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World Poker Tour

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World Poker Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event World Poker Tour season 22 results
SportPoker
FoundedMay 27, 2002
CEOAdam Pliska
Country United States (Founded)
Most titlesUnited States Darren Elias (4)
TV partner(s)Bally Sports, BT Sport (UK)
Official websitewww.worldpokertour.com

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the final table of each tournament.

The most prominent of World Poker Tour events belong to the WPT Main Tour. The WPT Main Tour focuses on the buy-in range of $3,500–$25,000, and winners of official WPT Main Tour events are awarded a membership to the WPT Champions Club. The WPT Champions Cup is the trophy awarded to all winners of WPT Main Tour events, and champions have their names engraved on the Cup.

History

[edit]

The World Poker Tour was started in 2002 in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (WPTE).

Winners on the World Poker Tour are awarded a bracelet, inspired by a similar bracelet by the World Series of Poker (WSOP).[1] While the champions of the first six seasons did not initially receive bracelets, they were awarded them at a special event at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on April 21, 2008.[2] The bracelets are crafted from titanium and diamond by Tiffany and Company.

In November 2009, PartyGaming announced its acquisition of the World Poker Tour for $12.3 million.[3] In 2011, PartyGaming merged with bwin to form bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

In December 2014, World Poker Tour announced an alliance with Ourgame, agreeing to license products and services on an exclusive basis in more than a dozen countries across Asia. In addition, Ourgame received the rights to use the WPT logo and trademark exclusively in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Korea, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam and operate on pokermonster.com.[4]

In June 2015, The World Poker Tour (WPT) announced that bwin.party sold the company to Ourgame International Holdings Ltd. for a price of $35 million in cash.[5]

In 2021 the World Poker Tour was sold to Element Partners for $105 million.[6]

Sherman Act lawsuit

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In July 2006, seven poker professionals sued WPTE, alleging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act, the California Cartwright Act, and intentional interference with contract. The professionals (Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Joe Hachem, Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer, and Greg Raymer) alleged that WPTE's standard release forms, required for participation in WPTE events, were anti-competitive and designed to interfere with their contractual obligations to other companies. The anti-competition claim was based on the fact that WPTE's contracts with the casinos that host its tournaments barred those casinos (and other casinos owned by the same parent companies) from hosting non-WPTE poker events. The claim of interference with contract was based on the releases' claim to perpetual rights to the players' likenesses for any use WPTE wished. The players claimed that this would put them in violation of other contracts (such as Ferguson's Activision Games contract or several players' contracts with online poker sites).[7]

Hachem and Raymer dropped out of the lawsuit before its eventual settlement.

In April 2008, WPT Enterprises, Inc. settled with the five players remaining in the lawsuit. Chris Ferguson said about the settlement, "We are happy to have come to an agreement that is fair to all players, and to have put in place a new release that clears up ambiguities in how players' images may be used. We are especially happy that this new release will apply to all poker players who wish to participate in WPT tournaments and events."[8]

Television

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The year-round WPT television show has broadcast globally in more than 150 countries and territories, and is currently producing its 21st season, which airs on Bally's Sports Regional Networks in the United States. In August 2016, the World Poker Tour and Fox Sports (now Bally's Sports) announced a five-year deal to see Fox Sports broadcast the WPT through Season 19.[9]

The WPT television show currently features commentary and analysis by Tony Dunst and Vince Van Patten.[10] Dunst joined the World Poker Tour as host of the WPT Raw Deal during Season 9 after winning the role through an open casting competition. Following the retirement of Mike Sexton[11] from the WPT commentary booth after 15 years, Dunst was elevated into the role alongside Van Patten.[12]

Joining Dunst and Van Patten for all WPT televised broadcasts is anchor Lynn Gilmartin. Gilmartin's role focuses on hosting and presenting the show, as well as offering intimate interviews and sideline reporting. Gilmartin assumed the anchor role for Season 12[13] and remains the current anchor.

Prior to Gilmartin, Shana Hiatt served as the show host and sideline reporter in its first three seasons.[14] Courtney Friel took over the host role for the fourth season, and Sabina Gadecki for the fifth. Layla Kayleigh and Kimberly Lansing began serving as hostesses in Season VI. Poker player and reporter Amanda Leatherman was the host for Season VII while Lansing was on maternity leave. Lansing returned as the anchor for Season 9 through 11.

The first season aired on the Travel Channel on American cable television in the spring of 2003. The show made its network debut on February 1, 2004, on NBC with a special "Battle of Champions" tournament, which aired against CBS coverage of the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show. The Travel Channel aired the first five seasons of the Tour. In April 2007, WPTE announced that the series would move to GSN for its sixth season in the spring of 2008.[15] 'The first WPT tournament to air on GSN, the Mirage Poker Showdown, debuted on March 24, 2008. In July 2008, WPTE announced that the series would move to Fox Sports Regional Networks for its seventh season.

Following the November 2009 acquisition of the World Poker Tour by PartyGaming plc, the new owners added a second series of televised WPT events under their PartyPoker brand name. This series has, to date, focused on televising the European stops of the WPT. Mike Sexton continues to provide commentary, though he is partnered with Denmark-based American commentator Jesse May rather than Vince Van Patten. The role of female show host and sideline reporter has been served by a number of personalities, often from the country where the event is held. One exception is Canadian born poker player Kara Scott, who has served as host for a number of the PartyPoker branded telecasts of these European WPT events.[16]

The show's hosts, Tony Dunst and Vince Van Patten, sit at a booth near the final table, providing commentary and occasionally interacting with the players during the game. However, their specific comments about hole cards are recorded after the tournament takes place because gaming regulations prohibit them from observing a live feed of the "hole card cameras" while on the set. These cameras, built into the table, allow viewers to see the face-down hole cards dealt to each player.

In 2014, the World Poker Tour launched a high roller tournament series, WPT Alpha8, broadcasting on Fox Sports 1. The series originally featured commentary and analysis by Ali Nejad and Olivier Busquet, with Gilmartin serving as anchor. In later seasons, Vince Van Patten and Tony Dunst replaced Nejad and Busquet, while Lynn Gilmartin continued to serve as anchor.

The first three seasons of WPT are available on NTSC DVD.

