Press Release
HOLLYWOOD CASINO LAWRENCEBURG BECOMES A NEW STOP ON THE WORLD POKER TOUR®
The Newly Rebranded Casino to Unveil WPT Poker Room –
The Largest Card Room in the Midwest
Lawrenceburg, Indiana, June 11, 2009 -- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg is about to become the poker capital of the Midwest.
When the former Argosy Casino Hotel Lawrenceburg changes its name to Hollywood and introduces a new casino on June 26, it will be the home to four new World Poker Tour® poker tournaments, including the Hollywood Poker Open, a $10,000 WPT Season VIII main event that will be filmed for broadcast on Fox Sports Net in the United States and on leading networks in over 100 countries worldwide. The first WPT tournament at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg kicks off in August, 2009.
“We are so thrilled to add the Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg to our tour—not only is this our first ever WPT stop in the Midwest, but it’s also our first ever WPT event on a riverboat-style property,” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT founder and chief executive officer. “The Hollywood Casino not only adds a new and unique element to the tour for professional players, but it’s also the perfect property for bringing the WPT experience to players in the Midwest.”
In addition to being one of only eight exclusive properties to host a WPT event in the U.S., one of the major attractions of the new facility will be the addition of a 41-table, World Poker Tour-branded poker room. Hollywood Lawrenceburg will be one of only a few live World Poker Tour poker rooms in the U.S. and the largest poker room of any kind in the Midwest.
Designed for Player Comfort
Guests playing at every Hollywood poker table will sit in leather, high-back chairs, each with lumbar support, adjustable seat-height and rollers for easy movement. Other features include electronic readers so guests can be swiped in and rated as soon as they sit down, and 22 large-screen plasma TVs placed in locations throughout the room to entertain players while they await their next move.
The Hollywood poker room will cater to guests of all skill levels, including those who are looking to step up their game at the casino’s nine-table high limit area situated on a raised platform. Earth tone décor and rich, masculine woods are surrounded by movie stills depicting classic cinema poker scenes.
“Our space compares with the elite poker rooms in Las Vegas,” said Tony Rodio, Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg general manager. “There’s nothing like it in the region, and we expect players throughout the Midwest to travel here and make Cincinnati one of the country’s major poker destinations.”
Hollywood will offer a stream-lined registration process for the new room. Dedicated podiums will be available for individual tournament and high limit area sign-ups, and a state-of-the art tracking system will monitor game and tournament play and page guests when a new seat is available.
Two poker tournaments will be held each day at the Hollywood poker room with weekday start times at 11:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. Weekend times will vary by date.
The Hollywood poker room will host the following World Poker Tour events*. Full details will be available soon on www.worldpokertour.com:
· Indiana State Poker Championship (The ISPCs), Aug. 3 - 19; 16 days/13 events
· Hollywood Fall Classic, Nov. 9 - 25; 16 days/13 events
· Hollywood Poker Open, Mar. 5 - 24; 17 days/16 events, including the $10,000 buy-in Hollywood Poker Open Championship televised on Fox Sports Net. The winner of this event also receives a $25,000 seat into the Season VIII WPT Championship held at Bellagio in April 2010.
· Tri-State Poker Championship (The TSPCs), May 10-26; 16 days/13 events
The WPT tournaments will include senior, ladies and mixed events.
The Hollywood poker room, managed by poker veteran Thomas “T.K.” Krauss, is located on the lower level of the new casino and will be non-smoking. Players can reserve a seat at the Hollywood Poker Room by calling: 812-539-6975(MYPK).
* Dates subject to change.
ABOUT WPTE
WPT Enterprises, Inc. is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. WPTE has led innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, when it ignited the global poker boom with the creation of the World Poker Tour television show. Based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments, WPT is now broadcast globally and premiered its all-new seventh season on Fox Sports Net’s national sports network in the United States in January 2009. WPTE also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which operates in 38 states across the U.S. WPTE also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. For more information, see www.worldpokertour.com. (WPTEG)
HOLLYWOOD LAWRENCEBURG CASINO – NEW CASINO OPENING JUNE 29
Hollywood is located on the Ohio River in the City of Lawrenceburg, Indiana just off
I-275 less than 30 minutes from Cincinnati. With 4,400 gaming positions, Hollywood is the largest riverboat casino in the United States with 3,200 slot machines and 90 table games, including a 41-table World Poker Tour poker room. The property includes a 300-room hotel and multiple dining options to meet every guests need. On-site parking is available for up to 4000 vehicles. For more information, go to www.hollywoodindiana.com
