This weekend, the World Poker Tour (WPT) will invade the Commerce Casino for its annual Celebrity Invitational, which has already reached capacity.
The WPT Celebrity Invitational begins play tomorrow night with a star-studded field that will mix it up with some of the best from the poker world. Beginning at 7:00pm local time, a red carpet walk will be held and notable players will enter the tournament arena. The cards are expected to hit the felt at 8:00pm, with the tournament being taped for broadcast as a part of the WPT’s Season IX schedule on Fox Sports Net.
A list of confirmed celebrities that will be in attendance for the tournament spans the acting, sporting, and music worlds. There are several notable players who have been a part of the poker world previously, such as 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Champion Jennifer Tilly, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder Don Cheadle.
There are also several newcomers from the celebrity world who will participate in their first WPT Celebrity Invitational. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Randy “The Natural” Couture will step to the felt to see if he can fight his way – in a different style – through the sizeable field, as will Oakland A’s centerfielder Coco Crisp.
Among the musicians confirmed to be in the house are R&B legend Chaka Khan, 2009 Country Music Association Hall of Fame inductee Barbara Mandrell, and members of Boyz II Men, Incubus, and My Morning Jacket.
Some returning veterans of the WPT Celebrity Invitational include “Chuck” star Zachary Levi, television talk show hosts Rikki Lake and Dr. Phil McGraw, and “Rules of Engagement” star Patrick Warburton. From the movie industry, you’ll find Gina Gershon (“Bound”), Mimi Rogers (“Austin Powers”), Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), and Mekhi Phifer (“8 Mile”).
Several of the top players in the poker community have confirmed through Twitter that they will be part of the festivities tomorrow night. 2010 European Poker Tour (EPT) San Remo champion Liv Boeree Tweeted to her followers, “Flying to LA tomorrow for WPT Invitational.” Liz Lieu seems to have a busy schedule set out for Saturday. “Sat – Red carpet 11:30am, Raise yr Hand 4 Africa charity poker event 1:00pm, Flight back 2 LA at 5pm, WPT Celebrity Invitational event 8pm,” she Tweeted.
Taking some time out from his WPT hosting duties on “The Raw Deal,” Tony “Bond18” Dunst Tweeted on Thursday, “Packing, then heading to the airport and going to the Commerce for the WPT Celeb Invitational and LAPC events.”
Two other players were undecided about taking a trip to Los Angeles for the tournament, including Kathy Liebert (“Haven’t decided if I’m going to LA for the WPT invitational. Will go for Main Event.”) and 2010 WSOP Main Event final tablist Matt Jarvis (“Decision Time: Go Play the WPT Celebrity Invitational on Sat or stay home for the weekend of FTOPS?”).
As of this afternoon, the WPT Invitational will have a full house, according to a Tweet from WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage. “No more seats in the @WorldPokerTour Celebrity Invitational tomorrow night @CommerceCasino… Please don’t ask,” Savage Tweeted to his followers. This means there could be well over 500 players in attendance for the contest which will hold its six-handed final table on March 3rd following the conclusion of the WPT’s $10,000 Main Event.
The WPT Celebrity Invitational will once again have a charitable aspect, as it will raise proceeds for Chrysalis, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.
According to their website, Chrysalis helps over 35,000 people throughout the Southern California area. This will be the second year that the cause has been the focus of the WPT Celebrity Invitational and just the third year that the tournament has promoted a charitable organization.
