World Poker Tour Hits the Road for the 2003-2004 Season

After a successful season on the Travel Channel as its number one television program, the World Poker Tour is ramping up the 2003-2004 tournament schedule. This season promises to be even bigger, with prize money expected to top the $10 million that was won on the Tour last year.

Players and audiences on this year's WPT will be able to see if Gus Hansen and Howard Lederer can break their records as two-time winners, if anyone can make it to more final tables than Phil Ivey, and if Devilfish Ulliott can fit any more rings on his fingers.

Aviation Club de France

Behind the velvet ropes, the World Poker Tour kicked off its season with dramatic style in July at the elegant Aviation Club de France in Paris. Once again, the Aviation Club opened its doors to the WPT for a battle of international proportions.

Bicycle Casino

Next, the WPT storms into Los Angeles for The Bicycle Casino's Legends of Poker tournament. The WPT will host the final table of the main event, Sept. 1-3. It'll be tough to top last year's adrenaline rush performance by Hon "The Kamikaze Kid" Le, but everyone will be trying to do so.

Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa

The WPT has added a brand-new casino to the Tour. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa is Atlantic City's first new hotel casino built in 13 years. Located at Renaissance Pointe, Borgata will host the Borgata Poker Open in September. Its lavish setting will provide a glamorous backdrop to the final table, Sept. 20-22. Players who bust out at the final table can ease their pain in the 50,000-square-foot spa.

UltimateBet.com

From Atlantic City, the WPT will travel to Aruba with UltimateBet.com for poker, sun, and sand. This year's format pits online players who win their way in against anyone willing to buy in at Aruba, a contrast to last year's three-tiered pro-amateur-David vs. Goliath format.

Foxwoods Resort Casino

In November, the WPT will be back at Foxwoods Resort Casino to film the World Poker Finals. Make reservations early, because this will be another full house. Last year's final table featured three of the top 10 WPT money winners: Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, and Layne Flack.

Bellagio

Offering nothing but class, Bellagio has moved its Five Diamond World Poker Classic tournament to December, when the WPT will host a capacity audience who'll witness another dramatic showdown in the heart of Las Vegas.

Horseshoe Casino

The WPT will begin 2004 along the banks of the mighty Mississippi with some Southern hospitality, as the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, will welcome the WPT for the World Poker Open. Here at the birthplace of poker, someone is going to make poker history.

Commerce Casino

By the time the WPT gets to Commerce Casino in February, will Gus Hansen be the money leader again? Last year, Hansen, a two-time WPT winner, had raked in more than $1 million on the Tour by the time the L.A. Poker Classic ended.

WPT Invitational

Immediately following the Commerce event, celebrities will once again try to outwit the pros during the WPT Invitational at Commerce Casino. Last year, Mickey Rooney outlasted most of the seasoned pros, L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss went heads up against Layne Flack for the top prize, and even a Playboy bunny stayed in longer than Amarillo Slim.

PartyPoker.com

In March, it'll be sun, fun, and high-stakes poker on the high seas as the World Poker Tour cruises to Mexico for the PartyPoker.com Million III. Last year, more than 175 participants gathered on the luxury ocean liner to party, play poker, and vie for their share of more than $1 million in prize money. Bring sunscreen.

Reno Hilton

The "Biggest Little City in the World" is the WPT's next stop, and the last chance for the who's who of poker to win a $25,000 seat at the WPT championship event. Here, the Reno Hilton will host the World Poker Challenge. The biggest challenge may be getting the players to take a break from all the available outdoor activities to play poker.

WPT Championship

The season will culminate with the $25,000 buy-in WPT Championship, hosted by the fabulous Bellagio. This year's tournament was a landmark in poker history, and resulted in a $1 million winner.

Have you been counting the tournaments in this article? Twelve of the scheduled 13 are mentioned here – that other tournament is a little secret, but continue checking www.worldpokertour.com to stay abreast of the latest announcements for the 2003-2004 WPT season.