Preview Of The WPT Championship - All Three Parts!

Hello all,

OK, I decided instead of running the full work that I did on the WPT Championship Preview one at a time, I would run them all three at the same time...so get ready to get a full look at what should happen at the Bellagio!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part I

Five years ago, the world of poker basically rotated around the World Series of Poker and isolated, smaller events that were populated by the best poker players in the world. Since that time, however, the effects of online poker and Chris Moneymaker’s remarkable 2003 WSOP victory have exploded the sport of poker upon an unsuspecting world. Another thing that added into that was the development and the growth of the World Poker Tour and the WPT Championship.

Since its inception in 2003, the WPT arguably has been at the forefront of the poker tsunami, demonstrating the skill of the players and the heart stopping excitement that is inherent in tournaments where the victor walks away with a multi-million dollar prize. This year is the fifth WPT Championship, which begins this Saturday, and it should add to the prestige that the tournament has grown into over its illustrious history.

There are several reasons that the WPT Championship has grown into a part of what could be considered poker’s “Grand Slam” (the WSOP Main Event, the EPT Championship and the Aussie Millions are debatably the other three). First off, the $25,000 buy-in for the event does tend to limit the size of the field that play in the tournament. While many it seems can come up with a five or ten thousand dollar buy in, the $25K pop that the WPT takes, even today, is outside of the realistic realm for most “amateur” players, even with the possibility of satellites (a ten person satellite would cost about $2500). This tends to guarantee that the best in the poker world come to the felt when it comes down to the WPT Championship.

Secondly, the locale of the WPT Championship adds to the prestige of the event. It has been played each year as part of April’s Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The Bellagio is perhaps the finest poker room in Las Vegas, even after the development and rebirth of many other poker rooms along the Strip. With such surroundings as this, the WPT Championship has traditionally drawn players from around the world to compete for the ultimate championship that the WPT has to offer.

Finally, it is an excellent catapult towards the World Series of Poker itself. In the first couple of years that the WPT Championship was held, the WSOP was within days of the end of the event. While it has moved to a spot a bit further away now (with rumors of it returning to the more traditional time of the past in the near future), the WSOP is something that the entirety of the poker world focuses on. Winning the WPT Championship can be an excellent indicator towards playing well in the WSOP and, perhaps, adding on to the winnings that the WPT Championship has to offer.

As stated before, the WPT Championship has been something that the entirety of the poker world focuses on. It draws the best players in the world and always has a highly entertaining final table, as deserving of the final tournament of the playing year for the WPT. In the next segment, we’ll look back at the prior four years of the WPT Championship and, in the final segment, we’ll actually gaze into the crystal ball to see who has the best shot at taking down one of the most prestigious titles that poker has to offer.

You're not done yet!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part II

In the first part of this series, we looked at the reasons that the WPT Championship, which starts this Saturday and will complete on April 27th, has become one of the most prestigious titles. From its location at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the $25K buy in (which ensures the best in poker will be there) and the ability to get a great head start on the WSOP, the WPT Championship has become one of “the” tournaments for players to be at. In its history as well, the best in the poker world have competed for the multi-million dollar prize and has also brought newcomers into prominence as well.

Way back in 2003 was the first WPT Championship, held as the Championship Event of the Bellagio’s Five Star World Poker Classic. While it drew “only” 111 players at that time, the $25K buy in ensured a million dollar payday for the champion of the event out of the almost $3 million prize pool. The final table also provided a look not only into the past of poker but also demonstrated the newcomers to the game who would make a name for themselves.

The final table consisted of the legendary Doyle Brunson and expert cash game player Ted Forrest, but other players were also notable. A young Phil Ivey was at the felt as was the excellent Russian Kirill Gerasimov. The only “unknown” factor at the table was James Hoeppner, but it proved to be a start for him as to this date he has earned almost half a million in earnings from poker. The eventual champion was Alan Goehring, who has since demonstrated that he is one of the most underrated poker players around today. Other notable players who cashed in the first WPT Championship were Chau Giang, Layne Flack, Allen Cunningham, Marcel Luske, Martin deKnijff and Phil Hellmuth.

In 2004, the names at the table were as impressive as the previous year. With Steve Brecher, Russell Rosenblum and Richard Grijalua going out in the sixth through fourth positions, the remainder of the final table set up for many variables that have become consistent in the WPT Championship. Youth was represented by Matt Matros, with experience and international savvy being held by Hasan Habib and eventual champion Martin deKnijff. deKnijff, who had cashed in the inaugural WPT Championship, was able to vanquish the 343 player field (more than triple the previous year) which also included T. J. Cloutier, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Hon Le and (once again) Chau Giang.

2005 was probably the most entertaining of the previous WPT Championship events, as it had everything that a poker fan might want. There was the international intrigue, represented by Rob Hollink, Hasan Habib and newcomer Paul Maxfield. There was the prestige of Phil Ivey, once again proving his numerous skills by maneuvering to the final table in the 452 runner field. Youth was also once again represented with the coming out parties of John “The Razor” Phan and eventual champion Tuan Le. Others who came up just short of the final table included former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Englishman Joe Beevers, Finland’s Juha Helppi, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and another poker legend, David Sklansky. It also marked the largest WPT payout ever, with Tuan Le taking $2.8 million of the $10 million prize pool.

