World Poker TourWorld Poker Tour, also called WPT, is a major poker event that draws thousands of professional poker players from all over the world each series. The WPT may be held anywhere in the world, but it is most commonly held in the USA. This is a major poker tournament that is being broadcasted annually and brought to millions of homes worldwide. Like all other poker tournaments, be it major events or not, WPT has done its share in promoting the card game of poker and has contributed greatly to the poker boom we see right now not only in brick-and-mortar casinos but online casinos as well.
The Launch of World Poker TourThis poker tour was launched during the concluding months of 2002 and the early months of 2003, with the championship occurring in April of 2003. It was the brainchild of Steven Lipscomb, a television producer as well as an attorney in the United States of America, who is now the CEO of WPT Enterprises, the company that has full control over the WPT series and all rights associated with it.His idea was to have a series of poker tournaments consisting of Texas Hold�em, the most popular poker variation. The tour was held in various prestigious casinos all over the United States, and to add flair to the major event, they were even held aboard cruise ships. To host the show, the company picked Mike Sexton, a professional poker player who has also won a WSOP bracelet, and Vince Van Patten, an actor as well as co-owner of the Hollywood Poker. Party Poker, thinking of marketing itself through this newly-launched poker tour, became one of the sponsors of WPT together with other brick-and-mortar and online casinos. Major television companies have also covered the first season of the WPT, among which are the Travel Channel and the NBC. But last year though, WPTE made the announcement that it was transferring the series to GSN for the WPT�s sixth season and next year to Fox Sports Net for its seventh.
What Drew Poker Players to WPT?Aside from the fact that WPT offers one of the biggest cash prizes to its winners, anybody who has the ability to pay for the buy-in fee can join the poker tour, and the buy-in fee ranges from $2,500 to $25,000. Plus, any poker player who has also won in a satellite tournament is welcome to enter the tournament to compete with the world�s finest professional poker players.Another reason why many join this poker tournament is because it can give them a big ego boost. Who would not want to get included in the WPT Walk of Fame, anyway? A lot of the aspiring and professional poker players want to have their pictures hang next to poker celebrities like James Garner and Doyle Brunson as well as Gus Hansen.
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