PokerNews Cup Retrospective: An Ever-Changing Event
PokerNews is known worldwide as the leading website in poker media, but that's not the only offering of value from the iBus Media Network.
One thing many stateside poker players might know little, if anything, about is the PokerNews Cup, a tournament series presented by the very news resource they utilize on a day-to-day basis. That's about to change, as the PokerNews Cup is coming to the U.S. for the very first time from Sept. 20-21 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.
In advance of PokerNews Cup's stateside debut, as well as the upcoming PokerNews Cup at King's Casino, here is a brief retrospective on the Cup.
2007
The PokerNews Cup made its debut in 2007 at Crown Casino in Australia. It featured a six-event schedule capped off by an AU$3,000 Main Event that drew 428 players. In that Main Event, native Aussie Dory Zayneh emerged as the victor, claiming AU$300,000 in prize money after besting Kenny Ng heads up. Amazingly, it remains Zayneh's only live cash to date. Another notable finisher at the final table was third-place finisher Grant Levy, whose live poker career has seen him cash for more than $2 million to date.
2008
A new venue played host to the next stop of the PokerNews Cup: Montecasino in Johannesburg, South Africa. This time, it was a $3,353 Main Event and 175 turned up. Local players again showed out, with South Africans taking five of the top seven spots, including the $140,575 awarded to top finisher Darren Kramer. Sweden's Anton Bertilsson finished eighth.
Next, the PokerNews Cup headed to back to its roots in Australia for a seven-event series. There, Nali Kaselias continued the tradition of local victors, picking up AU$250,000 for beating a field of 410 in the AU$2,200 Main Event. Levy made it two PokerNews Cup final tables in a row in Australia as he finished eighth.
A final stop saw the Cup head to Concord Card Casino in Austria for a €650 Main Event that drew 55 runners. Estonian Stan Klaasen took it down for €4,070, still making him the second champ of the series with only the one cash still on his record.
2009
The PokerNews Cup kicked off 2009 with another new venue, this time Alpine Palace Card Casino, also in Austria. It was Marcus Naalden topping a field of 129 in the €1,500 Main Event, including a final table that included bracelet winner Mark Vos, for a first-place prize of €46,474.
A few months later, it was back to Australia for another AU$2,200 Main Event, with the series scaled back to a couple of special events and the Main Event. Aussies again dominated the 381-player field, taking the top nine prizes. Con Tsapkounis grabbed the AU$250,000 first-place prize when he beat Joe Cabret heads up. Sam Khouiss got fourth for AU$48,000.
2014
The PokerNews Cup was shelved for a few years before a return in 2014 at Montesino Pokertainment Centre in Austria. The new-look €250 Main Event was a rebuy that drew 403 total entries. Austrian Hanh Tran carried the day for a €19,010 prize.
2015
The successful return of the new, smaller-stakes PokerNews Cup continued in 2015 with two events, the first of which was at King's Casino in Czech Republic. The €250 Main Event was a big success with 1,230 entries and 235 rebuys, and a couple of Germans topped the field. Christian Krupp beat countryman Torsten Wichtrup for €57,473.
The turnout had been so encouraging that another PokerNews Cup was held later that very year at King's Casino, this time drawing 689 entries and 131 rebuys. Poker players aren't always the most agreeable sort, but they proved even in decent numbers they can be amenable at times, as the final table participants managed to agree on a nine-way chop before a single hand was dealt. Another German, Daniel Can, took the official win and €16,805 in prize money.
That wraps it up for the history of the PokerNews Cup. For a schedule of the upcoming event at King's Casino, beginning on Aug. 10, click here.
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