In February 2019, WPT announced a deal with BT Sport to broadcast season XV of WPT. The deal expands WPT coverage to the UK and Ireland. During season XV, former WPT television commentator Mike Sexton won his first WPT event.[17]

In March 2019, WPT announced a deal with TV Azteca to bring WPT assets to Latin America.[18]

Other Tours

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Professional Poker Tour

[edit]

A series of spin-off tournaments, titled the Professional Poker Tour, began filming in 2004. Broadcast of the series was delayed, which was partly due to a dispute with the Travel Channel over rights. In the fall of 2005, WPTE announced that "a cable channel" (believed to be ESPN) had withdrawn from bidding for the PPT series, and that WPTE was negotiating with the Travel Channel to air the series. On January 30, 2006, WPTE and the Travel Channel announced that they had dismissed all open lawsuits. The series began regular broadcast July 5, 2006, but was suspended after one season as WPTE couldn't find a television home for a second season.

ClubWPT

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In 2008, the WPT launched a new product called ClubWPT. It is a subscription-based club where members can pay a monthly fee to play in tournaments that award over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month.[19]

PlayWPT

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In 2016, WPT launched a new social casino platform called PlayWPT, offering poker and slots.[20]

With PlayWPT Poker, players can participate in ring games, tournaments, and sit-n-gos, and players can represent themselves at the table with avatars animated emojis. PlayWPT is available on desktop and mobile.[21]

WPT Player of the Year

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While the winner of the season-ending WPT World Championship (simply the WPT Championship before season 9) is deemed that season's WPT Champion, the WPT also determines a Player of the Year to recognize the player who achieves consistent high finishes in WPT events throughout the entire season.

The Player of the Year is determined by a points system, with the player who earns the most points each season being named the WPT Player of the Year. The season-ending WPT World Championship is a points-earning event for the Player of the Year calculation.

Through the end of Season 9, no player has been named WPT Player of the Year and also captured the WPT Championship. The closest to date is Season 7 WPT Player of the Year Bertrand Grospellier, who finished 3rd in that season's WPT Championship.

In the first eight seasons of the World Poker Tour, only four players have finished in the money at least once. These players are Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Mark Seif, and Surinder Sunar.

Season Years WPT Player of the Year Wins
1 2002–2003 United States Howard Lederer 2
2 2003–2004 United States Erick Lindgren 2
3 2004–2005 Canada Daniel Negreanu 2
4 2005–2006 Canada Gavin Smith 1
5 2006–2007 Vietnam J. C. Tran 1
6 2007–2008 United States Jonathan Little 1
7 2008–2009 France Bertrand Grospellier 1
8 2009–2010 United States Faraz Jaka 0
9 2010–2011 United States Andy Frankenberger 1
10 2011–2012 United States Joe Serock 0
11 2012–2013 Canada Matthew Salsberg 1
12 2013–2014 United States Mukul Pahuja 0
13 2014–2015 United States Anthony Zinno 2
14 2015–2016 United States Mike Shariati 1
15 2016–2017 United States Benjamin Zamani 0
16 2017–2018 United States Art Papazyan 2
17 2018–2019 United States Erkut Yilmaz 2
18 2019–2021 United States Brian Altman[22] 1
19 2021 United States Jake Ferro[23] 1
20 2022 United States Chad Eveslage[24] 1
21 2023 United States Bin Weng[25] 2

Points system

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During the first 8 seasons, only the 6 players at the final table in each Open event, plus the last (7th) player eliminated before the final table, earned points as follows:

  • Winner: 1,000 points
  • Runner-up: 700 points
  • 3rd place: 600 points
  • 4th place: 500 points
  • 5th place: 400 points
  • 6th place: 300 points
  • 7th place: 200 points (television final table bubble)

Starting with season 9, the points system was adjusted to recognize the number of entries and the size of the prize pool for each event:[26]

  • Generally, 10% of the participants in each event will finish in the money (ITM), so the system now gives Player of the Year points to all ITM players.
  • The maximum number of points awarded to the event winner are now scaled to the size of the prize pool, with 600 points to the winner of an event with a prize pool smaller than $500,000 and 1400 points to the winner of an event with a prize pool larger than $4,000,000. The season-ending WPT World Championship, no matter the prize pool, also starts at 1400 points to the winner.
  • The system still operates on a descending scale, though the scale provides a minimum of 50 points to all the 'bottom' ITM players in any event.

