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Texas Holdem Players Can Begin
Signing Up for Satellites; The Mirage in Las Vegas joins
WPT Roster for 2004-2005 Season |
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Texas Holdem
Players hoping to get a slice of the millions in prize money
offered on the WORLD POKER TOUR will have at least one
additional opportunity in the upcoming third season as the
Tour adds a stop at THE MIRAGE in Las Vegas in July, 2005.
This new Tour stop represents an expansion over the Tour's
second season in 2003-2004, when the total prize money for
the Tour reached $35 million. The WORLD POKER TOUR airs on
The Travel Channel on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).
Season 3 of the WORLD POKER TOUR
will once again feature events in Paris and Aruba, two on
seagoing cruises, and a stellar lineup of U.S. destinations.
The new tournament, THE MIRAGE "The Mirage Poker Showdown,"
is slated for July 29-August 1, making it the second stop on
the schedule. The Tour returns to Las Vegas to cap off the
third season with the WPT Championship in April 2005, when
the WPT will crown its third WPT World Champion. The total
prize pool for the second season WPT Championship was a WPT
record $8.3 million and the winner took home $2.7 million.
Date Tournament Casino Location
2004
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July 17-20 Grand Prix of Paris Aviation Club de Paris, France
France
July 29-Aug.1 The Mirage Poker The Mirage Las Vegas, NV
Showdown
Aug. 28-31 Legends of Poker The Bicycle Bell Gardens, CA
Casino
Sept 19-22 Borgata Poker Open Borgata Hotel & Atlantic City, NJ
Casino
Sept 28-Oct.1 Ultimate Poker UltimateBet.com Aruba
Classic
Nov. 14-17 World Poker Finals Foxwoods Resort Mashantucket, CT
Casino
Dec. 12-16 Five Diamond World Bellagio Las Vegas, NV
Poker Classic
2005
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Jan. 8-15 PokerStars.com (Cruise) PokerStars.com To Be
Determined
Jan. 24-27 Jack Binion World Poker Horseshoe & Gold Tunica, MS
Open Strike Casinos
Feb. 19-22 L.A. Poker Classic Commerce Casino Commerce, CA
Feb. 23-24 WPT Invitational Commerce Casino Commerce, CA
(Celebrity Pro/Am)
Mar. 9-11 Shooting Star Tournament Bay 101 Card Club San Jose, CA
Mar. 19-26 PartyPoker Million PartyPoker.com Cruise to
Mexico
Mar 29-Apr.1 World Poker Challenge Reno Hilton Reno, NV
Apr. 18-24 WPT Championship Bellagio Las Vegas, NV
All WPT tournaments (except for the
pro/celebrity WPT Invitational) are open to
Texas Holdem pros and amateurs alike who ante up each
tournament's buy-in or play in satellite tournaments for a
chance to win an entry. The announcement of the schedule
will enable players to begin signing up for satellites
offered by the casinos and online poker rooms that host WPT
tournaments. Satellite information can be found at
www.worldpokertour.com. More than 4,000 players participated
in WPT tournaments in season two.
Anyone age 21 or older wishing to
play in WPT tournaments should contact the participating
casino to obtain information on the buy-in fee and
registration deadlines. You may then register with and
provide payment to the host casino to reserve a seat in the
tournament.
A growing number of the WPT
tournament entries are women. There's no limit to who enters
a WPT tournament. WPT players range in age from 21 to 70;
they come from all over the world; they represent both sexes
and many different ethnicities.
Enthusiasts who would like to
attend a final table TV taping should contact the casino or
card room directly to reserve their seats.
Season two of the WORLD POKER TOUR
is currently airing Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on
Travel Channel and culminates on June 30 with the WPT
Championship.
World Poker Tour, LLC is a media
and entertainment company principally engaged in the
development, production and marketing of gaming-themed
televised programming, the licensing and sale of branded
products and the sale of corporate sponsorships. World Poker
Tour, LLC is a subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc.
The World Poker Tour is a joint
venture between Steven Lipscomb and Lakes Entertainment,
Inc., which owns approximately 80% of WPT. Lakes currently
has development and management agreements with four separate
Tribes for four new casino operations, one in Michigan, two
in California and one with the Nipmuc Nation on the East
Coast. In addition, Lakes Entertainment has agreements for
the development of one additional casino on Indian-owned
land in California through a joint venture with MRD Gaming,
which is currently being disputed by the Tribe. Lakes
Entertainment, Inc. common shares are traded on the Nasdaq
National Market under the trading symbol "LACO".
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