World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio Attracts 343 Players for Total
$8.6 Million Prize Pool - Highest in Poker History -
With $2.7 Million Going to Winner
LAS VEGAS, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The second season of the World Poker
Tour (WPT) culminates Friday, April 23 at Bellagio in Las Vegas when one
winner will walk away with $2,728,356, the largest-ever prize paid to the
first place finisher in a televised poker tournament or North American
sporting event.
The WPT Championship attracted 343 players to Bellagio for a
record-smashing $8.6 million prize pool, the highest ever in tournament poker,
with the player finishing 50th earning $33,266. The buy-in for the tournament
was $25,300, the largest in the sport. Last year's WPT Championship at
Bellagio drew 111 players with victor Alan Goehring taking home a $1,011,886
slice of the more than $2.6 million purse. Last Saturday, a satellite
tournament at Bellagio (leading up to the WPT Championship) established an
all-time record as poker's first $1 million super-satellite tournament with
447 participants.
The 2004 first place prize money for the WPT Championship exceeds the
first place money paid to the winners of tennis' U.S. Open ($1 million), the
PGA's Players Championship ($1.44 million), the LPGA Championship
($1.6 million), Daytona 500 ($1.4 million) and the Indianapolis 500
($1.35 million).
"We are proud of our partnership with the World Poker Tour and what we've
accomplished for poker and its players in just 15 months," said Doug Dalton,
director of poker operations at Bellagio. "We appreciate the contributions of
everyone at the WPT and all of our supporters to help pull off the most
successful finale in the history of poker. It is the highlight of the year
for Bellagio, our poker players and guests."
The WPT Championship caps a second season, 14-tournament tour that saw the
total prize money increase from $10 million in the first season to an
astonishing $30 million. The season-sending WPT Championship, which began
earlier today, concludes Friday with the filming of the final table featuring
the top six tournament chip leaders. The show will air on The Travel Channel
Wednesday, June 30. The World Poker Tour airs every Wednesday evening from
9-11 PM (ET/PT), also on The Travel Channel.
The WPT has been the force behind the nation's newfound love affair with
poker. Since the show began airing in March 2003, poker has become the hottest
pastime in America. The series revolutionized televised poker by offering
expert analysis, 17 camera angles and close-ups of the players' hole cards
creating a whole new element of high-stakes, high-anxiety excitement. The
Tour travels to 14 leading resorts, exotic locales and card clubs to showcase
the top poker in the world on a weekly basis.
The WPT television series has captured millions of TV viewers thanks to
its hallmarks a blend of high caliber sports-style production shot from
17 different camera angles, expert commentary, cliffhanging "reality TV" drama
and the WPT's signature "ace in the hole" -- its revolutionary WPT Cams, that
reveal the player's hidden cards to the television audience, making it
possible for audiences to feel like they're sitting in the seat making million
dollar decisions on each hand. For information and media photos, go to
http://www.media.worldpokertour.com. For information on the World Poker Tour, go to
http://www.worldpokertour.com. The World Poker Tour is a joint venture between
Steven Lipscomb and Lakes Entertainment, Inc., which owns approximately 80% of
WPT.
Inspired by the beautiful villages of Europe, the AAA Five Diamond
Bellagio overlooks a Mediterranean-blue eight-acre lake in which fountains
perform a magnificent aquatic ballet choreographed to music and lights.
Within Bellagio are award-winning dining experiences including Julian
Serrano's Picasso, a AAA Five Diamond restaurant, the AAA Five Diamond winner
Le Cirque and Circo from the renowned Maccioni family, Michael Mina's Aqua and
Todd English's Olives. The elegant Petrossian Lounge, a world-class art
gallery, exquisite gardens, Cirque du Soleil's stunning performance of "O,"
luxurious spa services and an elegant casino all add to the extraordinary
Bellagio experience. The resort's shopping promenade, Via Bellagio, features
upscale shops including Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Prada, Fred
Leighton, Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent. For more information
visit the resort's Web site, http://www.bellagio.com, and for reservations call
Bellagio toll free at (877) 987-7775.
SOURCE MGM MIRAGE
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Related links:
http://www.bellagio.com
CONTACT:
Scott Ghertner of MGM MIRAGE Public
Relations, +1-702-891-7272; or Jackie Lapin of JL Media
Relations, +1-818-707-1473
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