World Poker Tour (WPT)

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The World Poker Tour (WPT) is one of the longest-standing and most influential poker tours in the world, right alongside the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

First founded in 2002 by television producer Steven Lipscomb, WPT has been organizing open poker tournaments for over two decades, hosting many of the biggest and most prestigious poker events every year.

Over the decades, WPT has grown and expanded in many ways, introducing events across different markets, buyin levels, and game types.

While the Tour started as a series of high buyin tournaments, WPT introduced a number of side tours, such as WPT National and WPT Prime, that feature lower and more accessible buyins for the wider poker audience.

Still, WPT continues to be focused on the Main Tour, which includes a number of high buyin tournaments spread across the year, many of which are played on American soil.

To date, WPT events have been played in dozens of locations across the continents, with many of the world’s biggest names starting their careers playing and winning various WPT events.

History of the World Poker Tour

World poker tour WPT

The World Poker Tour (WPT), founded in 2002, is one of the oldest and most significant poker tours on the planet.

With hundreds of poker festivals played over its long history in dozens of countries and several continents, WPT is the most international poker tour ever assembled.

Originally founded by Steve Lipscomb over two decades ago, the WPT has grown from a modest poker tour to a major worldwide phenomenon that regularly attracts many of the biggest names in the world of poker.

WPT has had to adjust to the times and change its buyins and formats many times throughout its history, but the essence of the tour has never changed.

To this day, WPT remains committed to providing players with a healthy and competitive atmosphere in which money is not the only reward but also the trophies and titles that come with winning WPT events.

Few other tours can boast the place of WPT in poker lore. With each passing year, the WPT continues to improve and offers even more reasons for players to get excited when they hear about the next WPT event coming to their backyard.

While WPT’s history is very long, and an entire book could be written about it, we will try to look back at some of the key moments that made WPT what it is today.

Other notable tours:

2002 – Gus Hansen Wins the Inaugural WPT Event

The first season of WPT kicked off with the Five Diamond Poker Classic, a tournament that has since become a legendary staple of the Tour.

The inaugural event remains famous to this day for one thing: Gus Hansen’s victory. This young Danish player was making a name for himself by playing an ultra-aggressive style of poker that few other players would dare attempt.

Hansen bested another John Juanda, who would go on to become a poker legend in his own right, in the heads-up duel and won the first WPT prize of $556,460 in the tournament.

Hansen would go on to win the L.A. Poker Classic that same year, becoming the first two-time WPT champion and setting him on a path to becoming one of the greatest names in the poker industry for decades to come.

While Gus may have lost the WPT Player of the Year title to Howard Lederer that year, his later achievements would make him a much more memorable character for poker fans around the world.

2002 – Hole Card Cam Enhances the Viewing Experience

When the first season of WPT was aired, most of the poker you could see in the media was pretty boring to watch. The reason, of course, was the inability to see players’ cards during hands.

In 1995, Henry Orenstein patented the “hole card cam,” an invention that would forever change poker in the media.

WPT was the first poker tour to fully utilize this technology, and season 1 of the show already used hole card cams to show the fans what everyone was holding.

This, combined with Chris Moneymaker’s win at the WSOP Main Event in 2003, allowed poker fans to “play with their heroes” and imagine themselves in the roles of the players at the tables.

Needless to say, this led to the game of poker growing from a niche activity to a fairly mainstream game, with millions of players around the world starting to enjoy Texas Hold’em Poker on a nearly daily basis.

2003 – Poker Legends Emerge on the WPT

If you only started playing poker or watching it on TV in 2010 or later, names like Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Antonio Esfandiari, Erick Lindgren, or David “Chino” Rheem may seem like they were always around.

However, one thing all of them share is that they more-or-less started their tournament careers on the WPT, being named champions during the early seasons of the Tour.

WPT has launched more poker legends than any other poker tour, serving as the stepping stone for so many of the players who are household names these days.

Poker “old timers” like Phil Hellmuth, Eli Elezra, Mike Mattusow, and the late Doyle Brunson all made WPT their home for years, winning titles and millions of dollars while cementing their names in the poker history books.

2003 – Legendary Commentary Team of WPT

While players were always the main focus of the WPT, another thing that made it special was the two voices that followed the Tour for nearly two decades: the late Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.

Mike Sexton remains one of the greatest legends of the poker world. His incredible impact on the WPT and the poker industry as a whole will never be forgotten.

From 2002 to 2017, Sexton joined Van Patten in the commentary booth and helped the fans at home understand what was going on at the tables, creating an even more complete experience for the viewers.

Although Mike Sexton is no longer with us, the WPT bestowed him the honor of naming their trophy “Mike Sexton WPT Champion’s Cup,” forever etching his name into the history of the Tour.

2009 – Adam Pliska Takes Over as CEO

Along with the likes of Mike Sexton, Adam Pliska remains one of the most impactful figures for the World Poker Tour.

Pliska became the CEO and President of WPT in 2009 but has been with the Tour since its inception and has always been one of the integral figures that led WPT to its current success.

A master in creating strategic partnerships and providing poker players with the exact type of experiences they crave, Pliska has grown WPT into a global phenomenon and an irreplaceable part of the poker ecosystem.

The introduction of WPT Prime and the WPT World Championship are only a few of Pliska’s achievements in recent years, while the full list of big WPT moments under Pliska’s leadership is way too long to list here.

2022 – WPT World Championship Makes Its Debut

In 2022, WPT made a big move by introducing the WPT World Championship, a major end-of-season event at the Wynn in Las Vegas.

The first WPT World Championship event featured a guaranteed prize pool of $15 million, which was easily shattered, prompting Pliska and WPT to boost the prize pool to an incredible $40 million for the next season.

