World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship Sees Growth In 2017

The 2017 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship eight-game mix event has drawn a field of 100 entries, up 9.9 percent from the 91-entry turnout in 2016. The increase in players has built a prize pool of $4,800,000 which will be distributed between the top 15 finishers in this event. A min-cash will be worth $77,320 while the eventual champion will walk away with a bracelet and the top prize of $1,395,767. The winner will also get their name added to the David ‘Chip’ Reese Memorial Trophy, named after the inaugural champion of this event and Poker Hall of Famer Chip Reese, who passed away in 2007.

The turnout for the event is the largest in the past three years, with 2015’s 84 entries being the low point. The largest ever turnout for this event was 148 players, a number which was achieved in both 2007 and 2008.

This tournament has established an incredible history in its 12 years of existence, starting with Reese winning the first-ever running of the event after topping a historic final table that included the likes of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, TJ Cloutier and eventual runner-up Andy Bloch. From 2006-10 the event featured the popular five-game mix known as H.O.R.S.E., with limit hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, Razz, seven card stud and stud eight-or-better. In 2010 the tournament was rebranded as the Poker Players Championship (PPC) and three additional games were added to the mix: no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha and triple-draw deuce-to-seven lowball. In 2015 the event added badugi and no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw lowball, a change that was widely met with criticism and was undone by the following year.

The tournament has had two repeat champions in Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and Brian Rast. Mizrachi won in both 2010 and 2012 while Rast took down the event in 2011 and 2016.

Here is a look at the $50,000 event since it’s inception in 2006:

YearNo. of PlayersPrize PoolChampionTop Prize
2006143$6,864,000Chip Reese$1,716,000
2007148$7,104,000Freddy Deeb$2,276,832
2008148$7,104,000Scotty Nguyen$1,989,120
200995$4,560,000David Bach$1,276,806
2010116$5,568,000Michael Mizrachi$1,559,046
2011128$6,144,000Brian Rast$1,720,328
2012108$5,184,000Michael Mizrachi$1,451,527
2013132$6,336,000Matthew Ashton$1,774,089
2014102$4,896,000John Hennigan$1,517,767
201584$3,696,000Mike Gorodinsky$1,270,086
201691$4,176,000Brian Rast$1,296,097
2017100$4,800,000TBD$1,395,767

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

Source: http://www.cardplayer.com

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