The $50,000 Poker Players Championship Kicks Off at 3 p.m.
One of the most anticipated events of the 2019 World Series of Poker is here as the $50,000 Poker Players Championship begins today at 3 p.m.
Many of the biggest names in the game consider this their main event, as winning in the eight-game format against the best in the world is what many believe to be the toughest challenge the WSOP schedule presents.
With a combined 32 bracelets won by the 10 winners of this event, luck is certainly not what comes to the forefront in the PPC. The skill required to defeat the toughest tournament field of the summer by being proficient in each variant is what is consistently echoed by players and past champions.
David "Chip" Reese, the first champion of this event and for whom the Memorial Trophy is named after, was long considered by his peers to be the best all-around poker player. After his win in 2006, Reese said, "It's not just one day or two days. It's every day." The PPC requires excellent all-around poker over the course of several days, and two players who will no doubt be playing today know a little something more about this than the rest.
Defending champion Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is an unprecedented three-time winner of this event, having won it in 2010, 2012 and in 2018. Mizrachi also finished fourth in 2016. The other player with multiple PPC titles is Brian Rast, who earned top honors in 2011 and 2016.
Here is a look at the past entries, prize pool, champions, and first-place prizes:
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 143 | $6,864,000 | Chip Reese | $1,716,000 |
| 2007 | 148 | $7,104,000 | Freddy Deeb | $2,276,832 |
| 2008 | 148 | $7,104,000 | Scotty Nguyen | $1,989,120 |
| 2009 | 95 | $4,560,000 | David Bach | $1,276,806 |
| 2010 | 116 | $5,568,000 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,559,046 |
| 2011 | 128 | $6,144,000 | Brian Rast | $1,720,328 |
| 2012 | 108 | $5,184,000 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,451,527 |
| 2013 | 132 | $6,336,000 | Matthew Ashton | $1,774,089 |
| 2014 | 102 | $4,896,000 | John Hennigan | $1,517,767 |
| 2015 | 84 | $3,696,000 | Mike Gorodinsky | $1,270,086 |
| 2016 | 91 | $4,176,000 | Brian Rast | $1,296,097 |
| 2017 | 100 | $4,800,000 | Elior Sion | $1,395,767 |
| 2018 | 87 | $4,176,000 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,239,126 |
The tournament structure is different from years past. In addition to beginning with 300,000 in chips (up from 250,000), the tournament also begins with limits of 1,500/3,000. In past years that was Level 4, so right from the start the play is going to mean much more than it has in recent years.
The schedule for Day 1 calls for six 100-minute levels to be played, which should have players bagging and tagging at about 2 a.m. Registration remains open until the end of Level 10 (about 10:20 p.m.) on Day 2 (Tuesday).
Be sure to keep it here for live updates on all of the action, as the quest to crown the 2019 Poker Players Champion begins!