Perfect Poker Valentine's Day - Two Aces in the House

Perfect Poker Valentine's Day - Two Aces in the House

WORLD POKER TOUR(R) Partners in Poker: Vowing to Love, Honor, and Take Your Chips

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When the WORLD POKER TOUR(R) kicks off its spellbinding Season IV action on the Travel Channel March 8, about the last thing you'd expect to experience is love at the poker table. But, in what may be one of the most in intriguing aspects of the WPT, this year the Tour will showcase a half dozen happy couples, who are living the poker lifestyle, with both partners playing professionally.

It's a real "full house" when two people manage challenging poker careers, while raising children, managing a household and still making time for a little romance. Poker is a complex profession. Besides the fluctuating periods of financial stability, there is no healthcare and few 40-hour weeks with weekends off. Moreover, tournament play requires a great deal of travel, which means additional expenses and time away from home. Now let's imagine what happens when they are both competing for the same million-dollar winnings!

Actually in the case of Jennifer Harman and Marco Traniello, Karina and Chip Jett, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Aidilay (Lily) Elviro, Marsha Waggoner and Kenna James, Juan Carlos Mortensen & Cecelia Reyes, and Phil "The Unabomber" Laak and Jennifer Tilly -- their respective partners are their biggest cheerleaders.

"The advent of the WORLD POKER TOUR has made it possible for many more people to earn a good living at poker...and many of those are women. It's been gratifying to see how many couples feel comfortable at our 17 events," said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE)

"They travel together, compare strategies against their opponents, commiserate with each other over 'bad beats,' and celebrate their victories -- but watch what happens when they end up at the same table! He's just likely to 'come over the top' and she'll call his 'All-in.' It's just like at home -- each one wants the upper hand!"

But as competitive as they can be at the table, says Chip Jett, "It's great having someone who really understands the highs and lows of poker, that has been there herself and is able to understand when I talk about a hand or why I get upset if I get knocked out of a big tournament."

So how does one become a poker couple? The Jett's actually met playing at a casino, as did Marsha Waggoner and Kenna James. Lily Elviro and Michael Mizrachi were both dealers. Cecelia Reyes and Marco Traniello got tired of standing around at the rail watching their partners through nine hours of poker and wanted in on the action. They'd been picking up knowledge by listening to conversations their spouses had with friends. Phil Laak and actress Jennifer Tilly met when she came to play in the WPT Hollywood Home Game tournament.

Mizrachi, Laak and Mortensen are all WPT Champions. Several of the women also play at the highest level of the game. Harman is considered one of the best high stakes players in the world. Tilly won the two more prestigious women's events in poker in 2005 -- the WPT Ladies Night and the Women's Open at the World Series.

But their own victories are oftentimes not even as thrilling as seeing their spouse rack up those chips. "The first week that he watched me, I knew he had talent," said Harman. When Marco decided to try his hand at one of the big tournaments, Jennifer placed in the money at five events and Marco in seven. "I was so excited that he was doing well, that I did well, too!" Jennifer says. "It might have taken a little bit away from my concentration, but who cares? It was just so exciting!"

The Jett's have extended their poker partnership into teaching. They are both instructors at WPT Boot Camp, the fantasy poker camp that travels around the country educating aspiring WPT champs.

Togetherness is a key theme for these couples. So that he didn't have to be separated from his growing family, Michael Mizrachi, purchased a luxurious tour bus with his $1.8 million WPT winnings so Lily and their baby could travel around the country with him. With grandma as nanny, both players were free to play the various WPT events.

One thing all of the partners seem to share is a love of the flexible hours and the unlimited freedom that comes from not having an office job. But given that pros frequently play into the wee hours, poker partners have to be night owls.

"Poker couples on the WPT are like 'suited connectors' -- sequentially numbered cards of the same suit," says Lipscomb. "Different in many ways, there are strengthened by their likenesses."

To see some of these couples and all of the WPT stars in action, tune into the Travel Channel, every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S.

The WPT launched the poker phenomenon when it first aired on the Travel Channel on March 30, 2003, and it continues to lead the way in developing poker as a major international sport. Viewers and aspiring tour players can log on to www.worldpokertour.com for ways to improve their game and to get the latest WPT schedules, information and merchandise. The highest rated show ever on The Travel Channel, the WPT is now seen in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide. WORLD POKER TOUR(R) airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST/PST on the Travel Channel in the U.S.

About WPT Enterprises, Inc.

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the WORLD POKER TOUR(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 130 countries and territories globally. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com/media.

(WPTEG)

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion of WPTE's brand licensing, the development of new television and film projects, the development of WPTE corporate sponsors and other business development activities, as well as statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of WPTE. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WPTE's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a source of revenue; the potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming that would directly compete with WPTE's television programming; the risk that WPTE may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination or impairment of WPTE's relationships with key licensing and strategic partners; and WPTE's dependence on its senior management team.

For more information, review WPTE's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:
Aimee Lirette/ WPT: 323-330-9872
alirette@worldpokertour.com

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050809/LATU100LOGO)

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050809/LATU100LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: WPT Enterprises, Inc.

CONTACT: Jackie Lapin, +1-818-707-1473, jackielapin@cs.com, or Aimee
Lirette, +1-323-330-9872, alirette@worldpokertour.com, both of WPT
Enterprises, Inc.

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

NOTE TO EDITORS: 300 dpi downloadable images of these WPT Poker Couples available at www.media.worldpokertour.com Profiles of Individual Couples Available at www.media.worldpokertour.com Video B-Roll of WPT Poker Couples Available Upon Request

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