 The Canadian Poker Tour, owned and operated by HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc. (Pinksheets: HDUP), is pleased to announce that it has registered and sanctioned a series of poker tournaments at the Club Regent Casino in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Effective tomorrow all Tuesday night $50 re buy tournaments and all $200 events held every second Saturday will qualify for CPT Player of the Year standings for registered members. Details on this can be found at http://www.canadianpokertour.tv/.
As an incentive for local players, all events from the start of 2009 will be grandfathered under the Players Points System whereby those players who have "made the money" in events at the facility throughout the year can have their points validated by ensuring they have a CPT Membership. Memberships can be purchased at the casino or online for $95.00 plus applicable taxes and include an annual subscription to Canadian Poker Player Magazine, a starter pack of CPT merchandise and discounted airfares to major CPT events across the country on WestJet Airlines.
"I am very pleased to add Winnipeg to our growing list of affiliated venues," stated CPT President Kelly B. Kellner. "There is a tremendous player base in the area and this addition strengthens our commitment to building an amazing tour from coast to coast." Since acquiring the CPT last July, management has grown the Tour to over 350 events country wide in 2009 and has established a strategic marketing alliance with the World Poker Showdown to develop a poker tourism component to the Company’s marketing plan. The next upcoming CPT/WPS event will be held in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino August 7-24, 2009 featuring 19 deep stack events with airfare and hotel discounts offered to all CPT members
___________________Contact Investor Relations
 The massive field of 6,494 players who entered the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event has been narrowed to just nine competitors who will return to Las Vegas in November to compete for a top prize of more than $8.5 million and the most coveted prize in poker: the WSOP champion's gold bracelet.
Main Event play began July 3; the field was trimmed to just 27 players from seven countries at the start of play on July 15. The nine players who survived the day to advance to November's final table, along with their chip counts, are:
Darvin Moon, 45, of Oakland, Md.: 58,930,000
Moon, who heads into November as the chip leader, is the Everyman of the November Nine. A self-employed logger from Western Maryland, Moon learned to play poker with his friends and won his Main Event seat in a satellite (qualifying) tournament. This is Moon's first appearance at the WSOP.
Eric Buchman, 28, of Valley Stream, NY: 34,800,000
Buchman, second in chips, is an accomplished poker pro with nine career WSOP cashes. He made a final table in this year's WSOP, placing sixth in Event 25. His best WSOP finish was second place in a 2006 Limit Hold'em event, which paid nearly $175,000.
Steven Begleiter, 47, of Chappaqua, NY: 29,885,000
Begleiter is familiar with large numbers, having worked previously in high finance at Bear Stearns. Married with three children, Begleiter played in last year's Main Event but was unable "to dance between the raindrops" to make it deep into the tournament. When he isn't playing poker, Begleiter enjoys watching and coaching his kids' sports teams. He heads into November third in chips.
Jeff Shulman, 34, of Las Vegas: 19,580,000
Shulman made himself known in the poker world at the age of 25, when he went deep in the WSOP Main Event. Nearly a decade later, the editor of Card Player magazine has more than $1 million in career winnings and finds himself at the final table. Shulman is fourth in chips.
Joseph Cada, 21, of Shelby Township, Mich.: 13,215,000
Cada, fifth in chips, has played in some 16 WSOP events and boasts nearly $500,000 in poker winnings. The 21-year-old's hobbies include playing sports and spending time on the water. He was introduced to poker by friends who play professionally.
Kevin Schaffel, 51, of Coral Springs, Fla.: 12,390,000
Schaffel has been playing poker since he was 11 years old and regularly participates in family games. He owned and operated a printing company for 30 years and considers himself "semi-retired" after having recently closed the business. The 51-year-old plans "to play a lot of golf" in the coming days and weeks. He is sixth in chips.
Phil Ivey, 33, of Las Vegas: 9,765,000
Ivey, seventh in chips, is considered by many to be the world's greatest poker player. At 33, he already has seven WSOP bracelets, two of which he won at this year's WSOP. Often referred to as the Tiger Woods of poker, Ivey is a fierce competitor who has won millions in both tournaments and cash games around the globe.
Antoine Saout, 25, of Saint Martin des Champs, France: 9,500,000
Born in Morlaix, France, Antoine now calls Saint Martin des Champs home. One of three Frenchmen to make the final 27 of the Main Event, he won his seat into the tournament through an online satellite. He enters November eighth in chips.
James Akenhead, 26, of London, England: 6,800,000
Akenhead is a former railroad conductor and current poker pro who boasts a previous second-place finish at the 2008 WSOP, where he collected $520,000. His total winnings total some $700,000. He will be the short stack when play resumes at the Rio.
The "November Nine", as those who make the final table have been dubbed, will resume play at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on November 7th. When the final two players are identified, play will stop, resuming again on Tuesday, November 10th. ESPN will provide same day coverage of the winning hand and the awarding of the champion's bracelet.
Each of the November Nine already has received ninth-place prize money of more than $1.2 million. This marks just the second time in WSOP history that each member of the final table will win at least $1 million.
Official prize money for the November Nine is as follows:
1st place: $8,546,435
2nd place: $5,182,601
3rd place: $3,479,485
4th place: $2,502,787
5th place: $1,953,395
6th place: $1,587,133
7th place: $1,404,002
8th place: $1,300,228
9th place: $1,263,602
___________________by Seth Palansky
WSOP Director of Communications
 Deep stack poker at its best! The Canadian Poker Tour and World Poker Showdown have joined forces to offer poker players what they've been asking for; more value for their tournament dollar. Boasting the best structure on the planet, "The Hard Rock Mega Stack Poker Showdown" is set for the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas August 7th to 24th.