While the 2023 WPT World Championship did not quite reach the guarantee, it proved that the Tour has the potential to throw massive events with high stakes buyin to parry the likes of the WSOP Main Event.

The 2023 WPT World Championship was the largest guaranteed prize pool event held to date and likely only a stepping stone to further growth of the WPT.

Full List of WPT Champions

List of WPT Champions

For many of the world’s most successful poker players, the World Poker Tour journey has been a long and exhilarating one.

Over the years, the WPT has produced poker champions, acquired fortunes, and told great stories both on and off the felt.

If you have won even a single WPT Main Event, you should be quite proud of yourself, and you will find your name on the list of WPT champions found below.

Here is a look at the full list of all the WPT champions since the Series made its debut back in 2002.

Season 1

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 27, 2002Five Diamond World Poker Classic146Gus Hansen$10,000$556,460
Aug 30, 2002Legends of Poker134Chris Karagulleyan$5,000$258,000
Oct 9, 2002Aruba Poker Classic100Juha Helppi$300$50,000
Oct 19, 2002Costa Rica Classic134Jose Rosenkrantz$500$108,730
Nov 10, 2002Gold Rush152Paul Darden$3,000$146,000
Nov 14, 2002World Poker Finals89Howard Lederer$10,000$320,400
Jan 28, 2003World Poker Open160Dave Ulliott$10,000$589,175
Feb 12, 2003Euro Finals of Poker86Christer Johansson€10,000€500,000
Feb 21, 2003L.A. Poker Classic136Gus Hansen$10,000$532,490
Mar 6, 2003Party Poker Million II177Howard Lederer$5,300$289,150
Mar 31, 2003World Poker Challenge87Ron Rose$5,000$168,298
Apr 14, 2003WPT World Championship111Alan Goehring$25,000$1,011,886

Season 2

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jul 10, 2003Grand Prix de Paris96David Benyamine€10,00€357,000
Sep 1, 2003Legends of Poker309Mel Judah$5,000$579,375
Sep 20, 2003Borgata Poker Open235Noli Francisco$5,000$470,000
Oct 18, 2003Ultimate Poker Classic436Erick Lindgren$4,000$500,000
Nov 14, 2003World Poker Finals313Hoyt Corkins$10,000$1,089,200
Dec 15, 2003Five Diamond Poker Classic221Paul Phillips$7,500$1,101,908
Jan 25, 2004PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)221Gus Hansen$7,500$455,780
Jan 26, 2004World Poker Open367Berry Greenstein$10,000$1,278,370
Feb 21, 2004L.A. Poker Classic382Antonio Esfandiari$10,000$1,399,135
Mar 3, 2004Bay 101 Shooting Star243Phil Gordon$5,000$360,000
Mar 18, 2004PartyPoker Million III546Erick Lindgren$7,500$1,000,000
Mar 30, 2004World Poker Challenge342Mike Kinney$5,000$629,469
Apr 19, 2004WPT World Championship343Martin de Knjiff$25,000$2,728,356

Season 3

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jul 17, 2004Grand Prix de Paris205Surinder Sunar€10,000€679,860
Jul 29, 2004Mirage Poker Showdown281Eli Elezra$10,000$1,024,574
Aug 28, 2004Legends of Poker667Doyle Brunson$5,000$1,198,260
Sep 19, 2004Borgata Poker Open302Daniel Negreanu$10,000$1,117,400
Sep 26, 2004Aruba Poker Classic647Eric Brenes$6,000$1,000,000
Oct 19, 2004Festa al Lago312Carlos Mortensen$10,000$1,000,000
Nov 13, 2004World Poker Finals674Tuan Le$10,000$1,549,588
Dec 14, 2004Five Diamond World Poker Classic376Daniel Negreanu$15,000$1,770,218
Jan 8, 2005PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)461John Gale$8,000$890,600
Feb 18, 2005L.A. Poker Classic538Michael Mizrachi$10,000$1,859,909
Mar 7, 2005Bay 101 Shooting Star438Danny Nguyen$10,000$1,025,000
Mar 19, 2005PartyPoker Million IV735Michael Gracz$10,000$1,500,000
Mar 29, 2005World Poker Challenge345Arnold Spee$5,000$633,880
Apr 18, 2005WPT World Championship453Tuan Le$25,000$2,856,150

Season 4

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 23, 2005Mirage Poker Showdown317Gavin Smith $1,153,778
Jul 25, 2005Grand Prix de Paris160Roland de Wolfe€10,000€479,680
Aug 27, 2005Legends of Poker839Alex Kahaner$5,000$1,150,900
Sep 19, 2005Borgata Poker Open515Al Ardebili$10,000$1,498,650
Sep 26, 2005Aruba Poker Classic647Freddy Deeb$5,000$1,000,000
Oct 18, 2005Festa al Lago420Minh Ly$10,000$1,060,050
Nov 13, 2005World Poker Finals783Nick Schulman$10,000$2,167,500
Dec 12, 2005Five Diamond World Poker Classic555Regne Pedersen$10,000$2,078,185
Jan 5, 2006PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)724Steve Paul-Ambrose$7,800$1,388,600
Jan 19, 2006World Poker Open327Scotty Nguyen$10,000$969,421
Jan 29, 2006Borgata Winter Poker Open381Michael Mizrachi$10,000$1,173,373
Feb 16, 2006L.A. Poker Classic692Alan Goehring$10,000$2,391,550
Feb 27, 2006Bay 101 Shooting Star518Nam Le$10,000$1,198,300
Mar 27, 2006World Poker Challenge592Mike Simon$5,000$1,052,890
Apr 6, 2006Foxwoods Poker Classic431Victor Ramdin$10,000$1,331,889
Apr 18, 2006WPT World Championship605Joe Bartholdi$25,000$3,760,165

