Keeping the momentum in high gear, the World Poker Tour launched its sensational Season IV at The Mirage with another record-setting tournament. More than 317 players turned out for the $3,074,900 event, which will boast a first prize of $1,128,278.
Drawing an international field of leading poker luminaries along with talented newcomers, The Mirage Poker Showdown, follows on the heels of the WPT World Championship in April at Bellagio. The event capped the WPT's blockbuster $70 million third season. The WPT has awarded more than $100 million cumulatively through its first three years.
The prize purse and attendance numbers for The Mirage Poker Showdown continue the WPT's tradition of breaking records at each stop on its global tour of thrilling high stakes poker tournaments, filmed for airing on The Travel Channel. The Mirage event is the first of 16 on the 2005-06 calendar which visits exotic locales such as Paris, Aruba and the Bahamas.
Given that "Anyone can play; Anyone can win" on the World Poker Tour, it is expected that Season IV's champions will be a mix of famous names and new faces. Among the popular players who have topped the win column are the venerable Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Gus Hansen, Phil Laak, Michael Mizrachi, Antonio Esfandiari, David Ulliott, Barry Greenstein, Howard Lederer and Layne Flack. To date, the WPT has created 24 new poker millionaires, with many more likely to join the ranks during Season IV.
"The launch of our fourth season is especially gratifying," said Steve Lipscomb, Founder and CEO of WPT Enterprises, Inc. "We've clearly outlived the skeptics who said that the WPT was just a fad. The game continues to grow in popularity both at the professional and home game level, thanks to our success. As a professional sports league, we are maturing and expanding, providing great entertainment for our fans and a steadily increasing amount of prize money for our players. In Season IV, we look forward to a year of new horizons, robust growth and plenty of exciting surprises at the poker table."