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World Poker Tour
Just as in any major sport, poker has its own professional players and tournaments. One such tournament is the World Poker Tour (WPT). The WPT is a relatively new part of the poker world having been inaugurated in late 2002. The tournaments were started by television producer Steven Lipscomb and have become one of the poker television broadcasts that helped to elevate the stature and popularity of poker.
The WPT is a set of Texas Hold’Em poker tournaments held worldwide while being taped and aired on various television networks. Initially the availability of theses shows were limited to specialty channels however the show made an American national network premiere in February of 2004. The resulting boom in poker play has spawned many newcomers the game increasing the number of home games and online poker sites.
Not surprisingly, many of these online poker sites sponsor the WPT events. With the increase in the number of players playing the game, many people have been drawn to the WPT to test their skills against many of the top professionals. Anyone capable of putting up the buy-in amount for an event or who can qualify by other means such as online satellite tournaments is eligible to play. Buy-in amounts can range anywhere from $5000 to $25000.
Players in the WPT are awarded points based on their performance during various tournaments. For instance, 1000 points are given to the winner while 700 go to the runner up. From there each place below receives 100 fewer points and at the end of the season the points are tallied and the player with the highest total is awarded the Player of the Year.
Although the WPT offers large payouts for wins, the World Series of Poker Texas Hold’Em main event is still seen as the epitome of Hold’Em poker. However, many past winners of the World Series of Poker compete in WPT events. The tour even started a WPT walk of fame in 2004 and inaugurated 2 time World Series of Poker champion Doyle Brunson.
As a television program, many viewers enjoy the ability to see each player’s hole cards making it possible to see each players strategy and getting an inside look at how the professionals play the game. The show has also spawned many other poker programs that have further put Texas Hold’Em poker into the mainstream of popular culture.
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