2010 WPT Southern Poker Championship



BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO AND WORLD POKER TOUR® HOST 2010 SOUTHERN POKER CHAMPIONSHIP

Televised $10,000 Buy-In Event Brings Top Players to Biloxi

BILOXI, Miss. – Dec. 22, 2009 –MGM MIRAGE and World Poker Tour® (WPT) kick off 2010 with the return of the Southern Poker Championship. A mix of poker royalty, regional pros and unknown hopefuls will travel to Beau Rivage Resort & Casino for 22 days of tournament play and millions in prize money, Jan. 6-27. The event – the South’s largest poker tournament in terms of buy-in, participants and purse – will begin with Satellites on Jan. 6 and culminate with the $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour Main Event Jan. 24-27.

“This is the third year we have hosted this event at Beau Rivage,” said George P. Corchis, Jr., president and chief operating officer of MGM MIRAGE’s Mississippi Operations, which includes Beau Rivage in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica. “We have developed a reputation for great poker action and are pleased to see the participation and tournament excitement continue to grow each year.”

Team PokerStars’ Vanessa Rousso will be participating in several events during the Southern Poker Championship. On Jan. 22, Beau Rivage will host a two-day instructional experience with Rousso presenting “Poker Tournament Theory Boot Camp & Tournament.” People can register for the $299 boot camp at www.bigslickbootcamp.com. Poker enthusiasts can also register to win a seat to the boot camp by joining Beau Rivage’s twitter and facebook poker pages at www.twitter.com/beaupoker and www.facebook.com/beaurivagepoker. In addition to the main event, Rousso will be playing in the Jan. 23 event 32 No-Limit Hold’em ($200+$30) tournament. On Jan. 23, Rousso will do an autograph session from 6 pm-7 pm before joining the Southern Poker Championship main event poker players at a kick-off party outside the poker room from 7 pm-9 pm.

“The WPT Southern Poker Championship is the culmination of five major poker tournaments we host at our MGM MIRAGE Mississippi resorts each year,” said Director of Poker Operations Ken Lambert. “In addition to an anticipated $1 million first place prize, the winner of the Southern Poker Championship Event will receive a bracelet and a $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in April 2010.”

Thirty three tournament events will be spread out over twenty-two action-filled days with buy-ins from $300 up to $10,000 for the Southern Poker Championship. During the event, there will be daily No-Limit Hold’em Tournaments, $300 + $30 Mega Satellites and Single Table Satellites, with buy-ins ranging from $45-$450, every day, and $175 buy-in + $25 entry fee Nightly Tournaments.

In addition to No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, other events include Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys; A-5 Low-Ball/2-7 Low-Ball/Badugi Draw; Limit Omaha High-Low and a Seven Card Stud/Stud 8 Mixed Event. The popular Ladies High Heels Poker Tour No-Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament ($300 buy in + $40 entry fee) will take place on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2 pm.

The featured event for the Jan. 21 weekend will be the $5,000 Omaha Pot Limit Championship. One of the largest Omaha Championships in the world, it will draw the who’s who of poker. This $5,000 Championship originated in 2005 at MGM MIRAGE sister property Gold Strike in Tunica and has become one of the main draws for major poker tournaments everywhere.

World Poker Tour Southern Poker Championship will be filmed for television broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN). Visit www.WorldPokerTour.com to find show times in your area.

With high ceilings and an open floor plan, Beau Rivage’s smoke-free poker room is one of the most spacious and comfortable in the South. Located past a striking onyx and marble entryway, the poker room’s 16 tables are accentuated by luxurious leather-paneled walls. The room offers a variety of popular games including Texas Hold’em, 7-Card Stud and Omaha High Low Split, and a high stakes area where No-Limit Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha encourage players to go all in. Dedicated amenities include personal safety deposit boxes, knowledgeable staff available 24 hours a day, tableside food and beverage service, daily tournaments and free lessons upon request.

HIGH RESOLUTION ARTWORK IS AVAILABLE AT www.beaurivage.com or www.WorldPokerTour.com.

ABOUT BEAU RIVAGE:

Casual elegance is redefined at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, MGM MIRAGE’s destination resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Named one of the top 100 hotels in the continental United States and Canada by Travel + Leisure, Beau Rivage blends world-class amenities with world-famous Southern hospitality. Featuring 1,740 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites; 10 restaurants; four nightclubs and bars; a 1,550-seat theatre; an upscale shopping promenade; a world-class spa & salon; and Fallen Oak, a new Tom Fazio designed championship golf course; Beau Rivage offers the finest destination resort experience in the Southeast. For more information or to make reservations, call (888) 56-ROOMS or visit www.beaurivage.com.

ABOUT WORLD POKER TOUR:

World Poker Tour (WPT) is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile.  Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments.  WPT is now broadcast globally in 150 countries and is currently filming its all-new eighth season for broadcast on Fox Sports Net’s national sports network in the United States. WPT also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which operates in 38 states across the U.S. WPT also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. WPT is a subsidiary of PartyGaming Plc.  For more information, see www.worldpokertour.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Mary Cracchiolo-Spain, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, 228-386-7134, mcracchiolo@beaurivage.com

Kimberly Burghart, World Poker Tour, 323.682.2595, kburghart@worldpokertour.com



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