WPT Main Event winners

[edit]
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event winner.
Winner of poker's Triple Crown.
Season Years Date Event Location Main Event winner Prize
1 2002–2003 27 May–1 June 2002 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Denmark Gus Hansen $556,460
30–31 August 2002 Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California Lebanon Chris Karagulleyan $258,000
9 October 2002 Ultimate Poker Classic Aruba Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino, Palm Beach Finland Juha Helppi $50.000
19 October 2002 Costa Rica Classic Costa Rica Casinos Europa, San José Costa Rica Jose Rosenkrantz $108,730
10–11 November 2002 Gold Rush United States Lucky Chances Casino, Colma United States Paul Darden $146,000
14–17 November 2002 World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket United States Howard Lederer $320,400
28–31 January 2003 World Poker Open United States Binion's Horseshoe, Tunica United Kingdom Dave Ulliott $589,175
12–15 February 2003 Euro Finals of Poker France Aviation Club de France, Paris Sweden Christer Johansson $538,213 (€500,000)
21–24 February 2003 L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Denmark Gus Hansen (2) $532,490
6 March 2003 PartyPoker Million II Card Player Cruises United States Howard Lederer (2) $289,150
31 March–2 April 2003 World Poker Challenge United States Reno Hilton, Reno United States Ron Rose $168,298
14–18 April 2003 WPT Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Alan Goehring $1,011,886
2 2003–2004 10–13 July 2003 Grand Prix de Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris France David Benyamine $410,886 (€357,200)
1–3 September 2003 Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California Australia Mel Judah $579,375
20–22 September 2003 Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata, Atlantic City Philippines Noli Francisco $470,000
18 October 2003 Ultimate Poker Classic Aruba Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino, Palm Beach United States Erick Lindgren $500,000
14–17 November 2003 World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket United States Hoyt Corkins $1,089,200
15–18 December 2003 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Paul Phillips $1,101,908
25 January 2004 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure The Bahamas Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas Denmark Gus Hansen (3) $455,780
26–29 January 2004 World Poker Open United States Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, Tunica United States Barry Greenstein $1,278,370
21–24 February 2004 L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Antonio Esfandiari $1,399,135
3–5 March 2004 Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San José United States Phil Gordon $360,000
18 March 2004 PartyPoker Million III Card Player Cruises United States Erick Lindgren (2) $1,000,000
30 March–1 April 2004 World Poker Challenge United States Reno Hilton, Reno United States Mike Kinney $629,469
19–23 April 2004 WPT Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Sweden Martin de Knijff $2,728,356
3 2004–2005 17-20 July 2004 Grand Prix De Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris United Kingdom Surinder Sunar $828,956 (€679,860)
29 July-1 August 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown United States The Mirage, Las Vegas Israel Eli Elezra $1,024,574
28-31 August 2004 Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Doyle Brunson $1,198,260
19-22 September 2004 Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata, Atlantic City Canada Daniel Negreanu $1,117,400
26 September-1 October 2004 Aruba Poker Classic Aruba Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino, Palm Beach Costa Rica Eric Brenes $1,000,000
19-22 October 2004 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Ecuador Carlos Mortensen $1,000,000
13-17 November 2004 Foxwood World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket Vietnam Tuan Le $1,549,588
14-18 December 2004 Five Diamond Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Canada Daniel Negreanu (2) $1,770,218
5-12 January 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure The Bahamas Atlantis Casino and Resort, Paradise Island United Kingdom John Gale $890,000
24-27 January 2005 World Poker Open United States Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, Tunica United States Johnny Stolzmann $1,491,444
18-22 February 2005 L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Michael Mizrachi $1,859,909
23-24 February 2005 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Costa Rica Alex Brenes $100,000
7-11 March 2005 Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San José Vietnam Danny Nguyen $1,025,000
19-24 March 2005 Cruisin' Mexico with PartyPoker Million IV MS Oosterdam - Holland America Line Poland Michael Gracz $1,525,500
29 March-1 April 2005 World Poker Challenge United States Reno Hilton, Reno United States Arnold Spee $633,880
18-24 April 2005 World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Vietnam Tuan Le (2) $2,856,150
4 2005–2006 23-26 May 2005 Mirage Poker Showdown United States The Mirage, Las Vegas Canada Gavin Smith $1,153,778
25-29 July 2005 Grand Prix De Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris United Kingdom Roland De Wolfe $574,419 (€479,680)
27-31 August 2005 The Bicycle Casino Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California Israel Alex Kahaner $1,150,900
19-22 September 2005 Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata, Atlantic City United States Al Ardebili $1,498,650
26 September-3 October 2005 Aruba Poker Classic Aruba Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino, Palm Beach Lebanon Freddy Deeb $1,000,000
18-21 October 2005 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Vietnam Minh Ly $1,060,050
13-18 November 2005 World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket United States Nick Schulman $2,167,500
12-16 December 2005 Five Diamond Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Denmark Rehne Pedersen $2,078,185
5-10 January 2006 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure The Bahamas Atlantis Casino and Resort, Paradise Island Canada Steve Paul-Ambrose $1,388,600
19-23 January 2006 World Poker Open United States Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, Tunica Vietnam Scotty Nguyen $969,421
29 January-1 February 2006 Borgata Poker Classic United States Borgata, Atlantic City United States Michael Mizrachi (2) $1,173,373
16-21 February 2006 L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Alan Goehring (2) $2,391,550
22-24 February 2006 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Barry Greenstein (2) $100,000
10-14 March 2006 Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San José United States Nam Le $1,198,300
27-30 March 2006 World Poker Challenge United States United States Mike Simon $1,052,890
6-9 April 2006 Foxwoods Poker Classic United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket Guyana Victor Ramdin $1,331,889
18-24 April 2006 World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Joe Bartholdi Jr. $3,760,165
5 2006–2007 14-17 May 2006 Mirage Poker Showdown United States The Mirage, Las Vegas United States Stanley Weiss $1,320,255
4-8 June 2006 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship United States Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino United States Joseph Tehan $1,033,440
12-16 June 2006 Grand Prix De Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris Denmark Christian Grundtvig $907,066 (€712,500)
26-30 August 2006 Bicycle Casino Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Joe Pelton $1,602,670
15-19 September 2006 Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata, Atlantic City United States Mark Newhouse $1,519,020
16-20 October 2006 Festa Al Lago United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Norway Andreas Walnum $1,090,025
22-30 October 2006 Canadian Poker Open Canada Fallsview Casino Resort United States Scott Clements $222,524 (C$250,027)
25-29 October 2006 North American Poker Championship Canada Fallsview Casino Resort Canada Soren Turkewitsch $1,225,920 (C$1,380,378)
12-16 November 2006 World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino Serbia Nenad Medić $1,717,194
14-19 December 2006 Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Australia Joe Hachem $2,207,575
5-10 January 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure The Bahamas Atlantis Casino and Resort, Paradise Island United States Ryan Daut $1,535,255
21-25 January 2007 World Poker Open United States Binion's Horseshoe, Tunica United States Bryan Sumner $913,986
26-30 January 2007 Borgata Poker Classic United States Borgata, Atlantic City United States John Hennigan $1,606,223
24 February-1 March 2007 L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Eric Hershler $2,429,970