Season 5

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 14, 2006Mirage Poker Showdown384Stanley Weiss$10,000$1,320,255
Jun 4, 2006Mandalay Bay Poker Championship349Joe Tehan$10,000$1,033,440
Jun 12, 2006Grand Prix de Paris232Christian Grundtwig€10,000€712,500
Aug 26, 2006Legends of Poker466Joe Pelton$10,000$1,602,670
Sep 15, 2006Borgata Poker Open540Mark Newhouse$10,000$1,519,020
Oct 16, 2006Festa al Lago433Andreas Walnum$10,000$1,090,025
Oct 22, 2006Canadian Open Championship298Scott ClementsC$2,500C$250,027
Oct 25, 2006North American Poker Championship497Soren TurkewitschC$10,000C$1,380,378
Nov 12, 2006World Poker Finals609Nenad Medic$10,000$1,717,194
Dec 14, 2006Five Diamond Poker Classic583Joe Hachem$15,000$2,207,575
Jan 5, 2007PokerStars Caribbean Adventure937Ryan Daut$7,800$1,535,255
Jan 21, 2007World Poker Open294Bryan Sumner$10,000$913,986
Jan 26, 2007Borgata Winter Poker Open571John Hennigan$10,000$1,606,223
Feb 24, 2007L.A. Poker Classic791Eric Hershler$10,000$2,429,970
Mar 12, 2007Bay 101 Shooting Star450Ted Forrest$10,000$1,100,000
Mar 25, 2007World Poker Challenge475J.C. Tran$5,000$,683,473
Mar 30, 2007Foxwoods Poker Classic415Raj Patel$10,000$1,298,405
Apr 21, 2007WPT World Championship639Carlos Mortensen$25,000$3,970,415

Season 6

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 19, 2007Mirage Poker Showdown309Jonathan Little$10,000$1,091,295
May 29, 2007Mandalay Bay Poker Championship228Shawn Buchanan$10,000$768,775
Jul 10, 2007Bellagio Cup III535Kevin Saul$10,000$1,342,320
Aug 25, 2007Legends of Poker485Dan Harrington$10,000$1,599,865
Sep 6, 2007Gulf Coast Poker Championship256Bill Edler$10,000$747,615
Sep 16, 2007Borgata Poker Open560Roy Winston$10,000$1,575,280
Sep 26, 2007Turks & Caicos Poker Classic137Rhynie Campbell$7,500$436,675
Oct 11, 2007Spanish Championship226Markus Lehmann€7,500€537,000
Oct 26, 2007North American Poker Championship504Scott ClementsC$10,000C$1,456,585
Nov 7, 2007World Poker Finals575Mike Vela$10,000$1,704,986
Dec 12, 2007Five Diamond Poker Classic626Eugene Katchalov$15,000$2,482,605
Jan 20, 2008World Poker Open259Brett Faustman$10,000$892,413
Jan 27, 2008Borgata Winter Open507Gavin Griffin$10,000$1,401,109
Feb 23, 2008L.A. Poker Classic665Phil Ivey$10,000$1,596,100
Mar 10, 2008Bay 101 Shooting Star376Brandon Cantu$10,000$1,000,000
Mar 25, 2008World Poker Challenge261Lee Markholt$7,500$493,815
Apr 4, 2008Foxwoods Poker Classic346Erik Seidel$10,000$992,890
Apr 19, 2008WPT World Championship545David Chiu$25,000$3,389,140

Season 7

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 23, 2008Spanish Championship253Casper Hansen€5,000€425,000
Jul 11, 2008Bellagio Cup IV446Mike Watson$10,000$1,673,770
Aug 23, 2008Legends of Poker373John Phan$10,000$1,116,428
Sep 14, 2008Borgata Poker Open516Vivek Rajkumar$10,000$1,424,500
Oct 10, 2008North American Poker Championship454Glen WitmerC$10,000C$1,250,352
Oct 20, 2008Festa al Lago368Bertrand (Elky) Grospellier$15,000$1,411,015
Nov 5, 2008World Poker Finals412Jonathan Little$10,000$1,120,310
Dec 13, 2008Five Diamond World Poker Classic497David (Chino) Rheem$15,000$1,538,730
Jan 14, 2009Southern Poker Championship283Allen Carter$10,000$1,025,500
Feb 21, 2009L.A. Poker Classic696Cornel Cimpan$10,000$1,686,760
Mar 16, 2009Bay 101 Shooting Star391Steve Brecher$10,000$1,025,500
Apr 3, 2009Foxwoods Poker Classic259Vadim Trincher$10,000$731,079
Apr 18, 2009WPT World Championship338Yevgeniy Timoshenko$25,000$2,143,655

Season 8

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 6, 2009WPT Venice397Ragnar Astrom€4,400€397,960
Jun 26, 2009Spanish Championship172Randal Flowers€5,300€277,000
Jul 13, 2009Bellagio Cup V268Alexandre Gomes$15,000$1,187,670
Aug 22, 2009Legends of Poker279Prahlad Freidman$10,000$1,009,000
Aug 31, 2009WPT Slovakia100Richard Toth€4,400€104,000
Sep 6, 2009Merit Cyprus Classic181Thomas Bichon$10,300$579,165
Sep 19, 2009Borgata Poker Open1,018Olivier Busquet$3,500$925,514
Oct 12, 2009WPT Marrakech416Christophe Savary€4,500€377,262
Oct 20, 2009Festa al Lago275Tommy Vedes$15,400$1,217,225
Nov 5, 2009World Poker Finals353Cornel Cimpan$10,000$910,058
Dec 13, 2009Five Diamond Poker Classic329Daniel Alaei$15,400$1,428,430
Jan 24, 2010Southern Poker Championship208Hoyt Corkins$10,000$739,486
Feb 26, 2010L.A. Poker Classic745Andras Koroknai$10,000$1,788,001
Mar 8, 2010Bay 101 Shooting Star333McLean Karr$10,000$878,500
Mar 20, 2010Hollywood Poker Open144Carlos Mortensen$10,000$391,212
Mar 27, 2010WPT Bucharest161Guillaume Darcourt€3,300€144,530
Apr 17, 2010WPT World Championship195David Williams$25,500$1,530,537

