One of the most anticipated events of the 2017 World Series of Poker is upon us as the $50,000 Poker Players Championship begins Sunday at 3 p.m.
Many of the biggest names in the game consider this their main event, as winning in the eight-game format against the best in the world is what many believe to be the toughest challenge the WSOP schedule presents.
With a combined 26 bracelets won by the nine winners of this event, luck is certainly not what comes to the forefront in the PPC. The skill required to defeat the toughest tournament field of the summer by being proficient in each variant is what is consistently echoed by players and past champions.
David "Chip" Reese, the first champion of this event and for whom the Memorial Trophy is named, was long considered by his peers to be the best all-around poker player. After his win in 2006, Reese said, "It's not just one day or two days. It's every day." The past winners of this event have certainly proved in one way or another that they have withstood the test of time.
Defending champion Brian Rast is a two-time winner of this event, having won it the first time in 2011. The other player with multiple PPC titles is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who earned top honors in 2010 and 2012. Coupled with his fourth-place finish last summer, Mizrachi is the only player with three PPC final tables under his belt.
Here is a look at the past entries, prize pool, champions, and first-place prizes:
Year
Entries
Prize Pool
Winner
Prize
2006
143
$6,864,000
Chip Reese
$1,716,000
2007
148
$7,104,000
Freddy Deeb
$2,276,832
2008
148
$7,104,000
Scotty Nguyen
$1,989,120
2009
95
$4,560,000
David Bach
$1,276,806
2010
116
$5,568,000
Michael Mizrachi
$1,559,046
2011
128
$6,144,000
Brian Rast
$1,720,328
2012
108
$5,184,000
Michael Mizrachi
$1,451,527
2013
132
$6,336,000
Matthew Ashton
$1,774,089
2014
102
$4,896,000
John Hennigan
$1,517,767
2015
84
$3,696,000
Mike Gorodinsky
$1,270,086
2016
91
$4,176,000
Brian Rast
$1,296,097
The schedule for Day 1 calls for six 100-minute levels to be played, which should have players bagging and tagging at about 2:15 a.m. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2.
Be sure to keep it here for live updates on all of the action, as the quest to crown the 2017 Poker Players Champion begins!
Brock Parker (cutoff) faced off with Dan Smith (button) in a no-limit hold'em hand. With just under 40,000 in the pot, Parker and Smith were on the river of the board.
Action was on Smith, who thought about his bet sizing, then verbally set the price at 42,000. Parker seemed to be puzzled, but he cut the calling chips and checked how much he had on top of that. Then, he called.
Smith turned up for flopped trips, knowing his was going to rake in the huge pot. Parker mucked.
On fourth street, Matthew Asthon and Ben Sulsky checked to Johnny Chan, who bet. Both Ashton and Sulsky called. Chan bet fifth street when checked to, and Ashton and Sulsky called again. Chan gained the lead on sixth and bet. Ashton and Sulsky both called the bet. On the river, Chan bet, Ashton called, Sulsky made it two bets, Chan made it three bets, Ashton folded, Sulsky made it four bets, and Chan called.
Sulsky flipped open a disguised for sixes full of fours, but Chan tabled and scooped up the entire pot with kings full.
Scott Seiver had out, battling against Michael Mizrachi, whose board showed .
Mizrachi led out on fifth street with Seiver in the middle of his typical speech play. "You're the f***ing Grinder!" Seiver said before adding, "You know what? I can still raise you."
And so, he did. Mizrachi called, and Seiver asked for another club. He received the . "Oh my god, six of clubs," he said.
Mizrachi, however, wasn't scared by Sevier's sixth card, and bet out again, having paired his own six. "Six of clubs and you're still gonna bet. Oh my god," Seiver continued before raising. Mizrachi three-bet, Seiver four-bet, and Mizrachi capped it. Seiver called, and they peeled their river cards.
Mizrachi checked. "You check it after you capped it? Oh my god," Seiver laughed. "This is stupid."
Seiver bet, and Mizrachi paused. "If you'll raise him, you're my hero," Bruno Fitoussi, who's also seated at the table, told Mizrachi.
Mizrachi eventually called, and Seiver didn't hesitate, presenting his goods: "Straight flush," he said, roling over .
Picking up the action on fifth street, Daniel Negreanu checked with the best board, and Dan Shak checked behind. Ray Dehkharghani bet, and both Negreanu and Shak called. Sixth street was checked around, and Negreanu bet on seventh street. Shak folded, and Dehkharghani tanked for a bit before he called.
