HOT CORNER

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What: “World Poker Tour”

Where: The Travel Channel, Wednesdays, 9 p.m.

If you want to see competitors sweat and witness their raw emotions, the World Poker Tour delivers.

What makes the shows intriguing for TV viewers is the technology that allows them to see the hole cards. They know who is bluffing and who isn’t.

In its first season, the tour has 13 competitions. The Travel Channel began airing the taped shows March 30, with a tour stop at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Last week’s show and this week’s shows were taped at the Commerce Casino.

The WTP Championship, held April 14-18 at Bellagio, will be shown June 25. There were 111 entrants who paid the $25,000 buy-in. The winner walked away with more than $1 million.

The announcers for the series are Mike Sexton and former tennis pro Vincent Van Patten, the son of actor Dick Van Patten. Serving as host and reporter is model-turned-actress Shana Hiatt.

The creator of the tour is television producer/director Steven Lipscomb, who says a second season is already in development.