Season 9

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 8, 2010Grand Prix de Paris247Theo Jorgensen€10,000€633,902
May 19, 2010Spanish Championship326Ali Tekintamgac€3,500€315,000
Jul 11, 2010Bellagio Cup VI353Moritz Kranich$10,300$875,150
Aug 20, 2010Legends of Poker462Andy Frenkenberger$5,000$750,000
Aug 30, 2010London Poker Classic171Jake Cody£5,300£273,783
Sep 19, 2010Borgata Poker Open1,042Dwyte Pilgrim$3,500$733,802
Oct 15, 2010Festa al Lago335Randal Flowers$10,300$831,500
Oct 27, 2010World Poker Finals242Jeff Forrest$10,000$548,752
Nov 2, 2010WPT Amneville543Sam El Sayed€3,500€426,425
Nov 27, 2010WPT Marrakech222Sebastian Homann€5,000€254,745
Dec 3, 2010Five Diamond World Poker Classic438Antonio Esfandiari$10,300$870,124
Jan 23, 2011Southern Poker Championship214Alexander Kuzmin$10,000$601,469
Feb 3, 2011WPT Venice523Alessio Isaia€3,300€380,000
Feb 25, 2011L.A. Poker Classic681Gregory Brooks$10,000$1,654,120
Mar 14, 2011Bay 101 Shooting Star415Alan Stenberg$10,000$1,039,000
Mar 25, 2011WPT Vienna555Dmitry Gromov€3,500€447,840
Mar 30, 2011WPT Bratislava300Roberto Romanello€2,720€140,685
Apr 9, 2011Hollywood Poker Open97Mike Scarborough$10,000$273,664
Apr 27, 2011Seminole Hard Rock Showdown433Taylor von Kriegenbergh$10,000$1,122,340
May 14WPT World Championship220Scott Seiver$25,500$1,618,355

Season 10

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 25, 2011Spanish Championship216Lukas Bergelund€3,500€260,000
Jul 17, 2011WPT Slovenia141Miha Travnik€3,300€102,623
Aug 25, 2011Legends of Poker757Will Failla$3,700$758,085
Sep 5, 2011Grand Prix de Paris312Matthew Waxman€7,500€518,750
Sep 18, 2011Borgata Poker Open1,313Bobby Oboodi$3,500$922,441
Sep 20, 2011WPT Malta240Matt Giannetti€3,300€200,000
Oct 27, 2011World Poker Finals189Daniel Santoro$10,000$449,910
Nov 1, 2011WPT Amneville379Adrien Allain€3,500€336,133
Nov 18, 2011WPT Jacksonville393Tony Ruberto$3,500$325,928
Nov 24, 2011WPT Marrakech571Mohamed Ali Houssam€3,000€159,150
Dec 1, 2011WPT Prague571Andrey Pateychuk€3,500€450,000
Dec 6, 2011Five Diamond Poker Classic413James Dempsey$10,300$821,612
Dec 13, 2011WPT Venice213Edoardo Alescio€3,300€194,000
Jan 5, 2012WPT Ireland338David Shallow€2,500€222,280
Feb 6, 2012Venice Grand Prix155Rinat Bogranov€5,445€229,800
Feb 10, 2012Lucky Hearts Poker Open295Matt Juttelstad$3,500$268,444
Feb 24, 2012L.A. Poker Classic549Sean Jazayeri$10,000$1,370,240
Mar 5, 2012Bay 101 Shooting Star364Moon Kim$10,000$960,900
Apr 10, 2012WPT Vienna396Morten Christensen€3,500€313,390
Apr 18, 2012Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown290Tommy Vedes$10,000$779,520
Apr 7, 2012Jacksonville bestbet Open320Shawn Cunix$5,000$400,600
May 19, 2012WPT World Championship152Marvin Rettenmaier$25,500$1,196,858

Season 11

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Aug 4, 2012Merit Cyprus Classic329Marvin Rettenmaier$4,400$287,784
Aug 10, 2012Parx Open Poker Classic500Anthony Gregg$3,500$416,127
Aug 24, 2012Legends of Poker622Josh Hale$3,700$500,000
Sep 10, 2012Grand Prix de Paris228Matt Salsberg€7,500€400,000
Sep 16, 2012WPT Malta169Yorane Kerignard€3,300€120,000
Sep 16, 2012Borgata Poker Open1,181Ben Hamnett$3,500$818,847
Oct 22, 2012Emperors Palace Poker Classic230Dominik Nitsche$3,600$206,153
Nov 9, 2016Bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble477Noah Shwartz$3,500$402,972
Nov 12, 2012WPT Copenhagen229Emil OlssonDKR26,250DKR1,346,972
Nov 23, 2012WPT Montreal1,173Jonathan Roy$3,300$784,101
Nov 27, 2012WPT Mazagan146Giacomo Fundaro€3,500€127,707
Dec 3, 2012WPT Prague567Marcin Wydrowski€3,300€325,000
Dec 4, 2012Five Diamond World Poker Classic503Ravi Raghavan$10,300$1,268,571
Jan 27, 2013Borgata Winter Poker Open1,042Andy Hwang$3,500$730,053
Feb 8, 2013Lucky Hearts Poker Open369Matt Gianetti$3,500$323,804
Feb 19, 2013WPT Baden254Vladimir Bozinovic€3,300€271,258
Feb 23, 2013L.A. Poker Classic517Paul Klann€10,000€1,004,090
Mar 4, 2013Bay 101 Shooting Star643Wei Kai Chang$7,500$1,138,350
Mar 25, 2013Venice Grand Prix173Rocco Palumbo€3,300€180,097
Apr 5, 2013WPT Barcelona249Chanracy Khun€3,500€200,000
Apr 11, 2013Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown542Kevin Eyster$5,000$660,395
Apr 26, 2013Bestbet Open351Mike Linster$3,500$321,521
May 3, 2013Canadian Spting Championship735Amir BabakhaniC$3,300C$442,248
May 18, 2013WPT World Championship146David (Chino) Rheem$25,000$1,150,295

