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World Poker Tour Season Three: Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic

Las Vegas, Nevada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- The eighth stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked off today at Bellagio, Las Vegas.

This year's event attracted 376 players for a $5,470,800 prize pool, a $2,426,050 increase over last year's event which drew 314 players.

The winner of this year's $15,000 buy-in event will take home $1,795,218 and will advance to the WPT World Championship when the Tour's season culminates at Bellagio in April 2005.

The World Poker Tour is the highest rated series in the history of the Travel Channel, airing Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Season's Three's total prize pool has already topped the $30 million mark at $30,456,770, a $13,736,490 increase over Season Two stops to date. The high stakes No- Limit Texas Hold'em tournaments are increasing the number of players at every stop on the Tour and are averaging a "poker millionaire a month." This season's prize pool is anticipated to reach $70 million.

Many recognizable faces were spotted today at the tables, including the likes of Annie Duke, Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, and John Juanda.

The public is invited to be a part of the WPT Final Table television audience when the Five Diamond World Poker Classic concludes at Bellagio on Saturday, December 18. Fans will be admitted from the WPT Viewing Party located in Ballroom 6. Admission is free and seating is first come, first serve; viewing party doors open at 3:30 p.m. and seating begins at 4:30 p.m. Fans will also have the opportunity to attend a second viewing party on Sunday for the taping of a new television special, WPT Young Guns of Poker.

This Season Three special will feature six of the game's youngest and hottest players. Location and admission times are identical to those of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

The ninth stop of the World Poker Tour's 16-tournament season will be the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure from January 5-12 at Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island, Bahamas. For a complete WPT tournament schedule and casino contacts, please visit www.worldpokertour.com.

About WPT Enterprises, Inc.

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other gaming themes.

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Spend 'Oscar Night with the Stars' at Hollywood Poker

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- During this festive season, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and he's joining the ranks of stars on HollywoodPoker.com. Hollywood Poker has quickly gained a reputation for its highly interactive poker software, superior player support, $100 deposit bonus, and above all, the opportunity to play poker against some of the world's top celebrities.

HollywoodPoker.com would also like to congratulate the winner of the huge Hollywood Poker Challenge: Aaron Provenzano, and wish him the best of luck at the L.A. Poker Classic. And due to the overwhelming success of the World Poker Tour tournament, we are announcing something even bigger for December!

Premiering this month is Hollywood Poker's most generous event yet: "Oscar Night with the Stars" -- an enormous cash prize pool plus an exclusive opportunity for players to win a chance to party with the Stars on Oscar! In 2005, the Beverly Hills Hotel will be the location for the arrival of more than 100 Stars and celebrities who will attend the 'Night of 100 Stars' Black Tie Oscar Dinner Gala. The $12,000 Grand Prize consists of airfare for two to L.A, two tickets to the Oscar party, hotel accommodation for two nights, limousine service to the party and spending money -- with thousands more in cash going to other top finishers.

You must be a HollywoodPoker.com member to win this Oscar Tournament, so register for your free account and take advantage of this amazing opportunity! Getting started is easy: just visit our website, follow the directions and prepare yourself to join James Woods, Vince Van Patten and many other top celebrities in thrilling poker competition! With tournament buy-ins as low as $5.50 it's hard to resist! Rather than watching the Academy Awards on television this year, imagine spending a night out at Hollywood's hottest black tie affair.

If you want to take advantage of these great prizes but are still not entirely confident at the tables, take a look at the 'Poker School' for beginners. Don't be reluctant -- practice makes perfect and Hollywood Poker's 'Poker School' is the perfect place to learn! It's free to sign up, it's free to learn, and when you use Play Money, it's free to play. Once you feel confident, sign-up for a Real Money account and put your expertise to a lucrative use!

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Snooker star wins poker's big pot

Snooker star Matthew Stevens has won $500,000 (£260,000) after swapping the green baize for the poker table.

December 13, 2004

BBC News

The Carmarthen potter who only started playing the card game 18 months ago won the UK 's richest poker tournament.

Stevens beat tennis star Yevgeny Kafelnikov and darts champion Phil Taylor in the televised final of the 888.com Pacific Poker Open.

The 27-year-old has flown out to New York on a holiday to spend some of his winnings due to the exchange rate.

Before he left Stevens said: "This is absolutely unbelievable and I am in a complete daze.

"It's a dream to win a poker tournament having only been playing for a short time.

"I was quietly confident going into the final but if at the start of the tournament you'd have told me I'd be winning it, I'd have thought you were barmy."

The final, screened on Sunday night, was pre-recorded and Stevens has already set about spending some of the money.

Stevens, who is ranked the sixth best snooker player in the world, became a father earlier this year.

His agent Brendan Parker said due to the current exchange rate between the pound and the dollar Stevens was away this week in New York.

"It's somewhere he had always wanted to go so he is away on a week's holiday spending some of his winnings," he explained.

To get to the final Stevens had to beat poker professionals and online qualifiers that made up a field of 108 hopefuls.

World darts champion Taylor finished second and Kafelnikov, who has announced his retirement from tennis to concentrate on professional poker, came third.

Taylor said: "I couldn't have been beaten by a better person than Matthew. This tournament has been one of the highlights of my life."