Monster WPT Tournament of Champions Update

Friday marked the start of the first ever WPT Tournament of Champions. Really, this is just a newly branded WPT Championship, but with a new name and a few changes to the rules. We recently discussed one of these major rule changes that included the introduction of a shot clock in the tournament. Designed to keep play moving by giving players 30 seconds to make a decision, the shot clock was met with open arm by all players. Other changes included a ton of added prizes that award the winner a new car, custom watch; and even a round of golf with Tiger Woods. Day one saw 64 players, all past champions on the WPT. By the end of the day, only 31 remained. Farid Yachou leads the field with 216,700 chips. He got much of his leading stack by busting Marvin Rettenmaier shortly before the end of the day. Yachou opened a pot with KK and saw all the chips go in the middle against Pocket Jacks for Rettenmaier. Kings would hold to give Yachou the chip lead, and a good shot at winning. Yachou is a new entry on the list of WPT winners. He won $215,000 and outlasted a field of 341 players at the WPT Amsterdam. Michael Mizrachi was just behind the chip leader with 210,100 chips. Mizrachi, a two time WPT winner is the favorite in the field after many notable pros were busted on day 1. Of those who failed to make it past the opening day – Scott Clements, Dan Smith, Tony Dunst, and Antonio Esfandiari. Also unable to make it on to day 2 was newly crowned WPT Player of the Year – Mike Shariati. Andy Frankenberger, Matt Salsberg, Keven Stamman, and John “World” Hennigan were some of the more prominent pros to make past day 1. Play resumes Saturday with the end of the day coming when they reach the final table of 6 players. The tournament is being held at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Florida. The top 8 players will make the money with a minimum payout of $38,160. First place will receive $381,600, along with an estimated $150,000 in prizes. A solid gold MasterCard, 2016 Corvette, Custom poker tables, and a custom Hublot watch are just a few of the prizes the winner can expect.