This tournament attracts pros, amateurs, and celebrities alike, paying $5,000 apiece for a chance to take down the winner’s share of a $1,000,000 prize pool, and a $25,000 seat at the WPT Championship.

The unique aspect of this tournament is the $5,000 bounty placed on a small number of pros. The final 6 were:

Seat 1 - Chris Moneymaker with $215,000.
Seat 2 - Suzie Kim with $172,000.
Seat 3 - Masoud Shojaie with $416,000.
Seat 4 - Mark Mache with $175,000.
Seat 5 - Scott Wilson with $203,000.
Seat 6 - Phil Gordon with $1,238,000.

Masoud Shojaie looked at Mark next to him and promptly raised $36,000. Mark, with Td 2s, gambled, and called, all-in for $33,000. Shojaie flipped over Kh Th, and after the board went in favor of Shojaie, Kd 8c 2c, Qc, Ks, Mark was out, in 6th place, with $57,000.

Phil Gordon made it $60,000 to go with a pair of 9’s, and Suzie went all-in with another medium pair, 6h-6d. Gordon called, and the board went 3d 3h 2h, 3c, 8c, Suzie was sent to the rail, in 5th place, with a $68,840 payout.

Moneymaker, on the button with Qs Qc, and called to see a flop, Shojaie the small blind, with 6 4 offsuit also linped, and Wilson the big blind, with Qh Jh limped to. When the flop came J 9 5 rainbow, Wilson slow played his top pair, raising $30,000. Chris Moneymaker barely hesitated, going all in $326,000. Wilson, feeling this might be the last chance to get all his money in with a hand, called, but when Moneymaker flipped over the ladies. The turn and river came Ks, 2h, Wilson went home in 4th place with $79,800.

Now down to three, Shojaie, switching gears, found Td 6d, and went all in for $230,000, probably not wanting a call, he found two Gordon, with Ac 7h, quickly called, and Moneymaker looked down to find Js Jc and called. When the flop came A T 8 rainbow, the turn and river came 8d, 5d, Gordon had knocked out the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in a single hand.

Shojaie, in 3rd, due to his smaller stack going into the final hand, took home $103,300, Moneymaker grabbed $200,000, and Phil Gordon took home his first coveted WPT title, and a $360,000 payout.

- Thomas Hardy