Facebook Poker Players Get Shot at WSOP

Facebook poker players will get the chance to make it to the World Series of Poker Main Event following the announcement of an alliance between WSOP and Zynga, one of the world's largest developers of social games.

Zynga's free Texas Holdem game is Facebook's most popular game application, with over 12 million active users each month.

Following the announcement of its partnership with WSOP, Zynga will host several tournaments on the Facebook application that will give two winners the chance to make it to the Main Event, the biggest tournament in world poker.

"We build our Texas Hold'Em Poker game into the largest game on Facebook by keeping an eye on what is important to our players," said Zynga CEO Mark Pincus.

"We know that poker is a lifestyle which includes playing online and offline, and watching it on TV. This partnership is an opportunity to bring those worlds together."

The prize includes round trip airfare to Las Vegas and three nights' accommodation at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, as well as a backstage tour of the WSOP venue and pass to the VIP player's lounge.

The Facebook "shootout" tournaments will run from June 8-22. Eighteen tournament winners will then be randomly selected for the final on June 29-30, from which the two lucky WSOP winners will be selected.