History of Poker Tournament

World Series of the USA Poker was sent back to the realm of poker more than three years ago. Still there has not any proclamation regarding Tournament of Champions since this yearly competition has been ended up. No information has been provided yet from the Caesars Palace about the Champions Tournament of 2007. There is a question among the people is, why?

How it started

The first commencement of Tournament of Champions was in the year of 2004 with only nine players sit and featured a number of VIPs in the competition. Harrah’s declared $1million as the winning prize of the tournament and invited players to attend the game. A controversy was raised about the selection process of the players. T. J. Cloutier, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Daniel Negreanu and Greg Raymer (newly World Champion) all attend the tournament and then fell victim by the last three that included Phil Hellmuth, Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. At the final table, Howard was mentally tortured by his sister Annie Duke and succeeded to distort Hellmuth’s mental state that is still remembered by the people. By doing this trick, Annie Duke finally succeeded to attain the first championship of the poker tournament along with the $1 million dollar prize.

Rule changes

In 2005, some rules were amended to make a real poker tournament. Fort this time the winning prize was about $2 million and authorization was given to the final table to play a part in the largess. Only the individual champions of WSOP Circuit Competitions would be capable to attend the final table of 2005 WSOP Championship Competitions. Rest of the players of the field would be filled out through a points system.  Controversy once again lifted up for this tournament too. The sponsored company Pepsi claimed that 3 players were illicitly supplemented to the field. Harrah’s had to allow them for maintaining the sponsorship. Though it was contrary to the selection guidelines, three quarters of the poker’s, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Mount Rushmore and Doyle Brunson were finally added up to the field. Among these players only Hellmuth was able to attend the final table. This tournament was more branded for the great rise of Mike Matusow. Mike not only returned to the poker greatness but also crowned the championship by vanquishing Hoyt Corkins and became the first man who won the prize of $1 million in two different poker tournaments.

The winners

2006 was marked for another amendment in WSOP TOC’s. Though the amount of the prize pool was the same as $2 million, Harrah’s established their authority to add up to 6 competitors to the field. Players of the final table of 2005 were once again added up to the field like as the individual winner of WSOP Circuit Competitions. Addition of the 6 “wild cards” to the field was possibly the best thing of three TOC’s. Matusow was succeeded to attend the final table as the winner of the event along with Mike Sexton (attend the table as a “wild card”) and Daniel Negreanu (winner of a circuit event). In the end, Matusow yielded in 3rd place and Negreanu was defeated to Sexton. After winning the championship of 2006 TOC’s, sexton donated half of his winning prize ($1 million dollars) to a number of different charities.

Looking for sponsors

In 2007, there still hasn’t any announcement of Tournament of Champions. This tournament once possessed the position of most entertaining program in the ESPN.  Mysteriously it is still not in the schedule of ESPN for this year and shows no possibility of being held. This may happen for the lacking of sponsor to afford the $2 million dollars prize. Harrah’s staged the first TOC’s with their funding and Pepsi sponsored previous two TOC’s.  Harrah’s can easily manage the funding with the support of the poker fan. ESPN has already confirmed that a table packed with some greatest names that can be tempting to the fans. There is no way to satisfy the fans without commencing the TOC’s again.

Circuit event winners of 2006 and 2007 can be invited to the final tables and can easily balance the nine handed tables by throwing adequate “wild cards”. It will be great for the audiences if the ranking of the players is shown. If the WOSP Tournament of Champions is expired, it will be a back draw for the recent poker development. We are all waiting for this event to be staged very soon.