World Poker Tour
admin on December 17th, 2008
If the World Series of Poker is the world’s most popular annual poker event, then the World Poker Tour may be the world’s most popular ongoing poker series.
Since its inception in 2002 World Poker Tour events have been held in lavish sites throughout the world, attracting some of the game’s most prestigious poker stars and would-be up-and-comers. The World Poker Tour also boasts some of land-based poker’s biggest cash prizes, often well into the millions of dollars.
Every World Poker Tour tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem freeze-out tournament (also known as a shootout) with the playing field winnowing down player-by-player until just 6 six players are left.
The 6-player final table is then usually broadcast on national (and sometimes international) television and played out in front of a live audience.
Commentators for the event are Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton. The tele-broadcast also has a beautiful show hostess and sideline interviewer/reporter, originally Shana Hiatt but now changing year-to-year.
The winner-take-all final table continues until only one player is left, and crowned a WPT Champion.
The World Poker Tour hosts many special events as well, including:
• The Bicycle Casino Legends of Poker
• Borgata Poker Open
• Foxwoods World Poker Finals
• Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic
• Bay 101 Shooting Star
And the pinnacle of every WPT season, the World Poker Tour World Championship.
Many online poker rooms, including some of the internet’s top poker sites, host satellite qualifiers and other special promotional events with prizes that include free entries into these various World Poker Tour land-based events, most often bundled as an all-expenses-paid prize package. Players also often earn their seats by redeeming PokerStars FPPs (Frequent Player Points) or the comparable currency of other top poker rooms’ loyalty programs.
