WPT Celebrity Invitational Begins in Los Angeles
.png "WPT Celebrity Invitational Begins in Los Angeles"){kind=logo}
The 9th annual World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational began Saturday at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. The field of 500 players includes a vast array of professional poker players along with athletes, musicians and entertainers.
The Celebrity Invitational is a unique event on the World Poker Tour’s schedule. A freeroll, the players will be competing for a prize pool of $200,000, which includes a seat in the year-end World Championship event worth $25,000 for the tournament’s winner.
However, the event will still raise money for charity. Each player will have the option of purchasing a $200 rebuy anytime before the first break. All proceeds from the rebuys will go to Chrysalis, a nonprofit that provides employment opportunities to the homeless and others who are economically disadvantaged.
As usual, the WPT Celebrity Invitational has attracted a field of celebrities who are popular both in their fields and known for their play at the poker table. Among the hundreds of players participating are Jerry Buss, Don Cheadle, Randy Couture, Coco Crisp, Jennifer Tilly and others. Mark Steines and Leanza Cornett will co-host the event.
The 2010 edition of the WPT Celebrity Invitation attracted 567 players. Ultimately, the tournament was won by one of the least well-known members of the field, ClubWPT qualified LeRon Washington, who took home $100,000 and a seat in the WPT World Championship for his victory. Other final table finishers from last year included runner-up Sean Urban, Trishelle Cannatella, and Thor Hansen.
The World Poker Tour is currently in the middle of its 9th season. After the Celebrity Invitational, the tour will stay at the Commerce Casino for the L.A. Poker Classic. Five additional events will take place before the WPT World Championship, which will take place from May 14-20 at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas.