Second Verse, Same as the First
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Good morning, and welcome back to the Season XII WPT World Championship here at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa!
After eight levels of play on Day 1a, Paul Volpe emerged as the chip leader with 215,300, and he was followed closely by Jerry Wong (198,000), Brandon Steven (195,500), Scott Seiver (192,500), and Tony Gregg (190,600). The first flight attracted 105 players - 62 advanced - and in order to reach the $5 million guarantee, the Day 1b field will have to be double in size.
Players who were eliminated on Day 1a may reenter today for an additional $15,400, but players joining the tournament for the first time today may only fire one single bullet.
Since Season IV, this event has always been won by a professional player, and the final table has always been stacked. In Season XI, Chino Rheem defeated Erick Lindgren heads-up to earn $1,150,279 and the title. Here's a look at all of the players who have ever won this event:
WPT World Champions
| Season | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| I | Alan Goehring | $1,011,866 |
| II | Martin De Knijff | $2,728,356 |
| III | Tuan Le | $2,856,150 |
| IV | Joe Bartholdi | $3,760,165 |
| V | Carlos Mortensen | $3,970,415 |
| VI | David Chiu | $3,389,140 |
| VII | Yevgeniy Timoshenko | $2,149,960 |
| VIII | David Williams | $1,530,537 |
| IX | Scott Seiver | $1,618,344 |
| X | Marvin Rettenmaier | $1,196,858 |
| XI | Chino Rheem | $1,150,279 |
The cards will be in the air at 11 a.m. EST, and PokerNews will be bringing you live updates straight from the tournament floor. See you then!