After NYC Convention Success, Presidential Poker Becomes National.

Presidential Poker

Social Presidential Poker tournaments taking place during Presidential Debates, Election Night, and Inauguration. Interactive television show in development.

The Hanging Chad is back just in time for the 2004 national election in a deck of Presidential Poker cards that tackles a wide range of issues from the Patriot Act to homeland security and John Kerry's Purple Heart. The casino quality playing cards— which feature clever illustrations of "Evangelical in Chief" Bush, "Flip Flop" Kerry, "Pretty Boy" Edwards" and "Big Deal" Cheney— sold-out at Madison Square Garden during the recent Republican National Convention and are now being launched nationally.

The creation of a New York venture capitalist, the non-partisan playing cards are intended to increase political participation by informing while entertaining. “Just as Hollywood documentaries, dramatic television series, and late night comedy shows are expanding interest in the important 2004 election, the increasing popularity of recreational poker makes it a great platform to stimulate friendly political dialog among friends,” said creator Gregory Belmont.

In addition to a hilarious caption, each casino quality card contains a unique “Swing Rue” that changes the outcome of every hand to create an educational twist on the popular television version of Texas Hold’em. The Hanging Chad card, for example, allows the second best hand to win the pot, The Patriot Act card forces every player to reveal one of their hidden cards, and the FCC card penalizes the next player to curse.

During the Republican Convention, the cards were used for a peaceful Poker Protest Tournament that pitted opposing political viewpoints against one another. Players competed on behalf of four symbolic teams: the Hearts were the Pro-Kerry ‘Boston Studs’, the Diamonds the pro-Bush ‘Texas Hold’ems’, the Clubs the Anti-Kerry ‘Flip Floppers’, and the Spades were the Anti-Bush ‘Dummy Hands’. Scores were kept on the basis of the number of times players on each team need to refill their poker chip campaign coffers and are posted on the official PrezPoker.com website.

CereBel is currently organizing national Presidential Debate, Election Night, and Inauguration tournaments inspired by traditional contests that coincide with major sports events like the Super Bowl. The goal of these events is to bring communities together to discuss issues of national importance in non-threatening, social settings. “Democracy is by its very nature a participatory process. By combing the social aspects of playing cards with enlightening political humor, we hope to stimulate the type of friendly dialog that can lead to more informed electoral decision making,” said creator Gregory Belmont who is in negotiations to create an interactive television program based on the concept. The playing cards can be purchased at PrezPoker.com, Amazon.com, and select boutique retailers nationwide.

About CereBel Corporation
CereBel is a New York based entertainment holding company that creates and publishes online games, historical novelties, and fund raising collectibles. Portion of sales benefit voter rights groups.