WPT Celebrity Invitational Final Table Set

An all-star turnout of celebrities and poker pros made their way to this year’s WPT Celebrity Invitational inside LA’s Commerce Casino. After two days of play, it’s a pair of chess standouts and a pair of WSOP bracelet winners who will be in the spotlight going into the final table on Mar. 2.

Internationally-ranked chess masters Almira Skripchenko and Dinara Khaziyeva will be joined by WSOP bracelet winners Dan Heimiller and Davidi Kitai, as well as George Rechnitzer and chip leader Damon Schramm.

The invitational is once again being held to benefit Chrysalis, a California organization that helps the poor and homeless find employment to become self-sufficient. A total of 482 players participated in the event. Among them were celebrities like Lou Diamond Phillips, Don Cheadle, Chaka Khan, Gina Gershon, Corey Feldman, Jose Canseco, and dozens of the top poker pros such as Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari and Carlos Mortensen.

UFC Hall of Famer Randy “The Natural” Couture was the first celebrity eliminated. Actor Ashton Holmes, who was in A History of Violence and recent HBO mini-series The Pacific, lasted the longest of all of the celebrities, finishing in ninth place.

Damon Schramm, a Minnesota lawyer, holds a slight chip lead going into the final table, but all of the remaining six will have a shot at the $74,500 top prize and the $25,500 WPT Championship seat. Each player is guaranteed at least $5,000 in prize money.

Here’s a look at the final table chip counts:

1. Damon Schramm – 865,000
2. Davidi Kitai – 845,000
3. Almira Skripchenko – 710,000
4. Dan Heimiller – 700,000
5. Dinara Khaziyeva – 670,000
6. George Rechnitzer – 660,000

Here’s a look at the payouts:

1. $100,000
2. $50,000
3. $20,000
4. $15,000
5. $10,000
6. $5,000

There will be a considerable break before the final table is played. It will not take place until Mar. 2, so that it can be recorded in consecutive days with the WPT LA Poker Classic main event final table on Mar. 3.

Stay tuned to Card Player for final table coverage.

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