Season Two Promises More of the Fast-paced, High-stakes
And High-anxiety Action that Made Season One The
Most Popular Series in Network History

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Travel Channel today announced that the launch of season two of the WORLD POKER TOUR (WPT) premieres Wednesday, March 3, 2004. The WORLD POKER TOUR airs Wednesday nights from 9- 11 PM (ET/PT), and will consist of 15 poker events filmed in casinos and card rooms around the world. The series, the most popular on the Travel Channel, continues to revolutionize televised poker. Through expert analysis, multiple camera angles, and the patented WPT Cam -- which shows close-ups of the players' hole cards -- the WORLD POKER TOUR has created a whole new element of high-stakes, high-anxiety excitement.

"The WORLD POKER TOUR is all aces with viewers, and we are excited about the launch of season two," said the Travel Channel's executive vice president and general manager, Rick Rodriguez. "The WORLD POKER TOUR has reached appointment viewing status, and has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. With the launch of season two the Travel Channel will firmly entrench the WPT brand as the best of televised poker. Moreover, the continued success of the WPT provides a wonderful opportunity for the network to promote and market the multitude of programming available on our air."

"In just one season, the WORLD POKER TOUR transformed poker into a mainstream televised sports sensation. Season two takes the action, the emotion and the cold hard cash to a whole new level," said executive producer and founder of the World Poker Tour, Steven Lipscomb. "With over $30 million in total prize money and millions at stake in each episode, television audiences will continue to be drawn to the only sport on television that puts them in a seat at the table -- making million dollar decisions on every hand."

The WORLD POKER TOUR continues to be a ratings winner for the network -- with the WORLD POKER TOUR LADIES NIGHT special scoring the highest rating ever for the WPT series, and becoming the second highest rated individual program in the network's history.

In addition to the high-stakes action on the tables, every week the WORLD POKER TOUR series takes viewers to some of the most famous casinos and card rooms in the world including: Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV; The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, CA; Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ; UltimateBet in Aruba; Bay 101 in Colma, CA; Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT; Horseshoe Casino/Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, MS; Aviation Club de France in Paris, France; Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA; Poker Stars aboard a Caribbean cruise; and the Reno Hilton in Reno, NV.

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. (traded on the NASDAQ as "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 74 million homes and is a service of Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc.

SOURCE  Travel Channel
    -0-                             01/07/2004
    /CONTACT:  James Ashurst of the Travel Channel, +1-240-662-2925, or
Mobile: +1-703-629-7074, or James_Ashurst@discovery.com/
    (LACO)

CO:  Travel Channel; World Poker Tour, LLC; Lipscomb; Lakes Entertainment,
     Inc.; Discovery Communications, Inc.
ST:  California
IN:  ENT LEI TRA TVN
SU:  PDT

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