"It's been the one crying call made by all tournament players," says Kelly B. Kellner, President of the Canadian Poker Tour. "They want more chips and longer blind levels and we're giving them that."
The Hard Rock Mega Stack Poker Showdown is a series of 19 events with buy-ins ranging from $340 up to the $2650 main event, which gives players 50,000 in starting chips and affords them 75 minute blind levels.
"It's tremendous value and promotes skill," notes Herb Van Dyke, Owner of the World Poker Showdown. "With this structure players can be assured lots of play and a professional event run by our top notch tournament directors."
A complete schedule of The Hard Rock Mega Stack Poker Showdown and promo codes for $99 rooms can be found at http://www.canadianpokertour.tv/ or http://www.worldpokershowdown.com/.
___________________by HeadsUp Entertainment Inc.
 The World Series of Poker (WSOP) today announced its official schedule for the 2009-2010 season of Circuit Events, played throughout the year and around the United States at Harrah's owned casinos.
"WSOP Circuit Events are a great way to welcome new guests to Harrah's properties around the country," said David Norton, CMO of Harrah's Entertainment. "Whether you are a new player or a casino regular, you will find a great playing experience."
These high-stakes poker tournaments provide poker enthusiasts of all levels the opportunity to compete on a local and regional basis in a variety of events, and every WSOP Circuit Event includes the opportunity to win a seat in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.
"World Series of Poker Circuit Events are a great way to gain live tournament experience, get a feel for what the World Series of Poker is all about and have a lot of fun," said Jeffrey Pollack, President and Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. "Every stop on the WSOP Circuit has a local flair and provides a best in class poker-playing experience."
The 2009-2010 WSOP Circuit begins October 16, 2009 at Horseshoe Hammond and includes stops at Harrah's properties in Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs (Iowa), Rincon (Southern California), St. Louis, Las Vegas and New Orleans. The entire schedule is as follows:
World Series of Poker 2009 & 2010 Circuit Events Schedule
Circuit schedules are subject to change. For more information on individual circuit events, including event schedules and structure sheets, can be found at each property website or by visiting www.worldseriesofpoker.com
___________________
by Seth Palansky
 The World Series of Poker achieved a major milestone today, officially crossing the $1 billion mark in prize money awarded. The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world and is celebrating its 40th annual event this year after first starting in 1970.
Official 2009 tournament figures will be released Tuesday, July 7, after the close of Main Event registration, but running tallies confirm the landmark.
"It's nice to reach this milestone during the 40th annual WSOP," said World Series of Poker President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. "What's most remarkable is that nearly two-thirds of this amount has been awarded in just the last four years. Poker is alive and well and here to stay."
With registration still open for the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship, commonly referred to as the Main Event, the 40th annual WSOP already has had a remarkable summer despite the global recession. For the fourth consecutive year, the total WSOP prize pool will exceed $155 , compared with a total of $354 million in prize money awarded during the WSOP's first 36 years.
The WSOP is the world's richest competitive event. Comparisons with other prominent events include:
* The Daytona 500 has awarded its winners some $21,327,256 since 1959. In just the past three years, WSOP Main Event champions have received $29,402,416.
* Wimbledon awarded a total of roughly $20.5 million, in 2009, less than a quarter of what the WSOP will award this year.
* The Kentucky Derby has paid its winners a total of approximately $16.7 million since 2001, less than the nearly $17.5 million taken home by the 2007 and 2008 WSOP Main Event champions.
Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.
* 2009 - TBD.
* 2008 - $180,774,427
* 2007 - $159,796,918
* 2006 - $159,599,815
* 1970-2005 - $354,000,000
___________________by Seth Palansky
 Jack Link's makes "Stacked Jacks Go Wild" during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Poker players contending for the coveted WSOP Main Event bracelet will be competing for more this year. During official play throughout the Main Event, poker players with a final hand "stacked" with four-of-a-kind Jacks will win a Stacked Jacks Go Wild Jack Link's prize pack. This means that every hand with four-of-a-kind Jacks triumphs with Jack Link's even if players lose that same hand or their seat. All players and all hands in the Main Event are eligible for these bonus prizes.
"Four-of-a-kind Jacks has always been a good hand. With Stacked Jacks Go Wild, it just got better," said Jeff LeFever, director of marketing, Jack Link's Beef Jerky. "Obviously we're a little biased about the Jack being our favorite card in the deck, so we thought it might be fun to sweeten the pot a little and make sure that hand is a winner every time."
Stacked Jacks Go Wild is courtesy of Jack Link's Beef Jerky, the multi-year title sponsor of the World Series of Poker. The prize pack worth an estimated retail value of $100 will contain Jack Link's jerky products and other premium items.
"Competing for the richest prize in sports is serious business, but it is still poker after all, and poker should always be fun," said World Series of Poker vice president Ty Stewart. "We're glad Jack Link's is celebrating its presenting sponsorship by bringing another layer of excitement to the WSOP tournament floor."
Jack Link's, the No. 1 brand of beef jerky and the fastest-growing meat snack manufacturer worldwide, leads the nearly $3 billion meat snack category. As the recognized category leader, Jack Link's offers more than 100 premium meat snack products in more than 40 countries. In addition to its premium products, Jack Link's is known for its popular Messin' with Sasquatch advertising campaign which has achieved nearly cult-like status. The commercials feature pranksters playing sophomoric pranks on an unsuspecting Sasquatch.
___________________by Seth Palansky
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