2002 - A Year to Remember

by Mike Sexton | Published: Jan 03, 2003

This past year has been a remarkable one for poker. In fact, 2002 could be the most significant year ever in regard to the growth of poker. To start with, there were seven tournaments with greater than $1 million prize pools, and another with more than $900,000. It was also a year that online poker grew tremendously. Most importantly, however, it was the year that the World Poker Tour (WPT) was born.

The WPT will change the poker world as we know it. Poker is on the verge of national exposure, and because of the WPT, America could really embrace poker and the poker world. Why? The power of television is why. The poker world is going "prime time." The mission statement of the WPT is to turn tournament poker into a televised event, just as the PGA did for golf and NASCAR did for stock car racing. Because of this, potential growth for the poker industry looms large.

The creators of the WPT were Steve Lipscomb and businessman extraordinaire Lyle Berman (who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this past year). Steve is the TV guy who produces the WPT events, and Lyle's company, Lakes Gaming, is funding the WPT. These guys have tremendous vision, and they are stepping up to the plate in a big way to bring the game we love to the homes of America.

The WPT is first-class all the way, as no corners are being cut. The set is elaborate, the staff is remarkable, and the product will wow you. You will see poker on television as has never been seen before. With numerous cameras and the technology to see the players' downcards, the WPT will provide "three E's" for the viewing audience - Excitement, Entertainment, and Education. I believe viewers will love the WPT.

The WPT enlisted 11 charter members that currently host major tournaments around the world: Aviation Club de France, Bellagio, The Bicycle Casino, Casinos Europa, Commerce Casino, Foxwoods, the Horseshoe and Gold Strike casinos in Tunica, Lucky Chances, PartyPoker.com, the Reno Hilton, and Ultimatebet.com. The WPT season will consist of 13 two-hour programs televised in prime time, which will include the events of the charter members, a WPT invitational tournament, and the grandiose inaugural World Poker Tour championship ($25,000 buy-in) that will be held at Bellagio in Las Vegas, April 14-18, 2003. When these tournaments begin to air in 2003, look for the WPT to rock.

Let's quickly review tournament poker in 2002. Certainly, an amateur (Robert Varkonyi) becoming world champion and winning $2 million at the World Series of Poker was a boost for poker. It showed that you don't have to be a top-notch professional player to take down poker's biggest prize. And a woman (Kathy Liebert) capturing the PartyPoker.com Million (with a $1 million first prize) certainly had to be encouraging for ladies to try poker. These two achievements were historical, and they provide inspiration to everyone who plays or wants to play poker.

The "young guns" certainly had a fabulous year in 2002. Phil Ivey, Layne Flack, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Diego Cordovez, Julian Gardner, Toto Leonidas, and Gus Hansen head the list of the youth brigade that wowed the poker world this past year. And poker veterans like T.J. Cloutier, Howard Lederer, Scotty Nguyen, Humberto Brenes, Johnny Chan, Huck Seed, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Jim Lester, and Erik Seidel also had great tournament success in 2002.

The major tournament winners were quite diversified this past year. The beauty of poker is that anyone can win. Whether you're a man or a woman, young or old, or an amateur or a professional, it doesn't matter when it comes to achieving success in poker. Skill prevails in the long run, but in the short run, if Lady Luck is sitting on your shoulder and the cards are falling your way, you can gather the chips and get the cash. Something to remember, though, as Roy West pointed out in one of his columns, is that everyone wants to win, but only a few prepare to win.

It's been an exciting year for poker, and 2003 should prove to be even better, especially with the WPT going prime time. Congratulations to everyone who had a good year in 2002. To everyone else, out with the old and in with the new. Let the good times roll in 2003!

Happy New Year!