WPT Celebrity Invitational Plays to Final Table

There are few poker tournaments on the annual schedule that are more fun than the World Poker Tour’s WPT Celebrity Invitational. The atmosphere is like no other: celebrities and pro poker players intermingle with members of the public in the largest poker room on earth, with $100,000 and a seat in the $25,000 WPT Championship going to the winner.

Famous faces from all corners of the entertainment world made it out to Commerce to be a part of the WPT Celebrity Invitational. Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher, Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s Alfonso Ribeiro, ex-New Kid On The Block Donnie Wahlberg, former American Idol contestant/freak show William Hung, Joe Toye from Band of Brothers, Wayne’s World star Tia Carrere, and Entourage’s Turtle, Jerry Ferrar, all turned up to play.

By the end of the day none of those stars had advanced to the TV table, where play will resume on March 3rd to see who gets to a freeroll into the WPT Championship and a hundred grand to pad the wallet. Instead these six lucky players will all be guaranteed some sort of payout:

• Seat 1:  Steve Elliott  -  1,520,000
• Seat 2:  Thor Hansen  -  1,480,000
• Seat 3:  Trishelle Cannatella  -  1,540,000
• Seat 4:  Sean Urban  -  2,090,000
• Seat 5:  Neev Baram  -  1,900,000
• Seat 6:  LeRon Washington  -  1,790,000

With 30K/60K blinds and 10K antes there will likely be less skill poker and more all-in moves. That might neutralize the experience advatnage of Thor Hansen, the godfather of Scandinavian poker. However, it may work to the advantage of players newer to the game, like reality TV personality Trisha Cannatella. No one really has anything to lose, so one way or another the mood should be light at Commerce when the WPT crew begins filming next week.