SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Imagine hearing the sound of thousands of multi-colored clay chips being shuffled in an impromptu chorus. Or the sight of hundreds of fans standing five-deep, craning their necks and standing on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse of their favorite player. Or the gut-wrenching anxiety of a player who has summoned the nerve to push several hundred thousand dollars in chips all-in on a stone cold bluff. Well, what are you waiting for? Season Three of the WORLD POKER TOUR (WPT) is currently in production and you're invited to experience what makes the WPT the hottest poker game around and Wednesday the coolest night on television.


The WPT, which airs Wednesday nights from 9-11 PM (ET/PT), features the best of the high stakes, high anxiety world of tournament poker. Season Three, being filmed from July 2004 through April 2005, will consist of more than 15 poker tournaments filmed in casinos and cards rooms around the world including:


Date Tournament Casino Location

2004

July 29-
Aug. 1 The Mirage Poker Showdown The Mirage Las Vegas, NV

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 Classic UltimateBet.com Aruba

Nov. 14-17 World Poker Finals Foxwoods Resort Mashantucket, CT
Casino

Dec. 12-16 Five Diamond World Poker Bellagio Las Vegas, NV
Classic

2005

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


Season Three, premiering in March 2005, will bring viewers the expert analysis, multiple camera angles, varying player personalities and the patented WPT Cam -- which shows close-ups of the hole cards -- that turned televised poker on its ear.


The WORLD POKER TOUR concluded Season Two on June 30 with an $8.5 million prize pool on the World Poker Championship. Currently, encore programs are presented every Wednesday night at 9 PM (ET/PT). Upcoming premieres include the specials BAD BOYS OF POKER on September 8, STARS OF DISCOVERY on November 21 and LADIES NIGHT on December 15.


The WORLD POKER TOUR series is produced for the Travel Channel by World Poker Tour, LLC. Steven Lipscomb is the show's creator and serves as executive producer. Joe Swift is the executive producer for the Travel Channel. World Poker Tour, LLC is a joint venture between Lipscomb and Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO) .


The Travel Channel is the only television network devoted exclusively to travel entertainment. Capturing the fascination, freedom and fun of travel, Travel Channel delivers insightful stories from the world's most popular destinations and inspiring diversions. It is available in more than 75 million homes and is a service of Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc. Visit Travel Channel on the Web at http://www.discovery.com/.


Source: Travel Channel

CONTACT: James Ashurst, +1-240-662-2925, james_ashurst@discovery.com, or
Karen Sager, +1-240-662-2724, karen_sager@discovery.com, both of Travel
Channel


Web site: http://www.discovery.com/