Season 12

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Aug 12, 2013Merit Cyprus Classic262Alexey Rybin$4,400$258,000
Aug 29, 2013Legends of Poker716Jordan Cristos$3,500$613,355
Sep 15, 2013Borgata Poker Open1,189Anthony Zinno$3,500$825,099
Oct 25, 2013Grand Prix de Paris187Moshin Charania€7,500€340,000
Nov 7, 2013Emperors Palace Poker Classic191Daniel Brits$3,600$132,128
Nov 15, 2013Bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble358Jared Jaffee$3,500$252,749
Nov 19, 2013WPT Caribbean191Tony Dunst$3,500$252,749
Nov 29, 2013WPT Montreal862Derrick Rosenbarget$3,850$500,824
Dec 6, 2013Five Diamond World Poker Classic449Dan Smith$10,300$1,161,135
Dec 16, 2013WPT Korea137Masato Yokosawa$3,000$100,000
Dec 15, 2013WPT Prague306Julien Thomas€3,300€206,230
Jan 26, 2014Borgata Winter Poker Open1,229Anthony Merulla$3,500$842,379
Feb 7, 2014Lucky Hearts Poker Open415James Calderaro$3,500$271,103
Feb 22, 2014Fallsview Poker Classic383Matthew LapossieC$5,000C$363,197
Mar 1, 2014L.A. Poker Classic534Chris Moorman$10,000$1,015,460
Mar 10, 2014Bay 101 Shooting Star718James Carroll$7,500$1,256,550
Mar 10, 2014Venice Carnival144Andrea Dato€3,000€105,000
Mar 15, 2014WPT Thunder Valley465J.C. Tran$3,500$302,750
Mar 21, 2014Jacksonville bestbet Open258Nabil Hirezi$3,500$206,041
Apr 10, 2014Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,795Eric Afriat$3,500$1,081,184
Apr 22, 2014WPT World Showdown328Keven Stammen$15,400$1,350,000

Season 13

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Aug 23, 2014Legends of Poker593Harry Arutyunyan$3,500$576,369
Sep 5, 2014Merit Classic North Cyprus404Alexander Lakhov$4,400$325,400
Sep 14, 2014Borgata Poker Open1,226Darren Elias$3,500$843,744
Nov 3, 2014WPT Caribbean118Darren Elias$3,500$127,680
Nov 7, 2014Bestbet Bounty Scramble461Ryan Van Sanford$5,000$421,068
Nov 14, 2014Emperors Palace Poker Classic166Dylan Wilkerson$3,500$147,509
Nov 18, 2014WPT UK354Matas Cimbolas£3,000£200,000
Nov 20, 2014WPT Montreal832Jonathan JaffeeC$3,850C$464,252
Dec 15, 2014Five Diamond World Poker Classic586Mohsin Charania$10,300$1,477,890
Jan 25, 2015Borgata Winter Poker Open989Aaron Mermelstein$3,500$712,305
Feb 5, 2015Lucky Hearts Poker Open1,027Brian Altman$3,500$723,008
Feb 13, 2015Fallsview Poker Classic419Anthony ZinnoC$5,000C$380,021
Feb 28, 2015L.A. Poker Classic538Anthony Zinno$10,000$1,015,860
Mar 9, 2015Bay 101 Shooting Star708Taylor Paur$7,500$1,214,200
Mar 12, 2015WPT Vienna220Konstantinos Nanos€3,300€150,000
Mar 14, 2015WPT Rolling Thunder379Ravee Mathi Sundar$3,500$266,857
Apr 16, 2015Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,476Griffin Paul$3,500$1,000,000
Apr 24, 2015WPT World Championship239Asher Conniff$15,400$973,683

Season 14

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 1, 2015Canadian Spring Championship370Sheraz NasirC$3,500C$237,390
May 11, 2015WPT Amsterdam341Farid Yachou€3,300€201,000
Jul 31, 2015WPT Choctaw1,175Jason Brin$3,700$682,975
Aug 29, 2015Legends of Poker786Mike Shariati$3,700$675,924
Sep 20, 2015Borgata Poker Open1,027David Paredes$3,500$723,227
Sep 25, 2015Maryland Live337Aaron Mermelstein$3,500$250,222
Oct 29, 2015Emperors Palace Poker Classic135Ben Cade$3,600$100,000
Nov 3, 2015WPT UK450Iaron Lightbourne£2,200£200,000
Nov 5, 2015Bestbet Poker Scramble412Tyler Patterson$5,000$375,270
Nov 13, 2015WPT Montreal697Jared MahoneyC$3,850C$453,122
Dec 1, 2015WPT Prague256Javier Gomez€3,300€175,000
Dec 14, 2015Five Diamond World Poker Classic639Kevin Eyster$10,400$1,587,382
Jan 31, 2016Borgata Winter Poker Open1,171Chris Leong$3,500$816,246
Feb 21, 2016Fallsview Poker Classic423David OrmsbyC$5,000C$383,407
Feb 27, 2016L.A. Poker Classic515Dietrich Fast$10,000$1,000,800
Mar 7, 2016Bay 101 Shooting Star753Stefan Schillhabel$7,500$1,298,000
Mar 12, 2016WPT Rolling Thunder409Harrison Gimbel$3,500$275,122
Mar 15, 2016WPT Vienna234Vlad Darie€3,300€170,800
Apr 14, 2016Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,222Justin Young$3,500$669,161
Apr 17, 2016Seminole Hard Rock Poker Finale342David (Chino) Rheem$10,000$705,885
Apr 22, 2016WPT Tournament of Champions64Farid Yachou$15,400$381,600

