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The World Poker Tour (WPT) returns to Las Vegas for the fourth annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio, December 12-16, 2005.

The event is the eighth in a series of 17 scheduled World Poker Tour tournaments and features an entry fee of $15,000. The champion of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic receives first-place prize money as well as a seat in the World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio in April 2006.

Bellagio is currently hosting daily No Limit Hold ‘em tournaments through Dec. 10 in conjunction with the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. The entry fees for these tournaments range from $1,500 to $5,000 and the entry fee for the super-satellite tournament, scheduled for

Sunday, Dec. 11, 2006 is $1,500. Professional and amateur players can register at Bellagio’s poker room.

The 2004 Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio included a WPT-record 376 participants and a prize pool of more than $5 million.

Daniel Negreanu of Las Vegas was awarded $1.7 million for his victory. Negreanu defeated five other players at the final table including Humberto Brenes, who came in second.

"The players enjoy competing and the number of entries and total prize money continue to increase at each tournament," said Doug Dalton, director of poker operations for Bellagio. "We look forward to ending the year with another successful event."