"Is this the $1,500 no-limit?"
So cracked David Oppenheim as he approached his table at which Jennifer Harman, Doyle Brunson, and David Bach are gathered at the other side. The table laughed as Oppenheim took his seat.
Clearly Oppenheim is in the right place, as he's made a habit of making deep runs in past $50K Poker Players' Championships, having finished third in the event in 2010 and ninth last year.
The traditional announcement has been made and play is underway here in Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship. Players are still finding their seats as the first hands of 2-7 triple draw are being dealt. Back soon with details regarding this "who's who" field of elite players presently gathering in the back corner of the Amazon Room.
Level: 1
Triple Draw 2-7 - Limit Hold'em - Omaha-8 - blinds 300-600; limits 600-1,200
Razz - Stud - Stud-8 - ante 100; bring-in 200; complete 600; limits 600-1,200
No-Limit Hold'em - Pot-Limit Omaha - ante (NLHE only) 100; blinds 100-300
Welcome to Event #55: $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, the tournament that combines a high buy-in with a variety of different disciplines to occupy a special place on the WSOP schedule. This marks the eighth year the WSOP has included the prestigious $50K tourney, with the tournament consistently proving one of the most compelling of the summer thanks to the always tough fields it attracts.
It began in 2006 as a $50K H.O.R.S.E. event, with the late David "Chip" Reese memorably prevailing over a 143-player field in a tournament that concluded with an especially lengthy heads-up battle with Andy Bloch. With Reese's passing late the following year, the memory of his win and the Poker Hall of Famer's important contributions to poker have been preserved with the awarding of the David "Chip" Reese Trophy to each year's winner of the $50K event.
It remained a H.O.R.S.E. tourney for the next three years, with Freddy Deeb, Scotty Nguyen, and David Bach each earning titles. Then in 2010 the format was expanded to cover eight different games — 2-7 triple draw, limit hold'em, Omaha-8, razz, stud, stud-8, no-limit hold'em, and pot-limit Omaha.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi won the first "8-game mix" version of the event in 2010, newly dubbed the "Poker Players' Championship." Brian Rast would win in 2011, then Mizrachi would come back to earn a second title in the event last year.
| Year | Event Name | Winner | First Prize | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $50K H.O.R.S.E. | David "Chip" Reese | $1,716,000 | 143 | $6,864,000 |
| 2007 | $50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E. | Freddy Deeb | $2,276,832 | 148 | $7,104,000 |
| 2008 | $50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E. | Scotty Nguyen | $1,989,120 | 148 | $7,104,000 |
| 2009 | $50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E. | David Bach | $1,276,802 | 95 | $4,560,000 |
| 2010 | $50K Poker Players' Championship | Michael Mizrachi | $1,559,046 | 116 | $5,568,000 |
| 2011 | $50K Poker Players' Championship | Brian Rast | $1,720,328 | 128 | $6,144,000 |
| 2012 | $50K Poker Players' Championship | Michael Mizrachi | $1,451,527 | 108 | $5,184,000 |
The journey to find the next $50K Poker Players' Championship winner begins at 5 p.m. local time, with the schedule calling for players to play five 100-minute levels on this first day of the five-day event. Come back here to PokerNews then for start-to-finish coverage of this annual highlight of the WSOP schedule.
Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship
Day 1 Started
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