Negreanu showed for a nine-seven, Dehkharghani mucked, and Negreanu won the pot.
Nearly 200 big blinds filled the pot as small blind Esther Taylor and big blind Paul Volpe approched the river of the board. Taylor checked, and Volpe fired a bet worth just under the half of the pot, making it 65,000 to call.
Taylor was agonized. She apologized to the table for taking her time to make the decision, analyzing the previous streets while holding calling chips in her hands. She had around 125,000 left, and a call with a worse hand would wound her stack tremendously.
Taylor, however, couldn't give up her monster, calling.
Volpe rolled over , and Taylor briefly opened her , proving a hardly avoidable cooler.
In the second half of the fourth level, the 2017 Poker Players Championship finally saw its first casualty. Daniel Cates was the first man to leave his seat.
It was a casual start to the crucial hand. More than 200 big blinds deep, Cates three-bet to 6,500 over Mark Gregorich's 2,100-chip raise from under the gun. Action returned to Gregorich, who fired back, four-betting to 22,100. Cates paused for a while and then pushed all of his chips toward the middle. It was around 170,000, and Gregorich had a simple decision, calling instantly.
Daniel Cates:
Mark Gregorich:
What looked to be a disaster for Cates could have turned into a huge bad beat story for Gregorich as the brought a massive sweat. The turn and river, however, left Cates' flush draw incomplete.
Gregorich had Cates well covered, but the high-stakes cash game legend remained seated for a few seconds, processing what had just happened.
Then, Cates stood up and walked away. Just like that, his chips were gone, as the Poker Players Championship ended right there for Cates.
As relayed to us, Gus Hansen limped in for 800. Leon Tsoukernik made it 3,600, David Benyamine called, Harry Madoff raised to 16,400 from the blinds, Hansen folded, Tsoukernik called, and Benyamine called.
Madoff bet 25,000 on the flop, Tsoukernik folded, and Benyamine called. Madoff checked the turn to Benyamine, who bet 40,000. Madoff wasn't about to give up and called. On the river, Madoff checked, Benyamine shoved, and Madoff called it off to put himself at risk.
Benyamine:
Madoff:
Benyamine had missed every out to crack Madoff's aces and came up second-best. He was left with 40,000 after the hand, while Madoff soared to 470,000.
Coming to the river of the , there was already more than 80,000 in the pot. Ben Sulsky was on the button, but there was yet another button lying in front of him — the one indicating an all in. Sulsky had his remaining chips stacked in front of him, making the count easily accessible from a distance. It was 93,600.
Sulsky's head was leaning on the rail with his headphones in his ears. Ashton was stretching his arms, trying to figure out what to do. He took a good amount of time before calling, but Sulsky didn't know about that for a few seconds as he'd been trying to escape into another world.
He moved his head up, finally learning of Ashton's call. Sulsky rolled over for the second nuts, ensured he was going to double up.
Ashton briefly showed his for a lower flush and shipped the required amount of chips Sulsky's way.
Dan Shak raised under the gun, and Mike Matusow called to his direct left.
Both players took two cards on the first draw. Shak bet, Matusow raised, and Shak called. On the second draw, both players drew one and checked the subsequent betting round. They exchanged another card on the final draw, after which Shak bet. Matusow took some time before flicking in a call.
Shak had his hand ready to muck face-down, but Matusow showed for a pair of deuces.
"Oh, he has a pair?" Shak asked. He then showed for the winner.
"I knew he was bluffing," grumbled Matusow after the hand.
"Yeah, I was," quipped Shak as he stacked up the chips.
board.
for flopped trips, knowing his was going to rake in the huge pot. Parker mucked.
/ 
/ 
/ 
and scooped up the entire pot with kings full.
out, battling against Michael Mizrachi, whose board showed 
board. Taylor checked, and Volpe fired a bet worth just under the half of the pot, making it 65,000 to call.
turn and 
turn to Benyamine, who bet 40,000. Madoff wasn't about to give up and called. On the 
, there was already more than 80,000 in the pot. Ben Sulsky was on the button, but there was yet another button lying in front of him — the one indicating an all in. Sulsky had his remaining chips stacked in front of him, making the count easily accessible from a distance. It was 93,600.
for the second nuts, ensured he was going to double up. 