3-5 March 2007 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Adam Weinraub $125,000
12-16 March 2007 Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San José United States Ted Forrest $1,100,000
25-28 March 2007 World Poker Challenge United States Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nevada Vietnam J. C. Tran $683,473
30 March-4 April 2007 Foxwoods Poker Classic United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Raj Patel $1,298,405
21-27 April 2007 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio Resort & Casino, Las Vegas Ecuador Carlos Mortensen (2) $3,970,415
6 2007–2008 19-23 May 2007 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown United States The Mirage, Las Vegas United States Jonathan Little $1,091,295
29 May-2 June 2007 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship United States Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas Canada Shawn Buchanan $768,775
10-15 July 2007 Bellagio Cup III United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Kevin Saul $1,342,320
25-30 August 2007 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Dan Harrington $1,599,865
6-9 September 2007 Gulf Coast Poker Championship United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi United States William Edler $747,615
16-20 September 2007 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Roy Winston $1,575,280
25-30 September 2007 WPT Turks & Caicos Poker Classic Turks and Caicos Islands The Players Club, Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Rhynie Campbell $436,675
11-16 October 2007 WPT Spanish Championship Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain Germany Markus Lehmann $789,592 (€537,000)
26 October-2 November 2007 North American Poker Championships Canada Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario United States Scott Clements (2) $1,505,312 (C$1,456,585)
7-13 November 2007 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Michael Vela $1,704,986
12-18 December 2007 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Ukraine Eugene Katchalov $2,482,605
20-24 January 2008 World Poker Open United States Gold Strike Casino & Resort, Tunica County, Mississippi United States Brett Faustman $892,413
27-31 January 2008 WPT Borgata Poker Classic United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Gavin Griffin $1,401,109
23-28 February 2008 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Phil Ivey $1,596,100
1-3 March 2008 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Van Tuyet Nguyen $125,500
10-14 March 2008 Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States Brandon Cantu $1,000,000
25-28 March 2008 World Poker Challenge United States Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nevada United States Lee Markholt $493,815
4-9 April 2008 Foxwoods Poker Classic United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Erik Seidel $992,890
19-26 April 2008 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas China David Chiu $3,389,140
7 2008–2009 23-27 May 2008 WPT Spanish Championship 2008 Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain Denmark Casper Hansen $662,592 (€425,000)
11-17 July 2008 WPT Bellagio Cup IV United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Canada Mike Watson $1,673,770
23-28 August 2008 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California Vietnam John Phan $1,116,428
14-18 September 2008 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey India Vivek Rajkumar $1,424,500
10-16 October 2008 North American Poker Championships Canada Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada Glen Witmer $1,084,256 (C$1,224,852)
20-25 October 2008 WPT Festa al Lago United States Bellagio, Las Vegas France Bertrand Grospellier $1,411,015
5-11 November 2008 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Jonathan Little (2) $1,120,310
13-19 December 2008 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States David Rheem $1,538,730
14-17 January 2009 WPT Southern Poker Championship United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi United States Allen Carter $1,025,500
21-26 February 2009 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Cornel Andrew Cimpan $1,686,760
28 February-2 March 2009 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Lebanon Freddy Deeb (2) $100,000
16-20 March 2009 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States Steve Brecher $1,025,500
3-8 April 2009 WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Vadim Trincher $731,079
18-25 April 2009 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Ukraine Yevgeniy Timoshenko $2,143,655
8 2009–2010 6-10 May 2009 WPT Venice Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Sweden Sven-Ragnar Arstrom $532,388
26-30 June 2009 WPT Spanish Championship 2008 Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain United States Mark Flowers Jr $386,170 (€277,0000
13-19 July 2009 WPT Bellagio Cup V United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Brazil Alexandre Gomes $1,187,670
22-26 August 2009 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Prahlad Friedman $1,009,000
31 August-4 September 2009 WPT Slovakia Slovakia Golden Vegas, Bratislava, Slovakia Hungary Richard Toth $148,756 (€104,000)
6-12 September 2009 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Cyprus Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino, Kyrenia, Cyprus France Thomas Bichon $579,165
19-24 September 2009 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Olivier Busquet $925,514
16-18 October 2009 WPT Marrakech Morocco Casino de Marrakesh, Marrakesh, Morocco France Christophe Savary $558,515 (€379,014)
21-26 October 2009 WPT Festa al Lago United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Tommy Vedes $1,218,225
5-10 November 2009 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Cornel Andrew Cimpan (2) $910,058
14-19 December 2009 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Daniel Alaei $1,428,430
24-27 January 2010 WPT Southern Poker Championship United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi United States Hoyt Corkins (2) $739,486
20 February 2010 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Leron Washington $100,000
26 February-4 March 2010 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Hungary Andras Koroknai $1,788,001
8-12 March 2010 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States McLean Karr $878,500
20-24 March 2010 WPT Hollywood Poker Open United States Hollywood Casino, Lawrenceburg, Indiana Ecuador Carlos Mortensen (3) $391,212
27 March-2 April 2010 WPT Bucharest Romania Regent Casino, Bucharest, Romania France Guillaume Darcourt $193,387 (€144,530)
18-24 April 2010 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States David Williams $1,530,537
9 2010–2011 8-15 May 2010 WPT Grand Prix de Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris, France Denmark Theo Jørgensen $848,736 (€638,377)
19-23 May 2010 WPT Spanish Championship 2010 Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain Germany Ali Tekintamgac $343,307 (€278,000)
11-15 July 2010 WPT Bellagio Cup VI United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Germany Moritz Kranich $875,150
20-25 August 2010 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Andy Frankenberger $750,000
30 August-4 September 2010 WPT London United Kingdom Palm Beach Casino, London, UK United Kingdom Jake Cody $425,492 (£273,783)
18-23 September 2010 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Dwyte Pilgrim $733,802
15-20 October 2010 WPT Festa al Lago United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Mark Flowers Jr (2) $831,500
28 October-2 November 2010 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Jeff Forrest $548,752
2-6 November 2010 WPT Amneville France Casino Tranchant Seven, Amnéville, France Switzerland Sam El Sayed $594,627 (€426,425)
27-30 November 2010 WPT Marrakech Morocco Casino de Marrakesh, Marrakesh, Morocco Germany Sébastian Homann $341,798 (€250,196)
3-8 December 2010 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Antonio Esfandiari (2) $870,124
23-27 January 2011 WPT Southern Poker Championship United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi Russia Alexander Kuzmin $575,969
3-8 February 2011 WPT Venice Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Italy Alessio Isaia $518,382 (€380,000)
19-20 February 2011 WPT Celebrity Invitational United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Belgium Davidi Kitai $100,000
25 February-3 March 2011 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Gregory Brooks $1,654,120
14-18 March 2011 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States Alan Sternberg $1,039,000
25-29 March 2011 WPT Vienna Austria Montesino Wien, Vienna, Austria Russia Dmitry Gromov $636,733 (€447,840)
