Poker mania, just in time for Christmas

CINCINNATI, PRNewswire -- Dreaming of going "All-In" with pocket aces and two more on the flop? If so, then your dream wouldn't be complete without a stack of "Official World Poker Tour(TM)" (WPT) chips to push into the center of the table. This holiday season every poker enthusiast has a chance to feel like he or she is playing a Final Table at a WPT tournament, because U.S. Playing Card Company is introducing "Official World Poker Tour(TM)" Cards, Chips and Poker Sets-complete with high quality casino cards and those heavyweight professional clay chips like the pros shuffle around their fingers.

Home game poker players will have a choice of a range of $3.49 stocking stuffer single WPT Deck of Cards to a $149.99 top-of-the-line Official World Poker Tour Poker Set.

The World Poker Tour, which airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. E/PT on the Travel Channel is the television show that has launched the poker boom. With its groundbreaking cameras on the hole cards, fans have been caught up in the drama and many have learned to play the game by watching the pros.

"Playing on the World Poker Tour is a dream come true for some, but now you can simulate that exciting experience in your own home with the U.S. Playing Card Official World Poker Tour products," said Scott Kling, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for U.S. Playing Card Company, the world's leader in playing cards for more than 100 years and the manufacturer of the best-selling Bicycle and Bee brand cards. "Just as the WPT is the leader and innovator in the field of televised poker, we feel our products are the premium items in the category -- the ones real serious poker enthusiasts will want for the holidays."

U.S. Playing Card, the exclusive licensee of the World Poker Tour-branded cards, chips, and poker sets, is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of playing cards and a leader in the marketing of poker chips and sets, collectible tins, puzzles, and card accessories for the North American market. The company has developed a full line of WPT-branded merchandise available this holiday season at retailers. These are the same cards and chip sets awarded to World Poker Tour tournament winners and WPT Hollywood Home Game celebrity players.

Official World Poker Tour Tournament Set -- Poker fans can show up at their favorite home game with the Official World Poker Tour Tournament Set. It is encased in a slick metal briefcase lined in padded black velour, with the embroidered WPT logo inside the lid and also on a metal logo plate above the handle. Enclosed are 300 11.5-gram heavyweight, professional quality clay-filled poker chips (125 blue, 100 red and 75 black). The 11.5-gram chip is known as the true poker player's chip. Unlike other poker chips available to fans, USPC WPT chips are made using the same processes as the chips used by the top casinos on the WPT tour. The WPT-sanctioned clay-filled chip features a highly detailed full-color WPT logo in the center, like only the best chips in the world. An exclusive WPT spade design and casino stripes are molded into the chip using two colors. USPC WPT chips are easier to shuffle and manipulate than other poker chips, because they have specially designed rounded edges and a rough clay surface. In research, avid poker players prefer USPC chips to other chips available in the market. Two colorful decks of casino quality WPT cards are included, along with Texas Hold'em instructions. Suggested retail price: $149.99.

Official World Poker Tour Poker Set -- This elegant set is endorsed by the world's top casinos. It features 400 11.5-gram heavyweight, professional quality clay-filled poker chips that bear the distinctive WPT logo, two tournament-quality WPT Logo Decks and an Official World Poker Tour Rules Book enclosed in a handmade fine wood case. Suggested retail price: $199.99. This set, which is exclusive to Sam's Club, is already racking up big sales for the retailer.

Official World Poker Tour Texas Hold 'em Book Set -- If you're ready to get serious about your poker, this set is a must. It features The Official Poker Rule Book, with rules for 100 different types of poker games and an entire chapter on Texas Hold'em. Packaged with it are a white WPT Logo Deck (recently featured on the World Poker Tour's Hollywood Home Game shows), and a black WPT Logo Deck. Suggested retail price: $20.00.

Official World Poker Tour "Logo" Deck -- Shuffle Up and Deal! You know how those decks glide when the dealers are shuffling on TV? The Official WPT Logo decks shuffle better, deal easier, and last longer than cards from other manufacturers. USPC creates its top grade cards from a proprietary formulation of paper stock derived from a blend of soft and hard woods. With the distinctive red, blue and black WPT logo on the back, they are available with either a primarily white or black background -- a perfect pair to speed game play. The WPT Logo Decks have the true feel and playability of top casino cards, retaining their shape after many hours of play. Get the decks made by the premiere suppliers to the world's casinos! Suggested retail price: $3.49.

Official World Poker Tour Deck -- These playing cards feature the same great shuffle, deal and durability as the WPT "logo" decks, but they combine the well-known Casino Bee diamond back with the World Poker Tour logo for a unique mix of tradition and contemporary sport! Suggested retail price: $3.49.

Official World Poker Tour Plastic Playing Cards -- For avid players who appreciate the unique feel, smooth shuffle, and unmatched durability of plastic cards, USPC introduces 100% all-plastic Official WPT Plastic Playing cards. They are washable, very hard to mark or crease and highly durable, holding their shape after more than 50 hours of continuous play. The Official WPT Plastic Playing cards are in a two-pack set, with each a white and a black background. Suggested retail price for a two-pack set: $35.99.

All products are available at worldpokertour.com and at retailers nationwide.

(Source: U.S. Playing Card Company)