The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas is about much more than actual competition, the razzamatazz, the parties and the genuine fervour mean it's the place to be for six weeks if you are serious about poker.

And if you're going you want to be able get yourself something to remember the the craziness. To that end the WSOP has reached a multi-year alliance with XP Events, a leading retail merchandise company to broadly distribute WSOP merchandise across multiple retail touch points, including a new WSOP branded store in Las Vegas.

Through this agreement, XP Events becomes the official branded-merchandise provider for the World Series of Poker, the world’s leading poker brand.

XP Events will manage the officially-licensed WSOP online store, officially-licensed retail outlets throughout Las Vegas during the May 30-July 14, 2008 tournament, and manage a new Official World Series of Poker retail store, coming soon.

“XP Events is a leader in sports merchandising and marketing and we’ve been impressed by their work with the NBA and NHL,” said Jeffrey Pollack, the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. “XP’s expertise will broaden our footprint and provide our fans and players, and poker enthusiasts everywhere, with a world-class shopping experience.”

XP Events, based in Denver, Colorado, has managed retail sales for many world class events including the NBA and NHL All-Star games, the World Baseball Classic, the President’s Cup, the Tour de France, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Poker is a sports and cultural phenomenon and we are thrilled to align with the best brand in the business, the World Series of Poker,” said Alan Fey, president, XP Events.

“From e-commerce to retail, we think this alliance will benefit consumers allowing them multiple touch points to support their poker passion.”

The official WSOP online store (www.wsopshop.com) will be managed by XP Events and will be re-launched on May 15 with a wide range of new WSOP products and an exciting, user-friendly shopping experience. New WSOP products that will be available through the online store include a large selection of stylish clothing, attention-grabbing hats and unique memorabilia for fans of the World Series of Poker.

The third component of this new alliance includes establishing a WSOP branded retail store in Las Vegas. Scouting of a location is underway, with the design concept to be modeled after XP Events-run retail shops for the Phoenix Suns (U.S. Airways Arena), Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field) and BankAtlantic Center (Florida Panthers).