On April 17, 35-year-old Reston, VA native Lee Childs enrolled in a WPT® Boot Camp after leaving his job as a VP in applications development to take time off and focus on poker. Just two months later, Childs took his poker education to Las Vegas and played in the 38^th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event—which boasts one of the largest fields in the world—and bested 6,348 players and world-class pros to make the final table, premiering tomorrow night on ESPN. Viewers tuning in will watch as Lee goes head-to-head with nine other top players to win a piece of the $59,784,954 pot, with over $8 million going to the winner.

In addition to Lee’s impressive final table finish, another WPT Boot Camp alum cashed in the top 13. South Eastern, MA resident Bill Spadea just missed the elusive main event final table, placing 13^th and taking home a whopping $429,113.

The two men credit their incredible performances to recent schooling at WPT Boot Camp, a series of highly intensive poker instructional seminars based on elements of the World Poker Tour® (WPT) with courses designed by the pros. Held in casinos and exotic locations around the globe, each WPT Boot Camp features an integrated curriculum that includes live lectures, archived footage from the WPT, and interactive game playing.

“WPT Boot Camp prides itself on offering premiere events for those who share that dream and want to fast-forward their game to the next level,” said Steve Berman, WPT Boot Camp Vice President and Co-Founder. “We always say that taking a WPT Boot Camp is truly your fast track to a final table, but this is almost unbelievable! Poker is such an intricate sport that takes years and years of learning and practice, but Lee and Bill are proof that a good education is the best investment.”

In addition to smaller two-day camps, WPT Boot Camp offers the ultimate education with the ultimate payoff—the Battle for the Season Pass II. Held December 3rd – 8^th in Cable Beach Resort & Crystal Palace Casino in Nassau, Bahamas, the WPT Boot Camp features private seminars and live learning labs taught by the pros. After two days of poker study taught by the pros, including Scotty Nguyen, T.J. Cloutier, Tom McEvoy, Chad Brown, Chip Jett, Clonie Gowen, Mike Matusow, Kenna James, Todd Brunson, Shannon Elizabeth, Vanessa Rousso, and many others, students will have a chance to win 18 main event seats and other prizes totaling over $225,000.

For more information regarding WPT Boot Camp, events, and schedule, visit www.wptbootcamp.com or call (866) 978-2668.