WPT Bellagio Cup IV Main Event Begins TodayPrelims Predict Big Field of Pros |
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The last preliminary event in the Bellagio Cup IV tournament series ended yesterday, and if the prelims are any indication of the kind of turnout expected for the $15,000 buy-in* World Poker Tour main event that begins today, it should be a large field full of top pros.
Here are the results of the events so far:
| Event | Buy-in | Winner | First-Place Prize | Entrants | Prize Pool |
| 1 | $2,000 | Ran Azor | $91,745 (chop) | 267 | $517,980 |
| 2 | $3,000 | Tony Dunst | $193,720 | 165 | $480,150 |
| 3 | $5,000 | John Gale | $205,500 | 125 | $606,250 |
| 4 | $2,000 | Adam Markovits | $140,065 | 207 | $401,580 |
| 5 | $3,000 | Shannon Shorr | $247,555 | 215 | $625,650 |
| 6 | $5,000 | Clonie Gowen | $437,775 | 235 | $1,139,750 |
| 7 | $5,000 | Jimmy Fricke | $443,155 | 238 | $1,154,300 |
The last two events boasted prize pools that suprassed the $1-million mark, showing momententum going into the main event. Clonie Gowen snagged her first major multi-table tournament win, and Jimmy Fricke won his first live tournament in the United States, having just turned 21-years-old a few months ago.
Winner of event No. 5, Shannon Shorr, has been one of the lead stories in Bellagio Cup tournament history. In 2006, he won a preliminary event, cashed in two other prelims, and went on to win the championship event for almost $961,000. This year, after taking down a $3,000 buy-in tournament for almost $247,000, he also placed third in event No. 7 for an additional $124,000. He will likely be looking to repeat his success in the main event.
The first of three days ones of the championship event started today at noon. This will allo
w plenty of last-minute entries for those who are eliminated from the World Series of Poker main event. There are also still a couple supersatellites left, which are scheduled for tonight at 10 p.m. and tomorrow at 10 p.m. The buy-in is $1,500. Single-table satellites for $1,800 will run up until registration closes on Sunday, day 1C. The winner gets a seat plus $300 in cash, and second place receives $2,000 in casino chips.
Last year, the Bellagio Cup III championship event attracted 535 entrants, which generated a prize pool of more than $5 million. Kevin “BeLoWaBoVe” Saul took down the WPT title and $1.3 million. View an interview with Saul just after his win, as well as all of the Bellagio Cup III coverage, in the Card Player TV archives.
The Card Player reporting team is at Bellagio inside the Fontona Lounge where all of the action is taking place to provide videos, live updates, chip counts, and photos that will all be available on CardPlayer.com.
*The buy-ins in this story do not include entry fees.
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