Ready to Be a Poker Pro? Get Staked at Your Favorite Casino or the WSOP by HogWildPokerLeagues.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- If you've always wanted to be a poker pro, where someone else pays your entry fees to play in casino poker tournaments, your day has come!   

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120221/CL55946LOGO )

HogWildPokerLeagues.com, the original online poker league community, is launching today a new program that rewards multiple players each month for their outstanding play by staking them to $500 toward live action tournament play at a casino of their choice. 

But that's only the beginning-- HogWildPokerLeagues.com will also grant one player the dream of a lifetime—a $13,000 package to play in the World Series of Poker!

And here's what's even better...there is no fee to participate and no monthly subscription.

All that's required is for a player to register on the HogWildPokerLeagues.com website and sign up free to play games in the HogWild Staking Series each month.  Players must play eight or more games to be eligible -- and Sunday and Wednesday night qualifiers are also $200 freerolls.  Participants can check the Staking Series leaderboard to watch as they play their way to the top. Only a player's best eight games are counted. Players who finish among the leading fifteen each month will receive the $500 buy-in to their chosen casino, plus HogWild™ Poker apparel that declares to one and all that they're a staked poker pro.

The player with the twelve best game performances through May 31 will be awarded with the $13,000 WSOP Main Event package.

"Players in our leagues love the fact that their game improves rapidly when they compete in our league format," says HogWild CEO Jeff Amrein. "Along the way almost every player has a dream to be staked as a pro and we wanted to give many players that experience, rewarding them for their demonstrated skill over multiple games. Nearly 50 players will live that chance in the next three months thanks to this series."

Players who are awarded the $500 staking prize will pick their event, have HogWild Poker verify it and then the funds will be transferred. In exchange, each player who participates must commit to providing 10% of any winnings to Poker Gives, HogWild Poker's charity of choice.  Poker Gives raises funds through poker events and private donations for mainstream charities on behalf of the poker world. 

HogWild Poker was the first company to socialize poker online. Conceived initially as a way to allow players to gather their friends for virtual home games, the site expanded to become the premiere provider of player-created leagues. Anyone can now start a private or open league at no cost, and set the rules. These include choosing custom blinds, determining the length and the frequency of the games, and deciding whether to keep it private or open it to all comers.

HogWild Poker does the rest-- alerting all the players via email and sending them a text just before the game starts. There are a team of moderators who guide new players and keep the atmosphere respectful.  All the points and statistics are accrued, and the rankings are displayed on each league's very own leaderboard.

There are more than 1,000 leagues already established on HogWildPokerLeagues.com. And there are several reasons for the site's rapidly growing popularity, not the least of which is that there's no subscription package to buy, and no display ads or banners.

Built to emphasize the player-engagement aspects of poker, HogWildPokerLeagues.com offers the most sophisticated communications tools in the game—voicechat, emails and posting to Facebook-style league walls and chat rooms. Furthermore, players can engage in Prop Bets, a feature unique to HogWild Poker. Players can purchase HogWild "Hog Bucks" currency that allows them place bounties on each other or challenge their opponents to Prop Bets such as "Best Hand of The Night,"  "Last Player Standing," or  "Leader at End of Round."

In addition to unique social-interaction features, HogWild Poker has innovated a game function that actually makes the play much more like a live game – hole cards that are dealt "down. " When a players looks at his or her hand, their hole cards "light up" -- allowing for plenty of speculation as to whether that is a signal of strength or weakness.

Top players from each league automatically advance to the "Top Hog" site-wide competition where they compete against other leagues for $500. HogWild Poker also holds regular freerolls and promotions that give players a chance to win live buy-ins.

For newcomers to poker, a locally friendly game amongst pals is a perfect solution provided by HogWild Poker. But for players with a commitment to serious play, prevailing over the long haul against the competition in a series of events—not just one where a lucky draw can make a winner--proves your enduring skill and strength.  Being on the top of the HogWild Poker leaderboard establishes one's mastery of the game.

"It's really an amazing site. If you like online poker in leagues, HogWild is a great place to play," says legendary pro and World Series winner Phil Hellmuth.

To get staked, play in a league or create your own league for free, go to HogWildPokerLeagues.com. You can also "like" HogWildPokerLeagues.com at http://www.facebook.com/hogwildpokerleagues or follow HogWild Poker http://twitter.com/HogWildPoker.

About HogWildPokerLeagues.com
HogWildPokerLeagues.com is the original online poker league community. Conceived initially as a way to allow players to gather their friends for fun virtual and conversational home games, the site has expanded to become the premiere provider of player-created leagues. Anyone can now play in a league, or start a private or open league at no cost. League administrators establish the parameters and HogWild Poker™ does the rest, including point totals and leaderboards. Unique features include voicechat, Prop Bets and players' hole cards lighting up when viewed. HogWild Poker also holds regular freerolls and promotions that give players a chance to win live buy-ins, and allows leagues to compete against each other for cash prizes. HogWild Poker Leagues is designed to encourage high-quality play and social interaction between players. To get staked, play in a league or create your own league for free, go to HogWildPokerLeagues.com. You can also "like" HogWildPokerLeagues.com at http://www.facebook.com/hogwildpokerleagues or follow HogWild Poker http://twitter.com/HogWildPoker.

About Poker Gives
Poker Gives was founded by poker industry professionals, Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Lisa Tenner in 2008, as a way for poker players and the poker industry to give back to worthwhile charity organizations.  Poker Gives' mission is to raise funds through poker events and private donations for mainstream charities on behalf of the poker world. Charities for 2012 include Paralyzed Veterans of America, Special Olympics Nevada, Diabetes Action and Research Education Foundation, Fallen Heroes USA and the Step by Step Foundation.  Please visit www.pokergives.org to learn more about PokerGives or to connect with Poker Gives, go Twitter (@PokerGives) and Facebook. 

Editors : 300 DPI Photos and Images can be found at:  www.hogwildpokerleagues.com/media

SOURCE HogWildPokerLeagues.com