The online felts of the World Series of Poker has launched a Winner Take All tournament format, but have had the heart to hand the runner-up a free set of steak knives. Dan Shak and Justin 
Bonomo settle for chips – lots of them. They take down $25k High Roller Aria events.
I love a poker company with a sense of humour.
As PokerStars reduce poker offerings by removing their Heads-Up ring games, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) are heading in the other direction with a sprightly new edition.
Delivering the tagline “Because Cash is for Closers” WSOP.com has included Winner Takes All tournaments for their markets in the states of Nevada and New Jersey.
The new games begin at 6.15 pm in both states seven nights per week, and at $7.77 there are very few players who can’t afford to get involved. WSOP.com has placed a $100 guarantee on the event.
Now back to that sense of humour.
If you face the ignominy of finishing second in any of these Winner Takes All events, you will win a set of steak knives.
Random?
No.
On the first Saturday of each month, WSOP.com will run a special freeroll for the steak knife winners, and the man or woman who walks away as the winner will win a $100 gift certificate for an online steak house.
Genius.
Screw The Steak, I Want The Chips
Steak knives are a nice touch, but it’s the chips the players want.
The Aria understands. Each month they host a series of $25,000 small buy-in field High Roller events, and Dan Shak and Justin Bonomo won the first two of the new month.
Businessman Shak cut a three way deal with Barry Hutter and Erik Seidel that saw them all take $296,800. He took the No.1 spot courtesy of having more chips at the time of the deal.
Bonomo took the first prize of $383,040 in the second event. He beat Barry Hutter in heads-up action. Hutter came away from the Aria the biggest winner. His $296,800 & $218,880 scores meaning he banked over $500,000.
Global Poker League (GPL), Team Manager of the New York Rounders, Bryn Kenney, made the final tables of both finishing sixth and fourth respectively for a combined total of $160,000.