Season 15

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Apr 29, 2016Canadian Spring Championship417Seth DaviesC$3,500C$274,540
May 10, 2016WPT Amsterdam318Andjelko Andrejevic€3,300€200,000
Jul 29, 2016WPT Choctaw1,066James Mackay$3,700$666,758
Aug 27, 2016Legends of Poker687Pay Lyons$4,000$615,346
Sep 18, 2016Borgata Poker Open1,179Jesse Sylvia$3,500$821,811
Oct 1, 2016Maryland Live!554Zachary Smiley$3,500$356,536
Oct 14, 2016Bestbet Bounty Scramble379Sam Panzica$5,000$354,335
Oct 31, 2016WPT UK522Luis Rodriguez Cruz£2,200£200,000
Nov 11, 2016WPT Montreal648Mike SextonC$3,850C$425,980
Nov 19, 2016WPT Caribbean323Niall Farrell$5,000$335,000
Dec 2, 2016WPT Prague167Oleg Vasylchenko€3,300€132,200
Dec 5, 2016Five Diamond World Poker Classic791James Romero$10,400$1,938,118
Jan 29, 2017Borgata Winter Poker Open1,312Daniel Weinman$3,500$892,433
Feb 10, 2017WPT Playground380Ema ZajmovicC$3,500C$261,000
Feb 22, 2017Fallsview Poker Classic489Darren EliasC$5,000C$429,384
Feb 25, 2017L.A. Poker Classic521Daniel Strelitz$10,000$1,001,110
Mar 6, 2017Bay 101 Shooting Star806Sam Panzica$7,500$1,373,000
Mar 11, 2017WPT Rolling Thunder421Mike Del Vecchio$3,500$285,638
Mar 31, 2017Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,207Tony Sinishtaj$3,500$661,283
Apr 2, 2017Seminole Hard Rock Poker Finale349Ryan Reiss$10,000$716,088
Apr 7, 2017WPT Tournament of Champions66Daniel Weinman$15,000$381,500

Season 16

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Apr 15, 2017WPT Beijing400Pete ChenInvitationalCNY 2,063,454
May 9, 2017WPT Amsterdam224Daniel Daniyar€3,300€152,600
Aug 4, 2017WPT Choctaw924Jay Lee$3,700$593,173
Aug 25, 2017Legends of Poker763Art Papazyan$4,000$668,692
Sep 1, 2017Borgata Poker Open1,132Guo Liang Chen$3,500$789,058
Sep 30, 2017Maryland at Live! Casino561Art Papazyan$3,500$389,405
Oct 21, 2017Bestbuy Bounty Scramble323Paul Petraglia$5,000$315,405
Nov 10, 2017WPT Montreal606Maxime HerouxC$3,805C$403,570
Dec 12, 2017Five Diamond World Poker Classic812Ryan Tosoc$10,400$1,958,065
Jan 12, 2018WPT European Championship339Ole Schemion€3,300€218,435
Jan 19, 2018Lucky Hearts Poker Open911Darryll Fish$3,500$511,604
Jan 28, 2018Borgata Winter Poker Open1,244Eric Afriat$3,500$651,928
Feb 10, 2018Fallsview Poker Slassic517Mike LeahC$5,000C$451,821
Feb 24, 2018L.A. Poker Classic493Dennis Blieden$10,000$1,000,000
Mar 2, 2018WPT Rolling Thunder440David Larson$3,500$295,128
Apr 13, 2018Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,309Scott Margereson$3,500$696,740
Apr16, 2018WPT Amsterdam207Rens Feenstra€3,300€156,370
May 1, 2018Bellagio Elite Poker Championship126Larry Greenberg$10,400$378,879
May 20, 2018Bobby Baldwin Classic162Darren Elias$10,000$387,580
May 26, 2018WPT Tournament of Champions80Matthew Waxman$15,000$463,375

Season 17

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jul 21, 2018Gardens Poker Festival584Simon Lam$5,000$565,055
Aug 3, 2018WPT Choctaw755Brady Holiman$3,700$469,185
Sep 16, 2018Borgata Poker Open1,075Erkut Yilmaz$3,500$575,122
Sep 21, 2018Maryland at Live! Casino554Tony Ruberto$3,500$344,755
Oct 19, 2018Bestbet Bounty Scramble356Tony Tran$5,000$341,486
Oct 28, 2018WPT Montreal792Patrick SerdaC$5,300C$855,000
Nov 23, 2018Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open898Pavel Plesuv$3,500$504,820
Dec 11, 2018Five Diamond World Poker Classic1,001Dylan Linde$10,400$1,631,486
Jan 12, 2019Gardens Poker Championship253Frank (The Tank) Stepuchin$10,000$548,825
Jan 21, 2019WPT Russia503Denys ShafikovRUB198,000RUB16,800,000
Jan 27, 2019Borgata Winter Poker Open1,415Vinicius Lima$3,500$728,430
Feb 23, 2019Fallsview Poker Classic602Demo KiriopoulosC$5,000C$517,424
Mar 2, 2019L.A. Poker Classic546David Baker$10,000$1,015,000
Mar 8, 2019WPT Rolling Thunder280Erkut Yilmaz$5,000$303,920
Mar 11, 2019WPT Barcelona1,227Vitalijs Zavorotnijs€3,300€600,000
Mar 22, 2019WPT at Venetian734Ben Palmer$3,500$431,655
Apr 12, 2019Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown1,360James Carroll$3,500$715,175
May 17, 2019WPT Choctaw577Craig Varnell$3,700$379,990
May 27, 2019ARIA Summer Championship192Matthew Wantman$10,000$443,475
Jun 1, 2019WPT Tournament of Champions76Ole Schemion$15,000$440,395

