The WPT pulled out all the stops with the World Poker Tour Championship and the event was one of the more thrilling events of the poker season. When all the cards were laid it wasJoe Bartholdi who came up on top and was able to say that he was the champion of the event.
Some of poker?s best were sitting at the final table, although many players like Barny Boatman, Antonio Esfandiari, Sammy Farha, Gus Hansen, Phil Laak, David Pham, Joe Sebok, David "Devilfish" Ulliott and Brian Wilson left the tournament early.
At the end of the tournament it was Men 'The Master' Nguyen, Roland de Wolfe, David Matthew, Claus Nielsen, Joe Bartholdiand James Van Alstyne competing at the final table for the grand prize of $3,760,000, the top three position were all worth over a million dollars, but all the players were thinking about being the WPT champion.
It was a David and Goliath battle at the end of the tournament, with Joe Bartholdi having far more chips than his heads up opponent David Matthew. Another interesting element to the story was the fact that David Matthew had made his way to the tournament with $25 investment he made in an online tournament. Before winning capturing the WPT crown, Joe Bartholdi?s best finish was 5th place in a WSOP event.
To make a long story shot Joe Bartholdi came through with the tournament win, with David Matthew simply not getting the right cards to stage a comeback, still not too many would argue that second place in a tournament of this status is not bad for someone?s first professional outing.