30 March-3 April 2011 WPT Slovakia Slovakia Golden Vegas, Bratislava, Slovakia United Kingdom Roberto Romanello $197,861 (€140,685)
9-13 April 2011 WPT Hollywood Poker Open United States Hollywood Casino, Lawrenceburg, Indiana United States Michael Scarborough $273,664
27 April-2 May 2011 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Taylor von Kriegenbergh $1,122,340
14-20 May 2011 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Scott Seiver $1,618,344
10 2011–2012 25-29 May 2011 WPT Spanish Championship 2010 Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain Sweden Lukas Berglund $327,546 (€231,500)
17-21 July 2011 WPT Slovenia Slovenia Grand Casino Portorož, Slovenia Slovenia Miha Travnik $144,399 (€102,623)
25-30 August 2011 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Will Failla $758,085
5-10 September 2011 WPT Grand Prix de Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris, France United States Matthew Waxman $721,178 (€500,000)
18-23 September 2011 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Bobby Oboodi $922,441
20-24 September 2011 WPT Malta Malta Portomaso#Portomaso Casino, St. Julian's, Malta United States Matt Giannetti $276,457 (€200,000)
27 October-1 November 2011 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut United States Daniel Santoro $449,910
1-6 November 2011 WPT Amneville France Casino Tranchant Seven, Amnéville, France France Adrien Allain $471,025 (€336,133)
18-22 November 2011 WPT Jacksonville United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Anthony Ruberto $325,928
24-27 November 2011 WPT Marrakech Morocco Casino de Marrakesh, Marrakesh, Morocco Morocco Mohamed Ali Houssam $214,983 (€159,150)
1-5 December 2011 WPT Prague Czech Republic King's Casino, Prague, Czech Republic Russia Andrey Pateychuk $599,720 (€450,000)
6-10 December 2011 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United Kingdom James Dempsey $821,612
13-18 December 2011 WPT Venice Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Italy Edoardo Alescio $234,597 (€175,000)
5-8 January 2012 WPT Dublin Republic of Ireland Citywest Hotel, Dublin, Ireland United Kingdom David Shallow $289,032 (€222,280)
6-10 February 2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Russia Rinat Bogdanov $301,939 (€229,800)
10-14 February 2012 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Matt Juttelstad $268,444
24-29 February 2012 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Sean Jazayeri $1,370,240
5-9 March 2012 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California South Korea Moon Kim $960,900
10-15 April 2012 WPT Vienna Austria Montesino Wien, Vienna, Austria Denmark Morten Christensen $417,458 (€313,390)
18-23 April 2012 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Tommy Vedes (2) $779,520
27 April-2 May 2012 WPT Jacksonville United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Shawn Cunix $426,100
19-26 May 2012 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas Germany Marvin Rettenmaier $1,196,858
11 2012–2013 4-9 August 2012 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Cyprus Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino, Kyrenia, Cyprus Germany Marvin Rettenmaier (2) $287,784
10-15 August 2012 WPT Parx Open Poker Classic United States Parx Casino, Bensalem, Pennsylvania United States Anthony Gregg $416,127
24-28 August 2012 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Josh Hale $500,000
10-15 September 2012 WPT Grand Prix de Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris Canada Matthew Salsberg $478,415 (€380,000)
16-20 September 2012 WPT Malta Malta Portomaso#Portomaso Casino, St. Julian's, Malta France Yorane Kerignard $155,049 (€120,000)
18-21 September 2012 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Ben Hamnett $818,847
22-26 October 2012 WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic South Africa Emperors Palace Hotel Casino, Johannesburg, South Africa Germany Dominik Nitsche $206,153
9-13 November 2012 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Fall Poker Scramble United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Noah Schwartz $402,972
12-17 November 2012 WPT Copenhagen Denmark Casino Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Sweden Emil Olsson $230,036 (DKr1,346,000)
23-26 November 2012 WPT Montreal Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada Canada Jonathan Roy $779,210
27 November-1 December 2012 WPT Mazagan Morocco Mazagan Beach Resort, El Jadida, Morocco Italy Giacomo Fundaro $166,704 (درهم 4,731,700)
3-9 December 2012 WPT Prague Czech Republic King's Casino, Prague, Czech Republic Poland Marcin Wydrowski $413,667 (€318,295)
4-9 December 2012 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Ravi Raghavan $1,268,571
27 January-1 February 2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Yung Hwang $730,053
8-12 February 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Matt Giannetti (2) $298,304
19-24 February 2013 WPT Baden Austria Casinos Austria, Baden, Austria Serbia Vladimir Bozinovic $247,588 (€185,000)
23-28 February 2013 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Canada Paul Klann $1,004,090
4-8 March 2013 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States WeiKai Chang $1,138,350
25-30 March 2013 Gioco Digitale WPT Venice Grand Prix Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Italy Rocco Palumbo $180,692 (€140,000)
5-10 April 2013 bwin WPT Barcelona Spain Casino Barcelona, Barcelona Spain Canada Chanracy Khun $232,487 (€181,400)
11-16 April 2013 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Kevin Eyster $660,395
26-30 April 2013 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Open United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Mike Linster $296,521
3-9 May 2013 partypoker WPT Canadian Spring Championship Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada Canada Amir Babakhani $430,986 (C$442,248)
18-24 May 2013 WPT World Championship United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States David Rheem (2) $1,150,297
12 2013–2014 16-21 August 2013 bwin WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Cyprus Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino, Kyrenia, Cyprus Russia Alexey Rybin $258,000
29 August-4 September 2013 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Jordan Cristos $613,355
15-20 September 2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Anthony Zinno $825,099
25-30 October 2013 bwin WPT Grand Prix de Paris France Aviation Club de France, Paris United States Mohsin Charania $449,856 (€328,750)
7-11 November 2013 WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic South Africa Emperors Palace Hotel Casino, Johannesburg, South Africa South Africa Daniel Brits $132,128
15-19 November 2013 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Fall Poker Scramble United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Jared Jaffee $252,749
19-24 November 2013 WPT Caribbean Sint Maarten Casino Royale, St. Maarten United States Tony Dunst $145,000
29 November-5 December 2013 partypoker WPT Montreal Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada United States Derrick Rosenbarger $517,049
6-11 December 2013 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Dan Smith $1,161,135
15-19 December 2013 WPT Korea South Korea Ramada Hotel, Jeju, South Korea Japan Masato Yokosawa $100,000
15-21 December 2013 bwin WPT Prague Czech Republic Andel's Hotel & Card Casino, Prague, Czech Republic Germany Julian Thomas $280,097 (€206,230)
26-31 January 2014 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Robert Merulla $842,379
7-11 February 2014 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open United States Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida United States James Calderaro $271,103
22-24 February 2014 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic Canada Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada Matthew Lapossie $326,235 (C$363,197)
1-6 March 2014 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United Kingdom Chris Moorman $1,015,460
10-14 March 2014 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States James Carroll $1,256,550
10-15 March 2014 Gioco Digitale WPT Venice Carnival Italy Casino Di Venezia, Venice, Italy Italy Andrea Dato $145,439 (€104,822)
15-19 March 2014 WPT Rolling Thunder United States Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Lincoln, California Vietnam J. C. Tran (2) $302,750
21-25 March 2014 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Open United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Nabil Hirezi $206,041
10-16 April 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida Canada Eric Afriat $1,081,184
21-26 April 2014 WPT World Championship United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Keven Stammen $1,350,000
