Year-End Review - Part II

In the last issue, I recapped some of the major poker stories of 2001. In this column, I will focus on the biggest tournaments in 2001. Regrettably, space limitations do not allow me to include every American tournament or any of the many major European tournaments. For information on European events, go to www.European-poker.com on the web. I apologize in advance if I have inadvertently omitted any major tournaments.

January brought us the inaugural World Poker Challenge at the Reno Hilton. Players flocked to this event, generating one of the largest tournament prize pools of the year. Congratulations to Mike Laing, who won the $5,000 championship event. Also in January, Casino San Pablo hosted the $180,000-guaranteed Golden Gate Classic.

February saw Commerce Casino present its annual L.A. Poker Classic. More than 5,000 entrants took the prize pool to more than $3 million. Part of the overwhelming success of this tournament can be attributed to the fact that there were three $200,000-guaranteed events, as well as $50,000 for the best all-around player pool. Also in February, the Oregon Open was held at Spirit Mountain Casino, featuring several added-money events.

March's biggest event was the Jack Binion World Poker Open, held at the Horseshoe Hotel Casino and Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Mississippi. This major tournament attracted 3,570 entrants and paid out more than $3 million in prize money. March's second-largest event was the annual New England Poker Classic at Foxwoods, which drew 2,767 participants and generated a $600,000 prize pool. March also brought us the $300,000-guaranteed Winnin' O' the Green at The Bicycle Casino, the $265,000-guaranteed Sport of Kings at Hollywood Park, the Shooting Star at Bay 101, and the $180,000-guaranteed Northern California Championship at Casino San Pablo.

April is the month all serious poker players await, as it hosts the biggest poker tournament in the world, the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. Attendance records were set in most events, including the world championship, in which its 613 entrants broke the previous record of 512 players. Congratulations to the winner, Carlos Mortensen from Madrid, Spain. In the same time slot, The Bicycle Casino hosted the Mini Series of Poker, which featured a similar schedule of events at much lower buy-ins.

The WSOP and MSOP ended in May, and were followed by America's Poker Classic at The Bicycle Casino and the Pot of Gold at the Reno Hilton. Together, these two events produced almost $1 million in prize money.

June always features the California State Poker Championship at Commerce Casino. The 2001 event attracted 3,441 entrants and paid out more than $1.8 million in prize money. Other June tournaments included the $200,000-guaranteed Battle of the Bay at Lucky Chances, the $180,000-guaranteed San Francisco Open at Casino San Pablo, and the Stars and Stripes 2001 at The Bicycle Casino.

More than 10,000 entrants participated in July's Orleans Open at The Orleans Hotel and Casino, creating almost $2 million in prize money. The Tournament of Champions expanded to six events, resulting in more than $1 million in the prize pool. Brian Saltus of Boise, Idaho, bested the field of 402 in the championship event. (Note that the TOC has since been disbanded.)

August's biggest tournament is always the Legends of Poker at The Bicycle Casino. This year was no exception, as attendance records were broken in many events. Casinos Europa in Costa Rica became an internationally recognized venue with its Linda Johnson Celebrity Event, which drew a large field of Americans and locals. August also brought the Mid-America Poker Classic at the Horseshoe in Tunica and the Fall Vacation tournament at Lake Elsinore.

September saw the Four Queens return as a poker venue with Bonnie Damiano's Four Queens Classic. Other September tournaments included Heavenly Hold'em at Commerce Casino, which had two $200,000-guaranteed events and $50,000 in added money, the $390,000-guaranteed National Championship of Poker at Hollywood Park (1,845 entrants), and the Pot of Gold at the Reno Hilton, which attracted more than 2,000 entrants.

October was the busiest month for major poker tournaments. The largest event was the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, with added money for each event. Other October events included The Bicycle Casino's Big Poker Oktober (2,407 entrants), the inaugural Fall Classic Poker Tournament at Canterbury Card Club, Thunder by the Bay at Casino San Pablo, the Peppermill's Fall Tournament, the Anniversary Series at Spirit Mountain ($20,000 added), and the $260,000-guaranteed Howard Andrew Celebrity Tournament at Casinos Europa, which attracted more than 200 Americans.

November was the host month for the $225,000 Gold Rush at Lucky Chances, Ho-Ho Hold'em at The Bicycle Casino, the Tom McEvoy Tournament at Hollywood Park, and the Holiday Bonus Tournament at Commerce Casino. These tournaments combined paid out more than $1 million in prize money. The month's largest prize pool was generated at the Trump Taj Mahal's United States Poker Championship, which took place in November/December. Also, the Eldorado Hotel and Casino in Reno hosted its inaugural Eldorado Poker Classic.

Rounding out the year in December were the Reno Hilton's Holiday Classic and the inaugural Caribbean Poker Classic at the Holiday Inn in Aruba. 2001 was a great year for tournament poker! 2002 promises to be even better, with the introduction of several new million dollar-guaranteed events.

Now, let's play poker!