The first of the two initial flights of the WPT Choctaw Championship is in the books, and the tournament seems on pace to hit its $2,000,000 guarantee by the time the registration ends. A total of 293 players turned out to play Day 1A at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, each paying $3,800 for the privilege.
Of those 293, 83 managed to find the bag and will be coming back on May 5 to continue their pursuit of the prestigious WPT champion title.
The action will resume today, with Day 1B kicking off at 11:00 AM local time and registration lasting for the first eight levels. After the late registration ends, the tournament will play through two more 60-minute levels before wrapping up.
WPT Title Chase in Full Swing
Yesterday’s Day 1 brought the prize pool over the halfway mark, so it seems that the WPT Choctaw Championship will have no problems meeting and exceeding its $2,000,000 guarantee, especially given the fact that later starting flights tend to attract a greater number of entries on average.
Friday’s action was fast and furious, with over two-thirds of those taking their seat being sent to the rail. After ten levels of grueling play, 83 players managed to end the day with some chips in front of them, securing their place for Day 2.
Currently leading the way is Curt Kohlberg, who finished the day with just over 500,000 in chips. With $3.6 million in cashes, Kohlberg is no stranger to tournament success, although he’s yet to claim a WPT title. The closest he got was in 2011 when he finished a runner-up in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown.
Of course, he’ll have to overcome many obstacles on his way to victory in this one, but bagging what equates to ten times the starting stack after a full day of play is a very good first step.
Seasoned Pros & Poker Hopefuls Mixing It Up
Every World Poker Tour Championship event brings an interesting mix of experienced professionals and recreational players having the time of their lives, rubbing elbows with poker legends and trying to hold their own against them.
For many recs in the field, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they got after winning an online satellite. Some of them have won their way into the event via ClubWPT, a subscription-based platform that awards 100+ WPT Live seats every year.
ClubWPT gives players a chance to win a seat in events like the WPT Choctaw Championship for a very reasonable monthly subscription, making the dream of poker glory available to everyone.
We are happy to say that we were able to help in that regard as well, sending one lucky player to WPT Choctaw via our exclusive freeroll.
As the action continues today, many will fall along the way, having their dream cut short and put on hold until some other tournament. But for those who make it into Day 2 and beyond, it will be an experience to remember, even if they don’t quite go all the way.
After all, for any fan of tournament poker, getting to play in a World Poker Tour event is a memorable occasion. Everything else is a big cherry on top!
