Steve Brecher and Scott Anderson Win World Poker Tour Regional Titles
Last week the World Poker Tour made headlines as poker’s best turned out in force for the Season XII Borgata Poker Open, which attracted 1,189 entries. The tournament featured a stacked final table that included Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst, who ultimately finished runner-up to 32-year-old poker pro Anthony Zinno.
While attention was focused on the East Coast, two WPT Regional events were crowning winners in Tampa Bay and Reno, respectively.
In Tampa Bay, 323 players packed the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for the WPT Regional Florida Fall Tampa Bay Open. The $1,500 buy-in event, which featured a prize pool of more $307,000 and paid 27 places, saw Scott Anderson and Song O. take home $68,393 each after a heads-up deal. Anderson then went on to beat his opponent to capture the title.
WPT Regional Florida Fall Tampa Bay Open
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | 323 | $307,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Scott Anderson | $68,393* |
| 2nd | Song O | $68,393* |
| 3rd | Alan Percal | $33,814 |
| 4th | Robert O’Rourke | $23,516 |
| 5th | Robert Allen | $17,522 |
| 6th | John McNulty | $13,526 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
From September 20-22, the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada played host to the WPT Regional Nevada Western Poker Challenge. The $1,650 buy-in tournament featured a $200,000 guarantee prize pool and attracted 111 entries, which meant there was an enticing overlay.
Interestingly, the man who ended up capturing the title and $58,000 first-place prize was Steve Brecher, who has his name on the WPT Champions Cup after winning the $9,500 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars back in 2009 for $1,025,500. With his latest WPT win, Brecher moved up to more than $2.8 million in career tournament winnings.
WPT Regional Nevada Western Poker Challenge
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $1,650 | 111 | $200,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Steve Brecher | $58,000 |
| 2nd | Roger Sippl | $38,000 |
| 3rd | Dean Freedlander | $25,000 |
| 4th | Jed Hoffman | $18,000 |
| 5th | Gerald Morrell | $14,000 |
| 6th | Rafael Ibaibarriaga | $10,000 |
The next WPT Regional event will be at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida from October 31-November 3 for the Stax Poker Lounge Fall Poker Open. Meanwhile, the next WPT National event — the PMU WPT National Marrakech — will take place at the Casino De Marrakech in Hivernage from October 3-6.
*Photo and data courtesy of the World Poker Tour Blog.
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