13 2014–2015 1-6 July 2014 partypoker presents WPT500 Aria United States Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas South Korea Sean Yu $260,000
23-29 August 2014 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Harry Arutyunyan $560,969
5-10 September 2014 partypoker WPT Merit Classic North Cyprus Cyprus Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino, Kyrenia, Cyprus Russia Alexander Lakhov $325,400
14-19 September 2014 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Darren Elias $843,744
3-7 November 2014 WPT Caribbean Sint Maarten Casino Royale, St. Maarten United States Darren Elias (2) $127,680
7-11 November 2014 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Bounty Scramble United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Ryan Van Sanford $421,668
9-16 November 2014 partypoker presents WPT500 Nottingham England Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham, England United Kingdom Eleanor Gudger $222,176 (£140,000)
14-16 November 2014 WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic South Africa Emperors Palace Hotel Casino, Johannesburg, South Africa United States Dylan Wilkerson $145,836
18-23 November 2014 partypoker WPT Nottingham England Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham, England Lithuania Matas Cimbolas $313,327 (£200,000)
20-26 November 2014 partypoker WPT Montreal Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada United States Jonathan Jaffe $409,657 (C$464,252)
15-20 December 2014 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Mohsin Charania (2) $1,177,890
25-30 January 2015 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Aaron Mermelstein $712,305
5-11 February 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Brian Altman $723,008
13-16 February 2015 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic Canada Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario United States Anthony Zinno (2) $302,235 (C$380,021)
28 February-5 March 2015 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles United States Anthony Zinno (3) $1,015,860
9-13 March 2015 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California United States Taylor Paur $1,214,200
12-17 March 2015 partypoker WPT Vienna Austria Montesino Wien, Vienna, Austria Greece Konstantinos Nanos $159,464 (€150,000)
15-19 March 2015 WPT Rolling Thunder United States Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Lincoln, California United States Ravee Mathi Sundar $266,857
16-22 April 2015 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Griffin Paul $1,000,000
25-29 April 2015 WPT World Championship United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Asher Conniff $973,683
14 2015–2016 1-6 May 2015 partypoker WPT Canadian Spring Championship Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada Canada Sheraz Nasir $197,025 (C$237,390)
11-16 May 2015 WPT Amsterdam Netherlands Holland Casino Amsterdam City centre, Netherlands Morocco Farid Yachou $225,073 (€201,000)
31 May-6 July 2015 partypoker presents WPT500 Aria United States Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas United States Craig Varnell $185,800
31 July-4 August 2015 WPT Choctaw United States Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, Durant, Oklahoma United States Jason Brin $667,575
29 August-4 September 2015 WPT Legends of Poker United States The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, Bell Gardens, California United States Mike Shariati $675,942
20-25 September 2015 WPT Borgata Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States David Paredes $723,227
25-29 September 2015 WPT Maryland Live United States Live! Casino & Hotel, Hanover, Maryland United States Aaron Mermelstein (2) $250,222
24 October-3 November 2015 partypoker presents WPT500 Nottingham England Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham, England Wales Richard Harris $230,641 (£150,000)
30 October-1 November 2015 WPT Emperors Palace Poker Classic South Africa Emperors Palace Hotel Casino, Johannesburg, South Africa South Africa Ben Cade $100,218 (ZAR1,382,000)
3-8 November 2015 partypoker WPT Nottingham England Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham, England United Kingdom Iaron Lightbourne $308,766 (£200,000)
6-10 November 2015 WPT Jacksonville bestbet Bounty Scramble United States BestBet Poker Room Jacksonville, Florida United States Tyler Patterson $375,270
13-19 November 2015 partypoker WPT Montreal Canada Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Canada United States Jared Mahoney $341,332 (C$453,122)
1-6 December 2015 partypoker WPT Prague Czech Republic King's Casino, Prague, Czech Republic Spain Javier Gomez $185,110 (€175,000)
14-19 December 2015 Five Diamond World Poker Classic United States Bellagio, Las Vegas United States Kevin Eyster (2) $1,587,382
31 January-5 February 2016 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open United States Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey United States Christopher Leong $816,246
21-24 February 2016 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic Canada Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada David Ormsby $278,426 (C$383,407)
27 February-3 March 2016 WPT L.A. Poker Classic United States Commerce Casino, Los Angeles Germany Dietrich Fast $1,000,800
7-11 March 2016 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star United States Bay 101, San Jose, California Germany Stefan Schillhabel $1,298,000
12-16 March 2016 WPT Rolling Thunder United States Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Lincoln, California United States Harrison Gimbel $275,112
15-20 March 2016 partypoker WPT Vienna Austria Montesino Wien, Vienna, Austria Romania Vlad Darie $174,735 (€157,000)
15-20 April 2016 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States Justin Young $669,161
17-21 April 2016 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Finale United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida United States David Rheem (3) $705,885
22-24 April 2016 Monster WPT Tournament of Champions United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida Morocco Farid Yachou (2) $381,600
15 2016–2017 United States Seth Davies $
Serbia Andjelko Andrejevic $
United States James Mackey $
United States Pat Lyons $
United States Jesse Sylvia $
United States Zachary Smiley $
United States Sam Panzica $
Spain Luis Rodriguez Cruz $
United States Mike Sexton $
United Kingdom Niall Farrell $
Ukraine Oleg Vasylchenko $
United States James Romero $
United States Daniel Weinman $
Canada Ema Zajmović $
United States Darren Elias (3) $
United States Daniel Strelitz $
United States Sam Panzica (2) $
United States Mike Del Vecchio $
United States Tony Sinishtaj $
United States Ryan Riess $
United States Daniel Weinman (2) $
16 2017–2018 Taiwan Pete Chen $
Kazakhstan Daniel Daniyar $
United States Jay Lee $
United States Art Papazyan $
China Guo Liang Chen $
United States Art Papazyan (2) $
United States Paul Petraglia $
Canada Maxime Heroux $
United States Ryan Tosoc $
Germany Ole Schemion $
United States Darryll Fish $
Canada Eric Afriat (2) $
Canada Mike Leah $
United States Dennis Blieden $
United States David Larson $
United Kingdom Scott Margereson $
Netherlands Rens Feenstra $
United States Larry Greenberg $
United States Darren Elias (4) $
United States Matthew Waxman (2) $
17 2018–2019 United States Simon Lam $
United States Brady Holiman $
United States Erkut Yilmaz $
United States Tony Ruberto $
Vietnam Tony Tran $
Canada Patrick Serda $
Moldova Pavel Plesuv $
United States Dylan Linde $
United States Frank Stepuchin $
Ukraine Denys Shafikov $
United States Vinicius Lima $
Canada Demo Kiriopoulos $
United States David "ODB" Baker $
United States Erkut Yilmaz (2) $
Latvia Vitalijs Zavorotnijs $
United States Ben Palmer $
United States James Carroll (2) $
United States Craig Varnell $
United States Matthew Wantman $
Germany Ole Schemion (2) $
18 2019–2021 United States Roger Teska $
United States Aaron Van Blarcum $
United States Donald Maloney $
United States Nitis Udornpim $
Sweden Simon Brändström $
United States Josh Adkins $
Canada Geoffrey Hum $
Bulgaria Milen Stefanov $
United States Alex Foxen $
United States Markus Gonsalves $
United States Brian Altman (2) $
Russia Aleksey Badulin $
Canada Veerab Zakarian $
Germany Christopher Pütz $
Canada Eric Afriat (3) $
United States Balakrishna Patur $
Vietnam Tony Tran (2) $
Sweden Christian Jeppsson $
United Kingdom Gavin Cochrane $
United States Nick Petrangelo $
Republic of Ireland Daniel Smyth $
Russia Andrey Kotelnikov $
United Kingdom Phillip Mighall $
United States Soheb Porbandarwala $
United Kingdom Jack Hardcastle $
United States Ilyas Muradi $
Russia Maksim Sekretarev $
United States Qing Liu $
United States Brek Schutten $
19 2021–2022 Germany Christian Rudolph $
United States Brian Altman (3) $
United States Chad Eveslage $
United States Adedapo Ajayi $
$
$
$
$
$