Season 18

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jul 20, 2019Gardens Poker Festival373Roger Teska$5,000$368,475
Aug 31, 2019Legends of Poker520Aaron Van Blarcum$5,000$474,390
Sep 15, 2019Borgata Poker Open1,156Donald Maloney$3,500$616,186
Sep 28, 2019Maryland at Live! Casino495Nitis Udornpim$3,500$319,415
Oct 2, 2019WPT UK690Simon Brandstrom$3,300$330,000
Oct 11, 2019Bestbet Bounty Scramble349Josh Adkins$5,000$331,480
Oct 29, 2019WPT Montreal1,109Geoffrey HumC$3,300C$500,000
Nov 29, 2019Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open988Milen Stefanov$3,500$545,070
Dec 16, 2019Five Diamond World Poker Classic1,035Alex Foxen$10,400$1,694,995
Jan 9, 2020Gardens Poker Championship257Markus Gonsalves$10,000$554,495
Jan 17, 2020Lucky Hearts Poker Open843Brian Altman$3,500$482,636
Jan 21, 2020WPT Russia489Aleksey BadulinRUB210,000RUB16,257,000
Jan 26, 2020Borgata Winter Poker Open1,290Veerab Zakarian$3,500$674,840
Feb 18, 2020WPT Germany510Christopher Puetz€3,300€270,000
Feb 21, 2020Fallsview Poker Classic594Eric AfriatC$5,000C$508,021
Feb 29, 2020L.A. Poker Classic490Balakrishna Patur$10,000$1,015,000
Mar 7, 2020WPT Rolling Thunder250Tony Tran$5,000$279,270
May 10, 2020WPT Online Championship2,130Christian Jeppsson$3,200$923,786
Aug 1, 2020World Championship 8-Max (online)1,062Gavin Cochrane$3,200$540,664
Aug 15, 2020World Championship Knockout (online)1,035Daniel Smyth$3,200$408,330
Aug 22, 2020World Championship Mix-Max (online)989Andrey Kotelnikov$3,200$488,508
Sep 6, 2020World Championship Main Event (online)1,011Phillip Mighall$10,300$1,715,667
Dec 27, 2020Online Poker Open395Soheb Porbandarwala$3,500$239,820
Jan 22, 2021Lucky Hearts Poker Open1,573Ilyas Muradi$3,500$809,515
Jan 17, 2021WPT Montreal Online888Jack Hardcastle$3,200$447,859
Feb 23, 2021WPT Russia251Maksim SekretarevRUB245,000RUB11,996,600
Mar 5, 2021WPT at Venetian937Qing Liu$5,000$752,880
April 23, 2021Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown2,482Brek Schutten$3,500$1,261,085

Season 19

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
May 23, 2021Online Series Main Event1,065Christian Rudolph$3,200$487,443
Jun 18, 2021Seminole Hard Rock Tampa1,165Brian Altman$3,500$613,225
Jul 2, 2021WPT Venetian1,199Chad Eveslage$5,000$910,370
Jul 23, 2021WPT Choctaw964Dapo Ajayi$3,700$558,610
Aug 29, 2021World Online Championships1,179Rok Gostisa$5,300$959,493
Sep 19, 2021WPT Online Borgata Poker Open305Orson Young$3,500$195,748
Nov 26, 2021Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open1,566Gediminas Uselis$3,500$778,590
Dec 15, 2021Five Diamond World Poker Classic716Taylor Black$10,400$1,241,430

Season 20

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jan 21, 2022Lucky Hearts Poker Open1,982Alexander Yen$3,500$975,240
Apr 8, 2022Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown2,010Mark Davis$3,500$1,000,300
May 13, 2022WPT Choctaw787Chance Kornuth$3,800$486,600
Jul 12, 2022WPT Venetian Las Vegas1,178Robert Mizrachi$5,000$894,100
Aug 27, 2022Legends of Poker642Joshua Pollock$5,250$473,350
Sep 2, 2022Seminole Hard Rock Tampa1,165Corey Wade$3,500$471,686
Sep 23, 2022WPT Australia710David TangAU$5,400AU$425,712
Cot 19, 2022Five Diamond World Poker Classic569Chad Eveslage$10,400$1,042,300
Nov 25, 2022Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open1,541Andrew Wilson$3,500$785,700
Dec 12, 2022World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas2,960Eliot Hudon$10,400$4,136,000

Season 21

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Apr 1, 2023WPT Rolling Thunder590Scott Eskenazi$3,500$361,660
Apr 28, 2023WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown2,290Bin Weng$3,500$1,128,250
May 5, 2023WPT Choctaw612Jared Jaffee$3,800$400,740
May 21, 2023WPT Gardens Poker Championship346Ky Nguyen$5,250$357,380
Sep 22, 2023WPT Australia600Richard LeeAU$8,000AU$854,890
Nov 10, 2023WPT bestbet Scramble365Frederic Normand$5,000$351,650
Nov 24, 2023WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open1,447Istvan Briski$3,500$647,300
Dec 12, 2023WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas3,835Daniel Sepiol$10,400$5,678,000

