by PokerShark.com Reporter Javier Santana
The World Poker Tour is a series of televised poker tournaments that are held mainly in the United States. The World Poker Tour was created by Lyle Berman and Steve Lipscomb, with the idea to establish poker as a mainstream televised event. Hosting the show is Mike Sexton, who has quite the background in poker, winning several tournaments and even a World Series of Poker bracelet. Mike also retains his position as the spokesman for the ever-popular PartyPoker website. Mike is more widely known as the “Ambassador of Poker” due to his many affiliations with various card game events. The broadcast of the show debuted in the spring of 2003 on the Travel Channel, with the premise that anyone who can pay the buy-in, (which ranges from $2,500 to $25,000), or has won one of the satellite tournaments, can participate in the matches. Some of the main sponsors of the show included online card game sits and casinos. In April, the Bellagio Casino of Las Vegas hosted the tour, where it was recorded for the first season’s debut. Currently, the World Poker Tour holds the throne of being one of the highest rated television shows on American cable.
Each show includes various views of the player’s held cards via a small camera in the table. Consisting of Texas Holdem no-limit matches, tournament tables are taped in varying order, finalizing with the top 6 players’ table. Among the entertaining aspects of the show, the viewer is able to watch the player’s moves and bluffs, as they know what each player is currently holding on the flop. The suspense builds as the flop is shown on the table and the viewers can gauge the player’s reactions. Apart from the player’s visceral reactions, viewers can also watch the bluffs and tactics that each player has as the action transpires throughout the match.
The World Poker Tour has created a “Walk of Fame” for their top poker players, which is dedicated to honoring competitors that have competed with the best of the best. The first members inducted into the ceremony were Doyle Brunson, Gus Hansen, and James Garner. No new players have been introduced since 2004, which sets a high standard for the quality of player necessary to be nominated for the Walk of Fame.
Recently, it came to light that PartyGaming plans to buy World Poker Tour from WPTE for close to $12,000,000. This comes with the news that the World Poker Tour will now have close to 12 million players via PartyGaming’s various franchises to include in on tournaments in the form of both viewers and participants. One can only surmise that such a great combination will further promote the prestigious World Poker Tour beyond its already expansive borders.
Many players have used the World Poker Tour as a stepping stone into other championship tournaments. Some players, such as Daniel Negreanu, have dominated the World Poker Tour’s tournaments. In 2004, Negreanu won two titles within the World Poker Tour, leading to what he considers his best year in poker. Following the wins of both the Five Diamond World Poker Classic and Borgata Poker Open, Negreanu found himself atop the list of the World Poker Tour leader board, a feat by no means small. Using the experience that Negreanu has collected in his time has allowed him to make several instructional videos, tutor celebrities, and even have his own video game franchise. Currently, Negreanu has been competing in the World Series of Poker tournaments and ranking from between 2nd to 43rd in his illustrious list of poker wins.
Another player renowned for their monumental achievements in the World Poker Tour is Gus Hansen, an intellectual powerhouse that started his career by playing backgammon in Denmark. In his first World Poker Tour, Hansen beat out 146 opponents for a total of close to $600,000, which earned him a seat at four more World Poker Tour final tables and three World Poker Tour special events. Hansen enjoys his nickname of “The Great Dane”, referring to the intimidation factor he brings to the table. He has a recurring theme of running with aggressive hands, playing almost any combination of cards dealt to him to trick the other players into calling his bluff, which nets him many chips to his opponent’s dismay. To this day, Gus Hansen is the only player to have won three World Poker Tour open tournaments. We can only hope to see more of this power house in the near future!
