The second annual World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship is off to a strong start with four players having captured Wynn replica trophies in the first week.
“Miami” John Cernuto, Martin Kozlov, Michael Rossitto, and Ian Bradley took down the first events at Wynn Las Vegas. The series, which includes the first ever $40 million guaranteed poker tournament, will run until Dec. 21 at the luxurious Las Vegas Strip casino.
On Wednesday, the $1,100 WPT Ladies Championship began and will run until Dec. 8. The WPT Prime Championship, a $5 million guaranteed event that costs $1,100 to enter, will begin Dec. 7, with the final table set for Dec. 12. But before everyone looks ahead to those major events, let’s take a look back at what you’ve missed thus far in what is already shaping up to be one heck of an entertaining festival, starting with Cernuto’s victory.
Cernuto, a tournament poker legend with 655 cashes recorded by The Hendon Mob, came out victorious on Nov. 29 in one of the first tournaments of the series — $600 Omaha 8-or-Better — for $20,073. He defeated a field of 152 players in a tournament with a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool that was smashed ($78,280).
WPT World Championship Festival Details
Rossitto Takes Down $600 Opening Event ($340,698)
There’s a pattern among the early winners at the WPT World Championship Festival and that is they are all accomplished pros. Take, for example, Rossitto, who had over $3 million in The Hendon Mob results before entering the first event of the series, a $600 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament with $1 million guaranteed.
In that event, which attracted a massive field of 4,960 players to generate a prize pool more than double the $1 million guarantee ($2,554,400), Rossitto took it down for $366,698, beating out Brian Barker, who earned $242,559, heads-up for the iconic Wynn replica trophy.
Rossitto, an Italian poker star, now has over $1.3 million in live tournament cashes in 2023, the first year he’s eclipsed the seven-figure mark.
NLH Opening Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Rossitto | $366,698 |
| 2 | Brian Barker | $242,559 |
| 3 | Lawrence Chow | $186,493 |
| 4 | Alexander Britton | $143,927 |
| 5 | Paul Hizer | $110,888 |
| 6 | David Wintersberger | $84,477 |
| 7 | Meraf Tedla | $63,479 |
| 8 | Florin Iacoban | $46,640 |
| 9 | Damarjai Davenport | $33,372 |
Kozlov Ships $1,100 PLO/NLH Mix ($74,373)
Kozlov, one of the top Australian tournament pros ever, won his first ever World Poker Tour event by beating out Ben Ludlow heads-up to win $74,373. Ludlow, who works for PokerGO, took $50,754. Paul Roy finished in third place and received $37,601.
Kozlov now has over $3.8 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob, along with some stellar online poker results. In September, he finished runner-up in the WPT Australia Main Event for $360,634. The 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is off to a strong start to the 2023 WPT World Championship.
PLO/NLH Mix Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Kozlov | $74,373 |
| 2 | Ben Ludlow | $50,754 |
| 3 | Paul Roy | $37,601 |
| 4 | Ryan Christopherson | $27,869 |
| 5 | Mark Liedtke | $20,634 |
| 6 | Sami Shurbaji | $15,311 |
| 7 | Tony Hoang | $11,445 |
| 8 | Phillip Shing | $8,727 |
Bradley Wins $10,500 NLH 8-Max ($240,625)
The first high-stakes event of the series — $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Max — had a strong turnout with 77 players and $77,000 in the pot. When all was said and done, the only person who still had chips was Ian Bradley, who received $240,625 as a reward for his impressive performance.
Bradley, from the United Kingdon, defeated a stacked final table that included runner-up Joao Simao ($154,000), poker vlogger and WPT ambassador Brad Owen (third place for $107,800), another vlogger in Ethan “Rampage” Yau (fourth place for $77,000), and long-time poker pro Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger (eighth place for $28,875).
With his victory, Bradley surpasses the $2 million lifetime tournament earnings mark.
NLH 8-Max Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Bradley | $240,625 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | $154,000 |
| 3 | Brad Owen | $107,800 |
| 4 | Ethan Yau | $77,000 |
| 5 | Istvan Birizdo | $57,365 |
| 6 | Pavel Plesuv | $44,275 |
| 7 | James Collopy | $35,035 |
| 8 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $28,875 |
Remaining WPT World Championship Schedule
| Dates | Tournament | Buy-In | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 6-8 | Ladies Championship | $1,100 | $250,000 |
| Dec. 7-12 | WPT Prime Championship | $1,100 | $5,000,000 |
| Dec. 8 | 8-Game Mix | $2,200 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 12-21 | WPT World Championship | $10,400 | $40,000,000 |
| Dec. 12-13 | HORSE Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 13 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 15 | No-Limit Hold’em Turbo ($500 Bounty) | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 16 | No-Limit Hold’em Progressive Bounty (PKO) | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | Limit Omaha/8 Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 17-20 | No-Limit Hold’em | $3,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | $25,700 | |
| Dec. 18-19 | WPT Big One for One Drop | $1,000,000 | |
| Dec. 19-23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,600 | $2,000,000 |
| Dec. 19-20 | Seniors High Roller (50+) | $10,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 19 | No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | Dealers Choice Championship | $3,000 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | WPT Alpha8 | $50,000 | |
| Dec. 21 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $10,500 | |
| Dec. 22 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $100,000 |
*Image courtesy of Wynn Poker Room.