Final TV Table Set for PokerStars WPT Event

The first big poker event of 2006 is set to conclude Tuesday, January 10, as the final television table has been determined for the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure at the Atlantis casino and resort in the Bahamas.

The $7,800 event was widely anticipated in internet circles, as its namesake, PokerStars, awarded many seats to online players. So, unlike many WPT events, the field of 724 players was a healthy mix of seasoned pros and internet rounders, alike. Evidence of this is at the final table. Three players qualified via satellites on PokerStars. One player is a college student, two are eighteen years old. Three consider themselves professional poker players, although only one is a “big name” player.

PokerStars also added a fun internet touch to the festivities, introducing the First Annual World Championship of Battleship Poker. This $1,000 buy-in event is a 64 player heads-up tournament, playing online at PokerStars.com. It gets its name because players will actually be playing face-to-face, with their laptops back-to-back, a la the classic Battleship game. The competition can be followed on PokerStars.com, with the final four being played Tuesday.

David Singer will start the final table as a significant chip leader, with $2,535,000, about 30% of the total chips in play. The eventual champion will receive $1,363,100, with second place winning about half that, on down to $177,200 for sixth place. Play will resume at 10:00am EST on Tuesday.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. David Singer - $2,535,000
2. Steve Paul-Ambrose - $1,780,000
3. Anders Henriksson - $1,033,000
4. Brook Lyter - $875,000
5. Michael Higgins - $794,000
6. Aurangzeb Sheikh - $231,000

Originally published January 9, 2006