PokerRoom's Pro Jim Davenport to Host Celebrity Poker Showdown

LOS ANGELES, CA  -- Jim Davenport, a 25 year-old University of Southern California graduate from Newport Beach, California, who became a professional poker player in March 2006 after receiving
PokerRoom.com is part of the Ongame Network Poker Classic  an endorsement package valued at $250,000 from PokerRoom.com, will host a celebrity poker tournament in Hollywood, California, on June 1, 2006, in anticipation of the MTV Movie Awards.

The invite-only poker tournament, sponsored by PokerRoom.com in conjunction with the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge and famed LA night club ViperRoom, will take place in a private estate in West Hollywood valued at $15 million. Poker players that finish in the money will be awarded luxury gifts from jewelry to trips provided by the sponsors of the Style Lounge. The tournament will benefit YouthAIDS, a non-profit organization that works to educate and protect young people from HIV/AIDS.

Davenport will play host to an expected crowed of 150 people including celebrities and several members of Team PokerRoom.com players including Oliver Hudson, a member since November 2005. For those celebs looking to sharpen their poker skills and gear-up for the tournament competition, Davenport will conduct card clinics during the day at the undisclosed Hollywood Hills Style Lounge location.

"The card clinics are designed to share insider knowledge and help prepare the celebrities who are competing in the tournament. There might be some good actors and actresses out there having fun, but a solid poker game is about strategy, skill and determination," said Davenport. "Overall, I'm really looking forward to the evening. It should be a fun and interesting tournament given the mix of professional players from Team PokerRoom.com and individuals out to support a good cause."

As the winner of PokerRoom.com's Become a Poker Pro endorsement deal, Davenport's duties go beyond hosting this event. He is expected to play in over a dozen professional tournaments this year that will allow him to travel the world, including the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris, The Barcelona Open, The Australian Poker Championship, The Grosvenor Poker Masters in London and the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

"This is a great opportunity for PokerRoom.com and more importantly the Team PokerRoom.com players that will be in attendance," said Glenn Cademartori, spokesperson for PokerRoom.com. "Not only are we supporting the YouthAIDS organization through our efforts, but also giving our players access to a unique event that will be an experience to remember.