World Poker Tour - Top Poker Players Compete
At the annual World Poker Tour, top poker players battle it out in a series of poker tournaments to win the elusive WPT bracelet.
Brief History of the World Poker Tour
The WPT first started in 2002-3, where the championship took place at the infamous Bellagio Casino, Las Vegas. The idea of the WPT was conceived and implemented by Steven Lipscomb, who had a background in both law and television production. Today, Lipscomb’s job is the prestigious CEO of WPT Enterprises (also known as WPTE), which is fair enough, given the guy’s genius original idea. The WPT is sponsored by casinos on and off line. While it is indeed an international event, the bulk of the WTP tournaments are held in the USA.
What Happens at the World Poker Tour
The WPT is basically a whole slew of Texas Hold’em Poker tournaments that are played around the world (although in practice, most of these tournaments take place in America). What makes the WPT interesting however, is that these tournaments are broadcast over live TV and thus the poker game itself has gained popularity in people’s homes as well as casinos both on and off line. What poker players also like about the TV version of the tournament is its hosts – World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten. The two make quite an entertaining team for this already exciting venture. There are other big names involved too, all who have either a strong poker or entertainment background. The game has been broadcast for over 6 seasons and still remains one of the top watched programs on cable television. Some of the past tournament shows can even be bought on DVD today! It is that popular.
What Else Makes the World Poker Tour Exciting
What really makes the WPT exciting is that the lay poker player can participate. The WPT is not exclusively for top, professional poker players. Anyone who wants to dabble (who has the money), can. The way one enters is by “buying in” to it which means he or she has to put up anywhere between $2-5,000. If money isn’t your thing, no worries, you can just win a “satellite” tournament. Doing the latter is what has led to some nobody poker players getting their foot in the door and becoming a somebody poker player after their WPT appearance. There is such a high level of respect for anyone who has won at WPT; it is a great honor to be in that position if you are a poker player.
The Future for the World Poker Tour
The WPT is going from strength to strength. There are even plans for a WPT Ladies. It will begin a little less dramatic, with five events and buy-ins ranging from $3-500 but it will get there. It will be interesting to see how popular its televised final table will be!