Friday, March 24, 2006

WPT host Mike Sexton will lead an all-star team of instructors that includes T.J. Cloutier, Mark Seif, Clonie Gowen and Linda Johnson. These pros will cover sophisticated poker tactics that should add to the cache of tools already possessed by students, and help trainees reach their goal of a WPT Final Table.

The weekend's learning experience begins when students take their VIP seats at the taping of a WPT Final Table being held at the Reno Hilton. It is there that students see exactly what happens at the final stage of a WPT tournament and discover how poker's elite handle the situations that evolve. In the days that follow, students rub elbows with some of poker's top stars and are treated to two full days of instruction. Lastly, attendees get a shot at beating the pros during a private No-Limit Hold'em Tournament. The instructors will be competing alongside students for the grand prize -- a WPT Main Event seat. But throughout the tournament students will have the chance to knock pros out of the game and receive $500, plus the right to gloat to poker chums back home.

This three-day encounter culminates with an elegant awards banquet where the tournament winner receives his or her WPT Main Event seat and money for hotel and travel expenses. The victor will also be bestowed with an etched glass trophy and official red WPT Boot Camp Champions Event jacket.

"The WPT Boot Camp Champions Event gives poker fans the chance to learn from pros in an intimate setting. Each instructor teaches hour-long breakout sessions in front of about a dozen students. This allows attendees to interact directly with the pros, and offers a quality learning experience. It really is the chance of a lifetime," says WPT Boot Camp co-founder Ron Rubens.

In breakout sessions instructors talk about the specific skills that have led to their success. Sexton deals with heads-up play. Seif addresses the art of "reading" competitors. Cloutier gives winning tips he's developed over decades. Gowen reveals how to handle difficult flops, and Johnson discusses cash games. There are also sessions about advanced betting strategy and secrets for online success.

The March WPT Boot Camp Champions Event taking place at Reno Hilton will be one of only two such sessions conducted in 2006, and enrollment is limited to 100 people. The cost is $2,895, which includes a seat at the private tournament and fabulous awards banquet, as well as breakfasts, lunches and cocktails with the poker pros.

The WPT Boot Camp Champions Event is an extension of WPT Boot Camp, which is an authentic instructional seminar featuring an integrated curriculum that includes live lectures, archived WPT video footage, game play and personal tips from poker superstars. These exciting two-day camps tutor students on all aspects of competitive, tournament Texas Hold'em Poker. Using uniquely developed courseware and World Poker Tour tournament video footage, 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. A portion of the coursework is based on Sexton's book, WPT: Shuffle Up and Deal. Instruction comes from Sexton and many other pro players who are considered the most dynamic, highly regarded poker champions in the world.

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.

"The first WPT Boot Camp Champions Event was a huge success,' Berman said. "It gave a lot of aspiring poker pros the ammunition to go out and be successful in their local card rooms. We received a bunch of emails from students in the months that followed stating how hugely successful they'd become at the green felt."

The current cost for enrolling in a regular WPT Boot Camp is $1,695.00. Classes typically sell out well in advance, so it is advisable that interested parties register early.