Season 22

DateEventEntrantsChampionBuyinPrize
Jan 25, 2024WPT Cambodia760Konstantin Held$3,500$361,310
Mar 23, 2024WPT Rolling Thunder458Casey Sandretto$3,500$246,000
Apr 1, 2024WPT Voyage Championship293Aram Oganyan$5,000$214,245
Apr 19, 2024WPT Seminole Hard Rock1,869Joshua Reichard$3,500$839,300
May 3, 2024WPT Choctaw603James Mackey$3,800$361,600
May 16, 2024WPT Montreal882David Dongwoo KoCAD 3,500CAD 434,900
Jul 18, 2024WPT Cambodia913Sha Chengchun$1,300$187,772
Sep 20, 2024WPT Australia396James ObstAUD 8,000AUD 585,359
Oct 24, 2024WPT Playground840Michael WangCAD 3,500AUD 412,300
Nov 15, 2024WPT bestbet Scramble361Nick Yunis$5,000$315,791
Nov 15, 2024WPT Korea667Miao ChenxiangKRW 2,500,000KRW 300,000,000
Nov 29, 2024WPT Seminole Poker Open1,435Dylan Smith$3,500$662,200
Dec 3, 2024WPT World Championship2,392TBA$10,400$3,138,900

WPT Player of the Year

Ever since season 1, WPT has been awarding the Player of the Year title to the most successful player on the Tour for the season.

It is worth noting that the honor of WPT Players of the Year does not go to the WPT World Champion, who is typically named in the final event of the season (the event’s name has changed over the years).

Instead, all major WPT events over the course of the year are tracked, and the WPT Player of the Year title goes to the player with the highest number of points accumulated over a season.

Here is a look at the full list of the WPT Player of the Year winners from 2002 until now:

SeasonYearWPT POYWPT Titles Won
12002 – 2003Howard Lederer2
22003 – 2004Erick Lindgren2
32004 – 2005Daniel Negreanu2
42005 – 2006Gavin Smith1
52006 – 2007J. C. Tran1
62007 – 2008Jonathan Little1
72008 – 2009Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier1
82009 – 2010Faraz Jaka0
92010 – 2011Andy Frankenberger1
102011 – 2012Joe Serock0
112012 – 2013Matthew Salsberg1
122013 – 2014Mukul Pahuja0
132014 – 2015Anthony Zinno2
142015 – 2016Mike Shariati1
152016 – 2017Benjamin Zamani0
162017 – 2018Art Papazyan2
172018 – 2019Erkut Yilmaz2
182019 – 2021Brian Altman1
192021Jake Ferro1
202022Chad Eveslage1
212023Bin Weng2
222024TBATBA

Key WPT Stats & Numbers

Key WPT Stats & Numbers

Over the many years of WPT, dozens of famous poker players achieved major accomplishments on the Tour and broke many records.

Let’s take a quick look at the most significant WPT records and achievements to date and the players and events that made it into the history books.

Record Number of WPT Trophies

Winning a single WPT Main Event in a poker career is a significant feat in itself, but repeating that success twice or more makes one into an instant poker star.

The number of players with more than one WPT title is quite limited, but only six players have ever won three trophies, while only one has achieved the ultimate feat of winning four WPT events.

Here is a look at the best repeat performers in the WPT history:

PlayerNationalityNumber of TrophiesYears Won
Darren EliasUSA42014 (2), 2017, 2018
Gus HansenDenmark32002, 2003, 2004
Eric AfriatCanada32014, 2018, 2020
Brian AltmanUSA32015, 2020, 2021
David “Chino” RheemUSA32008, 2013, 2016
Anthony ZinnoUSA32013, 2015, 2015
Carlos MortensenEcuador32004, 2007, 2010

While Darren Elias’s record number of trophies alone is a major feat, it is also worth noting that he holds the number one spot for most WPT cashes, with 41, followed by Anthony Zinno with 32 and Mohsin Charania with 31.

Elias is also the record holder for most WPT final tables, with 12, followed by poker legends Phil Ivey and Scotty Nguyen, with 9 and 8, respectively. Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, and Anthony Zinno have all made 7 final tables during their WPT careers.

Largest WPT Events by Attendance

Back in the day, WPT events were limited to a couple of hundred players at best, but recent seasons have seen WPT explode and attract thousands of players.

The recently introduced WPT World Championship, an event that’s advertised and prepared all year long, was an instant success, capturing the top two spots on the list of WPT events by attendance.

However, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock event, one of the most popular on the WPT calendar, has also had some incredible turnouts, along with the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open.

Here is a look at the top five biggest WPT fields in the history of the Tour:

WPT EventYearAttendanceFirst Place Prize
WPT World Championship20233,835$5,282,954
WPT World Championship20222,960$4,136,000
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown20212,482$1,261,095
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown20232,290$1,128,250
WPT Online Championship20202,130$923,786

Biggest WPT Earners of All Time

Winning titles and making final tables may be fun, but poker is all about the money, and some players have made an art of beating WPT tournaments for maximum cash.

Obviously, there is a lot of overlap between title winners and big WPT earners, but many of the top earners specialize in high rollers and don’t only win money in the WPT Main Events.

Here is a look at the ten players who have won the most money on the WPT over the years, including Main Events, High Rollers, and side events:

PlayerNationalityEarnings
#1 Mikita BadziakouskiBelarus$7,218,240
#2 Carlos MortensenEcuador$6,738,670
#3 Daniel NegreanuCanada$6,613,553
#4 Andrew LichtenbergerUSA$6,451,301
#5 Dan SepiolUSA$6,133,949
#6 Michael “The Grinder” MizrachiUSA$5,160,972
#7 Fedor HolzGermany$5,128,163
#8 Darren EliasUSA$4,883,354
#9 Dan SmithUSA$4,836,241
#10 Bin WengUSA/China$4,802,431