[see also results from the Five Star Poker Classic Championship event]
Day six of the WPT $25K Championship played down to the final TV table six. Today's play began at noon with 17 players and 11 had been eliminated a few minutes before 6:00 pm. Joe Beevers of the Hendon Mob went out on the TV table bubble and play stopped until tomorrow's 4:00 pm start time. The chip leader going into tomorrow's final table is Hasan Habib with $7,795,000 in tournament chips, well ahead of Rob Hollink's $4,430,000. Phil Ivey is third in the chip count with $3,365,000 followed by Paul Maxfield holding $2,885,000. Tuan Le has $2,680,000 and John Phan is the short stack with $1,405,000.
Joseph Cordi left in the eight spot and collected $150,970 while Chris Ferguson received $132,025 for ninth. Juha Helppi was eliminated tenth and got paid $113,225. The Fontana room was crowded with fans and media gathered around the tables watching and reacting to every hand. Tomorrow promises to be a great final table with some of the toughest professionals on the tour playing their best game to grab the WPT Championship and the $2,856,150 first place money. Second place will go home a millionaire with $1,698,390 and third takes $896,375. Even the first player to be eliminated will leave with $264,195.
The Fontana Room has taken on the party atmosphere of any other big time sporting event involving professionals vying for millions of dollars, fans cheering for their favorite players and poker industry movers and shakers practicing the art of the deal. Combine all of this with a Saturday in the entertainment capitol of the world, Las Vegas, and then add in the Bellagio setting and you would have to work at not having a wonderful time. The Bellagio's regular poker room is jammed with players in cash games that range from $4-$8 Hold'em all the way up to "My God, it's how much?" Just walk around the facility and you will see all of those poker stars you watch every week on television. It's not just the who's who of poker, it is total poker. The WPT Championship will be decided tomorrow and the 2005 champion will be crowned; but, that's not the end of this event. Monday will be another "filmed for television final table" in the form of the Professional Poker Tour. The PPT tour stop that began on April 15th will play down to a champion. If you have the time then come on down to Vegas and watch some poker history being made; or better yet, make some poker history of your own.
