame Poker Classic at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, and made it to the Final Table of the WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. After that he grabbed a gold bracelet at the 2003 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and won the 2003 WPT World Poker Challenge in Reno. Rose's most recent accomplishments include a victory at the inaugural WPT Battle of Champions(R) that aired on NBC on Super Bowl Sunday and a Final Table spot at the inaugural PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR(TM) event held at Foxwoods Casino.

"Poker is an incredibly intricate game," Rose said. "It combines a whole host of skills that must be mastered in order to be successful. I consider it a great challenge to teach amateurs about the sport and I'm already looking forward to the first time I look across a Final Table and see one of my students."

Fischman in his debut year as a pro poker player, and at only 24 years old, became the youngest person to win two back-to-back World Series of Poker bracelets, gross more than $600,000, and to be ranked by Card Player Magazine as one of the top ten players in the world. His first professional tournament was in January 2004 at The Grand American Poker Classic in Tunica, Mississippi where he placed fourth.

Since then, Fischman has set the poker world on fire, appearing at nine Final Tables, including those at the Orleans Open and Mirage Poker Showdown. "All the WPT BOOT CAMP instructors are distinguished poker pros, and I'm honored to be included in the group," Fischman said. "I look forward to passing along the passion I have for the game. It should be a great time for trainers and students alike."

WPT BOOT CAMP is designed to compress the poker learning curve into just two days and employs an authentic instructional experience. The Camp will be offered in cities throughout the United States and feature an integrated curriculum that includes live lectures, archived WPT video, game play, and personal tips by poker superstars. Only 50 students are accepted per camp session to ensure a maximized learning experience.

The exciting two-day camp tutors students on all aspects of competitive, tournament Texas Hold'Em Poker. Using uniquely developed courseware, students receive hands-on training filled with tips and tools to help them better understand the "tells," "reads," and strategies integral to improving their game. Students first focus on their unique skills and the skills of opponents. They then learn about the mathematics involved in poker and gain specific instruction geared toward Texas Hold'Em and tournament play.

"WPT BOOT CAMP is bringing poker's fans face-to-face with their idols in a meaningful exchange," said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Enterprises (NASDAQ:WPTE) founder and President. "Ron and Scott are truly gifted poker masters and we are confident that by sharing their knowledge with others, it will grow the game and give new players a solid basis for being truly competitive in tournament play."

WPT BOOT CAMP is the brainchild of Ron Rubens and Steven Berman, co-founders of River Gaming, LLC. The duo developed the program after years of work in the gaming industry and prior experience producing instructional seminars. River Gaming is a licensee of WPTE, which holds an ownership interest in the WPT BOOT CAMP.

Cost for enrolling in a WPT BOOT CAMP is $1,495.00. Students who refer a friend to the program will receive $25 in cash, and the friend will get a $100 discount off the price of the camp. For more information go to www.wptbootcamp.com or call 866-WPT-BOOT.

About The World Poker Tour(TM)

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other gaming themes. To date, operations have principally revolved around the creation of the World Poker Tour brand through the production and licensing of a reality television series exhibited on the Travel Channel that is based on a circuit of previously established high-stakes poker tournaments that has been affiliated under the "World Poker Tour" brand. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com.

WPTEG


Source: WPT BOOT CAMP

CONTACT: Jackie Lapin, +1-818-707-1473, jackielapin@cs.com; or Jim
Llewellyn, +1-323-810-7685, ajllewell@excite.com, both for WPT BOOT CAMP

Web site: http://www.wptbootcamp.com/
http://www.worldpokertour.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information or 300 dpi downloadable images and logos, please go to www.media.wptbootcamp.com. Interviews are available.

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