Records

[edit]

Information correct as of May 24, 2024

Titles
Rank Name Titles
1 United States Darren Elias 4
2 Canada Eric Afriat 3
United States Brian Altman
Denmark Gus Hansen
Ecuador Carlos Mortensen
United States David Rheem
United States Anthony Zinno
Final tables
Rank Name Final tables
1 United States Darren Elias 13
2 United States Phil Ivey 9
3 Vietnam Scotty Nguyen 8
4 Canada Eric Afriat 7
United States Brian Altman
United States Tony Dunst
United States Darryll Fish
Denmark Gus Hansen
United States Michael Mizrachi
Canada Daniel Negreanu
Vietnam David Pham
Vietnam J.C. Tran
United States Anthony Zinno
Money finishes
Rank Name Money finishes
1 United States Darren Elias 46
2 United States Anthony Zinno 39
3 United States Brian Altman 34
4 United States Jake Schwartz 33
T5 United States Mohsin Charania 32
United States Justin Zaki

Record winnings

[edit]

The largest win in a WPT event is the $5,282,954 paid to Daniel Sepiol for winning the season-ending WPT Championship for season 21.

Progression of largest winnings

[edit]

The progression of the "highest payout" through the history of the WPT, starting with the win by Gus Hansen in Event 1 of WPT Season 1. Entries have declined since the poker boom ended, with no increase in "highest payout" for a number of years – the highest has not increased since an event in 2007.

Season Event Winner Prize
1 #1 – Five Diamond World Poker Classic 2002 Denmark Gus Hansen $556,480
1 #6 – World Poker Open 2003 United Kingdom Dave Ulliott $589,175
2 #5 – World Poker Finals 2003 United States Hoyt Corkins $1,089,200
2 #6 – Five Diamond World Poker Classic 2003 United States Paul Phillips $1,101,980
2 #8 – World Poker Open 2004 United States Barry Greenstein $1,278,370
2 #9 – LA Poker Classic 2004 United States Antonio Esfandiari $1,399,135
3 #7 – World Poker Finals 2004 Vietnam Tuan Le $1,549,588
3 #8 – Five Diamond World Poker Classic 2004 Canada Daniel Negreanu $1,759,218
3 #11 – LA Poker Classic 2005 United States Michael Mizrachi $1,859,909
4 #7 – World Poker Finals 2005 United States Nick Schulman $2,142,000
4 #12 – LA Poker Classic 2006 United States Alan Goehring $2,391,550
5 #14 – LA Poker Classic 2007 United States Eric Hershler $2,429,970
6 #11 – Doyle Brunson Classic 2007 Ukraine Eugene Katchalov $2,482,605

WPT World Championship ($25,000 buy-in)

[edit]

Each WPT season culminates with the $25,000 buy-in WPT World Championship (simply the WPT Championship before season 9). As with regular events, the prize pool has declined since the poker boom ended: participants dropped from a peak of 639 in 2007, to 146 in 2013. The WPT organizers reacted by dropping the buy-in to $15,000 from 2014 onwards, limiting participation to winners of WPT events since the start of the series, and changing the name again, to WPT Tournament of Champions. There has been no increase in "highest payout" since the $3,970,415 at the 2005 World Championship, and the top prize has consistently been under $500,000 since the 2016 World Championship. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the WPT rebranded its World Championship event with a $10,000 buy-in open tournament in 2022 and 2023, hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas. Both events set WPT records in field size and prize pools guarantees, with the 2023 edition prize pool guarantee of 40 million setting a poker industry record and a top prize of over $5 million.