Of course, that only lasted until last year’s WPT Championship, where 605 players ponied up the $25K to build over a $14 million prize pool. There was a newcomer by the name of Davidson Matthew, who has since become a very good tournament player and is a threat whenever he sits down at a tournament. There was a legend in Men “The Master” Nguyen and there was a consistently successful tournament player in the visage of James Van Alstyne, who always seems to cash in the tournaments he plays. International intrigue was provided by Roland De Wolfe and Claus Nielson but, in the end, it was former poker dealer Joe Bartholdi who walked off with the $3.7 million first place prize and a place in poker history as WPT Champion.

The 2006 WPT Championship also saw two women make the deepest runs ever in the event. Vanessa Rousso came up just short of the final table with her seventh place finish and Erica Schoenberg also was high up on the final tally. They were joined by other notables that included Victor Ramdin, Paul Wasicka (who would, a few months later, finish as the runner up in the WSOP Championship Event), and European superstar Patrik Antonius.

So what will the 2007 WPT Championship, the fifth in its illustrious history, bring us when it starts on Saturday? In the final segment of the series, we will analyze things and give a prediction as to what will happen.

And finally...who will win!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part III

With the WPT Championship starting this Saturday, the cream of the poker world will be vying for one of the most prestigious championships that the game has to offer. But there are several questions that are out there which, with the help of the Poker Crystal Ball, we’ll try to find the answers to!

The first question has to be will the field exceed last year’s 605 players? To begin with, all WPT tournament champions are guaranteed a seat at the event as well as invitational winners of special WPT events. This will bring such players as 2005 World Champion Joseph Hachem, John Hennigan, Ted Forrest and Ladies Night champion Joanne “J. J.” Liu in for free, basically, as they have all won WPT titles in the fifth season of the Tour. Additionally, each preliminary event winner at the Bellagio’s Five Star World Poker Classic will earn a seat into the WPT Championship as well.

Even with that said, that only will cover about two or three dozen of the seats in the tournament. You can count that the best poker players from around the world WILL be there to take their shot at the crown, but what isn’t known is what effect the UIGEA will have on entries. Many online poker sites sent players to this event last year but, after the passage of the Act in October, it is potentially possible that those players who came last year won’t be back. Still, World Poker Tour events continue to be very well attended by professionals and “amateurs” so it is conceivable that this year’s field will encompass last year’s event. Lets put the line on the event at 675 (an increase over last year, but not as large as in previous years) and see what happens.

The second, and final, question is who will be at the final table? Predicting final tables is about as difficult as judging which side of a windowpane a drop of water will roll down, but if you look at performance up to the event, you can get a possible idea of what will happen. With that said, here’s the six players that could be sitting at the final table when it begins on April 27th.

1) J. C. Tran - With a victory at the WPT’s World Poker Challenge in Reno back in March, J. C. is in on a freeroll for the WPT Championship. Tran has also been on fire lately, with three WPT final tables and a victory in one of the preliminary events during the Five Star. Look for him to continue his strong play and be one of the players at the final table. If he has a big stack, he could even take the title down.

2) James Van Alstyne - Van Alstyne will have to buy his way into the WPT Championship, but he certainly won’t mind that. So far in 2007 he has made over $500K in earnings, made four final tables and cashed in nine tournaments. He has a history of strong tournament performances and should be in the running when it comes to the final table of the WPT Championship.

3) Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi - While not off to the same stratospheric start as he had in both 2005 and 2006, “The Grinder” has been quietly amassing excellent tournament finishes through the early part of 2007. Last year, the crush may have gotten to him after finishing as a runner up in one WPT event and winning one. This year, the hubbub around him is a bit calmer, which should allow him to concentrate exclusively on playing the tournament.

4) Patrik Antonius - Patrik consistently performs well at the tournaments that are held at the Bellagio. He cashed in last year’s WPT Championship and was runner up in the December 2005 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic there. He definitely has the skills to be a contender for the crown and could make his first major title with the WPT Championship. Other foreign contenders could be Roland De Wolfe, Gus Hansen or Andrew Black (who has been having a great 2007 and would be good to see in the WPT Championship).

5) Kathy Liebert - While some may have thought she wasn’t doing anything, Liebert’s game seems to be coming around just in time for the WPT Championship. Runner up finishes at final tables in Foxwoods (during the run of WPT preliminary events for Foxwoods Poker Classic) and the Five Star indicate she is getting in shape to be a force at the tables. Other female players who have to be looked at as well include Joanne “J. J.” Liu (freerolling off her Ladies’ Night win) and potentially Jennifer Harman or last year’s breakout stars, Vanessa Rousso and Erica Shoenberg.

6) ?????? - Each year of the WPT Championship, there has been a player at the table that no one recognized. From James Hoeppner in 2003 to Richard Grijalua in 2004 to Paul Maxfield (the runner up) in 2005 to reigning WPT Champion Joe Bartholdi and runner up Davidson Matthew in 2006, there has been at least one player that makes the final table that is a relative unknown to most poker fans. Thus, one slot must be left open for that player that plays the best poker of his life and will, in the end, have a chance at a multi-million dollar payday for his (or her?) efforts.

Now, the game begins. From Saturday to the final table on April 27th, the WPT Championship will once again deliver the finest in poker battling it out for the coveted WPT Championship title and the millions that come with it. Keep tuned to PokerNews for complete coverage of the event and, come the end, we will learn whether it is a professional or a “newcomer” who will take one of the grandest titles in the poker world.

So there you have it...the complete preview of the WPT Championship. I know I'll be watching closely to see if I'm completely nuts or I actually had a pretty good feel for the event.

I really would like to be there for the event but, alas, that isn't in my control. Anyone need a great tournament reporter?

Until later,

EB