Season Five of the World Poker Challenge returns to Grand Sierra Resort & Casino starting Thursday, March 8 and continuing through March 28.

The event is a favorite of top poker players hoping to win before advancing to play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) finals held in Las Vegas later this year.

The World Poker Challenge in Reno is a growing event, thanks in part to popularity of televised poker.

Players who buy-in by March 25 pay only $5,150, the lowest buy-in of all WPT events. Buy-ins for similar qualifying WPT events held at major Las Vegas and Native American-owned casinos can require buy-ins of over $10,000.

In 2006, a record number of players competed for the biggest pot ever at the Reno event. Cool competitor Michael Simon beat out 591 players to win $1,052,890 cash and a seat at the WPT Season Four finals held in Las Vegas.

For the past four years, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino has hosted the World Poker Challenge leading to the prestigious WPT, the highest-rated program broadcast on the Travel Channel.

Even if you don’t play poker, this is a chance to watch the chips stack or crash as some of the country’s best poker players hold ‘em and fold ‘em in high stakes wagers. Grand Sierra Resort & Casino goes all out, with 60 tables spread throughout the recently renovated casino that is the largest in Northern Nevada.

The final table will be filmed at 5 p.m., on March 28 in the Silver State Pavilion and will be broadcast on the Travel Channel in June at the conclusion of the WPT Season Five Championship.

For more details about the World Poker Challenge and WPT Event at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, visit www.grandsierraresort.com or stop by the Poker Room at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino.