The Bicycle Casino Gears Up for This Year's Legends of Poker Tournament and World Poker Tour Championship -- Millions to be Won and Legends to be Made

BELL GARDENS, Calif., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bicycle Casino's prestigious Legends of Poker Tournament, long considered one of poker's elite events for pros and amateurs alike, begins its month long series on July 28th. Thousands of players are expected to step up their game and take their shot, vying for an estimated prize pool of $6 million over the next 34 days.

This year's Legends tournament is chock full of guaranteed events, ranging from $50,000 to $400,000. The series launches on July 28th with a $400,000 guaranteed No Limit Hold'em re-entry event with a buy-in of $335, allowing for players who get knocked out to re-enter each day for another chance to stay in the game.  While No Limit Hold'em continues to be the world's most popular poker game, this year's Legends will feature a variety of favorite games including H.O.R.S.E., Omaha Hi Lo, 2-7 Triple Draw and Stud to appeal to the most discerning of players.

The series will also debut a new event, qualifying a player into the IPPA (International Poker Players Association) Monte Carlo Championship. Players will have the unique opportunity to play for a $250,000 seat into the biggest buy-in poker tournament in the world. The estimated prize pool is $12 million and will be limited to 48 players.  The televised Championship will be held from November 29th through Dec 2nd in Monte Carlo.  The Bike's qualifying event starts on August 23rd. Visit ippaglobal.com for full details.

The tournament will be enjoyed all the more thanks to the Bike's luxurious and spacious Event Center. CEO, Hashem Minaiy states, "We wanted to give the players an elegant playing experience, and so far, the players seem very pleased."  Casino Manager, Zaven Esmaili and Casino Administrator Eveliene Dullaart, are pleased with the new innovations they've incorporated into this year's event.

"Heading up this year's tournament, Mo Fathipour continues to create tournament structures our players are gravitating to, giving them more chips and more levels of play. It seems to be working well for us," states Esmaili.  

The series culminates with the eagerly anticipated Legends WPT Championship, starting on Friday, August 20th.  You can expect the pros, (and those who want to be), to be battling it out in poker hand to poker hand combat, for their chance to claim their seat at the final table, and win literally, millions.  Last year's champion, Prehlad Friedman, took home the first prize of $1,009,000.  This year's estimated WPT Championship prize pool is estimated at $3.5 million, thanks to a lowered buy-in of $5,000, allowing many more players to get in the game.  Watch the action live as the final table is filmed on Wednesday, August 25th at 4PM. The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

For those who want to play it a little safer, Super Satellites are offered every night at 9PM throughout the series, giving players a chance to win their $5,000 Championship seat with a $100 buy-in.  Several Mega Satellites are offered as well, creating more opportunities for players to win their way into the Super Satellites. For those that love cash games, play 15 hours and you qualify to play in the Legends $75,000 Freeroll event on August 30th.  A WPT seat will be won every night throughout Legends!  Simply said, there's just more ways to win at the Bike.  Check out thebike.com for details on all tournaments.

LA Lakers team owners Jerry Buss and Frank Mariani will host their annual Buss/Mariani No Limits Hold'em Open on Tuesday, August 17th.  The charity tournament benefits the Lakers Youth Foundation and is a favorite with pros and celebs alike.

An added surprise to this year's WPT Championship winner will be the one of a kind Legends of Poker trophy, masterfully created by Jon Hair, America's most highly commissioned monumental sculptor.  Hair has been the Official Sculptor of the US Olympic Team and Committee and has completed over 50 pieces of public art since he began his career in 2000. His commissions include the Cities of Beijing and Shanghai, The US Air Force Academy, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, MGM and 26 universities and colleges across the country.  An avid poker player and familiar face at the Bike, Hair's love of poker has led him to sculpt portraits of legendary Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. His vast array of impressive work can be viewed at JonHair.com.

For details on all upcoming events, call the Welcome Center at (562) 806-4646 ext 545, or check out the website at www.thebike.com.  Online registration for events is now open.  PR Contact: Kelley O'Hara, Director of Marketing at (562) 806-4646 ext. 174. E-Mail: [email protected]. Fax: 562.806.3576

SOURCE The Bicycle Casino