That's a Wrap!

The WPT World Championship at Bellagio wrapped up season three on the World Poker Tour. And what a year it was! Every venue on the WPT circuit exceeded the previous years' number of entrants, and the total prize money awarded was more than $70 million. Perhaps more astounding is the fact that 23 tournament players have become millionaires on the World Poker Tour since its inception. Because of the WPT, the poker world will never be the same again.



We all know that Wednesday night has become "poker night" across America, but did you know that the WPT airs in 57 countries around the world? World Poker Tour Enterprises became a publicly traded company last fall (WPTE – NASDAQ Exchange), and the stock has more than doubled. Make no mistake about it, the World Poker Tour has become a brand name. It now has numerous elite franchisees marketing its products.

Linda Johnson and Mike Sexton helped World Poker Tour creator Steve Lipscomb (left) launch the WPT.

World Poker Tour hosts Shana Hiatt and Mike Sexton

I believe that Steve Lipscomb (founder of the WPT) and Lyle Berman (financier) are owed a debt of gratitude by everyone involved in the poker industry. And Lipscomb's two key employees at the WPT, Audrey Kania (business manager) and Robyn Moder (production manager), left careers to go into a world that didn't exist at that time (TV poker) and an industry they knew nothing about.

They did so because of their faith in Steve. Lipscomb openly admits that if Audrey and Robyn hadn't joined him in the quest of his "dream," he never would have made the effort to launch the WPT. These people truly deserve all the success they have achieved.



I'm proud to say that Linda Johnson and I helped Steve launch the WPT. We believed in his vision from the getgo (which he explained to us at lunch in Costa Rica). I set up the inaugural meeting with him and Lyle and Linda, and I assisted him in getting the charter members to agree to form a tour and to hold events exclusively for the WPT. Foxwoods was the first casino to sign up, with Bellagio and Commerce Casino coming aboard soon thereafter. Having those prestigious properties on board made it smooth sailing in getting the rest.



When offered the job to become a commentator on the World Poker Tour, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to be a part of something that I believed might change the face of poker forever (a prophecy that became fact). I also believed that my visibility as a commentator on the WPT would help PartyPoker.com (the online site for which I am the host) grow and prosper. Fortunately, that proved to be exactly the case.



The staff members (crew and office personnel) of the World Poker Tour are not only good people, they are hard workers, are totally professional, and do a terrific job. I've been very fortunate to work with Vince Van Patten and Shana Hiatt for three seasons. Vince and I will be doing a fourth season, but, unfortunately, Shana will not. She has opted to forego all the travel and move on with her life.



The first day I met Shana, I said she was the "nuts" and would be great for the WPT. After three years of working with her, I still say, "She's the nuts!" On behalf of poker players everywhere and fans around the world, I'd like to say, "Thank you, Shana, for all you've done to help make the World Poker Tour such a success. All the best to you in all of your future endeavors."

That's a wrap!

Take care. ♠



Mike Sexton is the host of PartyPoker.com, a commentator on the World Poker Tour (which can be seen every Wednesday on the Travel Channel), and the author of WPT – Shuffle Up and Deal (which is on The New York Times bestseller list and is available at www.CardPlayer.com).