Season Event Winner Prize
1 WPT Championship – Season I United States Alan Goehring $1,011,866
2 WPT Championship – Season II Sweden Martin de Knijff $2,728,356
3 WPT Championship – Season III Vietnam Tuan Le $2,856,150
4 WPT Championship – Season IV United States Joe Bartholdi Jr. $3,760,165
5 WPT Championship – Season V Ecuador Carlos Mortensen $3,970,415
6 WPT Championship – Season VI China David Chiu $3,389,140
7 WPT Championship – Season VII Ukraine Yevgeniy Timoshenko $2,149,960
8 WPT Championship – Season VIII United States David Williams $1,530,537
9 WPT World Championship – Season IX United States Scott Seiver $1,618,344
10 WPT World Championship – Season X Germany Marvin Rettenmaier $1,196,858
11 WPT World Championship – Season XI United States David Rheem $1,150,279
12 WPT World Championship – Season XII United States Keven Stammen $1,350,000
13 WPT World Championship – Season XIII United States Asher Conniff $973,683
14 WPT Tournament of Champions – Season XIV Morocco Farid Yachou $381,600
15 WPT Tournament of Champions – Season XV United States Daniel Weinman $381,500
16 WPT Tournament of Champions – Season XVI United States Matthew Waxman $463,375
17 WPT Tournament of Champions – Season XVII Germany Ole Schemion $440,395
18–19 No events
20 WPT World Championship 2022 Canada Eliot Hudon $4,136,000
21 WPT World Championship 2023 United States Daniel Sepiol $5,282,954

WPT Ladies

[edit]

In January 2008, the WPT announced a set of tournaments for women, known as WPT Ladies.[27] The first season had five events, with buy-ins ranging from $300 to $1,500. Nancy Todd finished first in the Ladies Championship with Vanessa Selbst finishing second. There are currently no WPT Ladies events scheduled.

WPT Walk of Fame

[edit]

The World Poker Tour Walk of Fame was designed to honor those poker players who have played the game well at the highest levels as well as those who have promoted the spread of it through film, television, and literature.

The first inductees were poker legends Doyle Brunson and Gus Hansen, as well as actor James Garner.[28]

In February 2004, the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame inducted its second members at the Commerce Casino in a ceremony before top pros and celebrities in town for the World Poker Tour Invitational Poker Tournament. The induction ceremony was staged on the doorstep of Commerce Casino.

No new players have been inducted since 2004.[citation needed]

WPT Honors Award

[edit]

The WPT Honors Award launched in early 2017, with Ms. Linda Johnson named as the first recipient.[29] Later that year, 15-year WPT commentator Mike Sexton and gaming industry icon Bruno Fitoussi became the second and third honorees.[30] In 2018, Steve Lipscomb and Lyle Berman each received the fourth and fifth honors.[31]

The WPT Honors Award is the WPT's highest honor, awarded to members of the poker industry in celebration and appreciation of exceptional contributions made to the World Poker Tour and the poker community as a whole. Presented as determined by WPT CEO Adam Pliska and the World Poker Tour, the WPT Honors Award is given in recognition to those who distinguish themselves by excellence and dedication beyond expectations.

WPT Honors Award Recipients

[edit]

Deal

[edit]

A fictional WPT championship match is the setting for the 2007 feature film Deal. Sexton, Van Patten, and Friel play themselves and a number of other poker professionals and poker-playing celebrities are reportedly in the cast. The WPT set was shipped to New Orleans for filming following the season 4 championship.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Burton, Earl (2006-06-07). "2006 World Series of Poker Bracelet Unveiled". PokerNews. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  2. ^ "Ninety-Six Bracelets To Be Handed Out In One Day!". Bluff Europe Magazine. 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  3. ^ Osborne, Alistair (November 9, 2009). "PartyGaming buys World Poker Tour". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  4. ^ "World Poker Tour Announces Alliance With Ourgame in asia".
  5. ^ Peters, Donnie (2015-06-21). "Ourgame International Acquires World Poker Tour for $35 Million". PokerNews. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  6. ^ Costelloe, Kevin (30 March 2021). "Allied Esports Revised Deal with Element for World Poker Tour". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Law.com". Law.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  8. ^ Hintze, Haley (April 19, 2008). "World Poker Tour Settles Player Release Lawsuit". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  9. ^ World Poker Tour (17 August 2016). "World Poker Tour® and Fox Sports Sign Historic Five-Year Deal". WPT.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  10. ^ Sofen, Jon (2022-02-27). "Vince Van Patten Still Passionate About Poker as World Poker Tour Turns 20". PokerNews. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  11. ^ World Poker Tour (22 May 2017). "Tony Dunst Replaces Mike Sexton as WPT Commentator After Historic 15-Year Career". WPT.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  12. ^ Sofen, Jon (2024-07-02). "WPT Announcer Tony Dunst Wins Third World Series of Poker Bracelet". PokerNews. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  13. ^ Ryan, Rich (2013-09-03). "Lynn Gilmartin to Replace Kimberly Lansing as World Poker Tour Anchor". PokerNews.
  14. ^ Faulk, Natalie (2019-01-18). "When Shana Hiatt Took on the World Poker Tour". Upswing Poker. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  15. ^ "Media Game WPT World Championship Level 28: 400,000-800,000 - World Poker Tour". www.worldpokertour.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  16. ^ Holloway, Chad (2013-07-18). "WPT Announces Alpha8 Series Super High-Roller Tournaments; Lynn Gilmartin New Anchor". PokerNews.
  17. ^ "BT Sports Broadcasts WPT in UK and Ireland". February 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "WPT®, Grupo Salinas and TV Azteca to Bring WPT Assets to Growing Latin America Audience". www.businesswire.com. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  19. ^ "About ClubWPT". ClubWPT. World Poker Tour. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  20. ^ Nuwwarah, Mo (2016-09-02). "World Poker Tour Launches Social Casino Game PlayWPT". PokerNews.
  21. ^ World Poker Tour (31 August 2016). "World Poker Tour® Launches PlayWPT™". WPT.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
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