WPT Championship
- Season 1 - Jan 31, 2003
The first million dollar prize for a World Poker Tour event
was awarded on the last event of season one. Held at the Bellagio
in Las Vegas, 108 of the world’s best players put down
$25,000 to play in the championship event. The $2.7 million
dollar prize pool gave an exciting ending to the first season.
The final table was as stacked, as would be expected, with
the legend himself Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Ted Forrest,
Kirill Gerasimov, James Hoeppner and Alan Goehring who finished
second in the Main Event at the WSOP in 1999.
Goehring played a style reminiscent of Gus Hanson in earlier
victories and seemed to be able to win pots with any two cards,
After eliminating Doyle Brunson and Ted Forrest on the same
hand, Goehring had a commanding chip position that lead him
to a heads up confrontation for the title with Kirirll Gerasimov.
Gerasimov fought hard, even taking the chip lead, but after
Goehring called a huge bluff by Gerasimov he took the lead
and didn’t let go. Goehring won $1,011,886 in the first
million dollar first place finish in World Poker Tour History.
