Bellagio Reaches for the Stars and Hosts World Poker Tour Championship

Soon, thousands of poker faces will reach for the stars at Bellagio's Five-Star World Poker Classic, April 2-18. This time, however, players will take home more than cash. At stake, in addition to the more than $3 million in total prize money, is the title of World Poker Tour Champion.

Bellagio offers the best of both worlds for the high-end tournament player. With the high-stakes action that is usually reserved for the world's largest tournaments, and the opulent setting that only a world-class resort such as Bellagio is able to provide, Bellagio has claimed its place among the premier poker venues in the world.

Brought to fruition by Doug Dalton, Bellagio director of poker operations; Jack McClelland, Bellagio poker host and tournament director; and Bellagio President Bobby Baldwin, the resort has revolutionized big buy-in tournaments, with prize pools of $250,000 to more than $2 million.

Known worldwide for its lavish ambience and high-stakes poker games, Bellagio now steps into the spotlight on prime time television as part of the World Poker Tour. As a charter member of the WPT, Bellagio will host the WPT championship as the main event of the Five-Star World Poker Classic tournament. With a $25,000 buy-in, it will be the highest-stakes tournament ever televised.

"Nobody does poker like Bellagio does poker," stated Steve Lipscomb, CEO of the World Poker Tour. "We're thrilled to have the first-ever WPT championship at Bellagio - the place where the great players come to play. Bellagio is helping redefine poker for the 21st century, at the same time that the WPT and all its charter members are redefining televised poker events."

With the success of last year's Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, Bellagio added a new tournament to its prestigious lineup, the Five-Star World Poker Classic. Scheduled for April 2-18, Bellagio's Five-Star World Poker Classic will feature 13 events, including limit hold'em, seven-card stud, pot-limit hold'em, Omaha high-low split, and no-limit hold'em. Satellites will begin on March 31.

The WPT series will culminate with the WPT championship, hosted by Bellagio April 14-18. This $25,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event is expected to offer a prize pool of more than $3 million. Once again, the ballroom at Bellagio will be transformed into a television arena, and spectators will watch as the first WPT champion will be crowned on April 18. To be part of the live studio audience, please contact the Bellagio poker room.

Bellagio will debut on the two-hour premiere episode of the World Poker Tour, scheduled for Sunday, March 30 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel. The World Poker Tour will continue its 13-episode series every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel, and will culminate with the WPT championship at Bellagio at the end of the series in June.

"We're honored to have been selected to host both the inaugural event in the World Poker Tour series as well as the season-ending WPT championship," stated Doug Dalton.

Becoming a partner with the World Poker Tour gave us the opportunity to add the Five-Star World Poker Classic to our roster of tournaments and to host the WPT championship. What better way to showcase poker to the world than at Bellagio's famed resort."

Bellagio and all of the WPT charter members realize the benefit of combining efforts for the good of a common goal, to broaden the reach of poker across America and the world. Together they continue to alter the general perception of the poker world and the people who inhabit it. Talk about reaching for the stars!

Located in the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, and inspired by the idyllic villages and towns of Europe, Bellagio overlooks a Mediterranean-blue eight-acre lake that features a magnificent ballet of dancing fountains. Choreographed to music and lights, the fountains are a prelude to the remarkable sights that await guests.

Within Bellagio are unrivaled dining experiences, a world-class gallery of fine art, exquisite gardens, Cirque du Soleil's stunning performance of "O," luxurious spa services, and an elegant casino. Condé Nast Traveler magazine's 2002 Readers Choice Awards ranked the resort the No. 7 hotel in the continental United States and Canada, and No. 25 among the world's best hotels and resorts, while the 2003 Travel + Leisure readers survey named Bellagio one of the 500 best hotels in the world. To top it all off, Bellagio recently received AAA's coveted Five Diamond rating for the second year in a row.

Bellagio's 3,005 lavishly appointed guest rooms and suites feature sweeping vistas of the resort's lake, surrounding mountains, and Las Vegas skyline. Each room is elegantly appointed with custom European-style furnishings, fine art, and conveniences such as computer- and fax-accessible data ports, multiple telephone lines, and a convenient minibar.

With the opulent resort-style surroundings, extraordinary service, and crowning of the WPT champion, Bellagio's Five-Star World Poker Classic will deliver a package unsurpassed by other destinations. So, go ahead, reach for the stars.*