3-Barrels of a World Poker Tour flavour after the live tournament outlet announce Monster as the headline sponsor for the forthcoming Tournament of Champions; the Royal Flush Girls become the Royal Flush Crew, and Michael Del Vecchio wins Rolling Thunder.
My boy sent me a text yesterday telling me that his Beats headphones had broken while he was making his impression of the Hulk at his local gym. Translated, that means, “Dad, buy me a new pair of headphones.”
Well, lad, there is more chance of you winning a World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event, becoming a member of the WPT Champions Club, flying to Florida for the Tournament of Champions, and winning the event, than me buying you a new pair.
Fairytale, right?
Well, last year, Farid Yachou did exactly that when he appeared in a casino for the first time, in his hometown of Amsterdam, won the WPT Main Event, flew to Florida for the first time in his life (he is afraid of flying), and won the inaugural WPT TOC and all the trappings.
So get cracking, boy.
The WPT has announced that Monster, the headphone and speaker company, will once again be the headline sponsor for the TOC event. The $15,000 rake free buy-in event, for Champions Club members only, takes place April 7-9, 2017 at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino, Hollywood, Florida, and Monster have added $100,000 to the prize pool.
It’s the fourth season that the WPT and Monster have worked together, and Adam Pliska said he was delighted to name them sponsors of the WPT TOC for the second successive year.
In addition to the $100k, Monster promises to give all six of the final table members a Monster Superstar Ravebox, and the winner picks up a pair of Rose Gold Wireless Over-Ear Element Headphones. Just the trick for my little man with big arms.
There will be more prizes released in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned for progress.
The WPT Add a Man to the Royal Flush Girls and Rename it The Royal Flush Crew
If you look on my personal Facebook Page, I have posted a music video from the artist Trey Songz asking my community what they think of the hyper-sexualisation of the women in the video?
Is it exploitation?
Are the women in the video good role models for our daughters?
I posted the video because I have a six-month-old daughter and it’s a new challenge to try and make sense of the morality around feminism, sexism, and misogyny.
Very few people commented. It’s no surprise. It’s a hot potato. People don’t want to get burned airing their personal views with the public ready to set a bear trap off on their ankles.
One area within poker that has come under similar scrutiny are the Royal Flush Girls. I once argued that they were an important part of the WPT brand and one of the reason I tuned in to watch the show in my early days. Today, I am utterly confused as to the morality of their positions.
Some players have a much clearer view, with several high profile names refusing to have their photographs taken with the RFG’s in the past. I am not sure if the following change is a direct result of that resistance, but the WPT added a man to the team and changed the name to the Royal Flush Crew. I believe the changes were made at the beginning of the season but I have only just picked up on it, and haven’t seen it reported elsewhere within poker.
According to the new Royal Flush Crew web page, Brenden Johnson, a YouTube star who promotes healthy living has joined Andrea Johnson, Brittany Bell, Caitlyn Howe, Danielle Ruiz, Ivy Teves, and Tugba Ercan as part of the new crew.
Mike Del Vecchio Wins WPT Rolling Thunder
Another Season XV WPT Main Event is in the books, and Mike Del Vecchio has taken down the $284,638 first prize at WPT Rolling Thunder.
A tearful Del Vecchio told WPT reporters that his win was Ten years of blood, sweat and tears after he defeated a field of 421 entrants to secure a place in the WPT TOC.
It was a fab final table, with Sorel Mizzi (2nd), Olivier Busquet (5th), and Connor Drinan (6th) all making an appearance. Ankush Mandavia bubbled the final table, and there were deep runs from WPT Champions Club member Niall Farrell (19th), High Roller expert Charlie Carrel (20th), and Triple Crown seeker Mohsin Charania (22nd).
It was the largest score of Del Vecchio’s career by some distance.
Final Table Results
1. Michael Del Vecchio – $284,638
2. Sorel Mizzi – $190,105
3. Steven Tabb – $122,296
4. John Hadley – $81,930
5. Olivier Busquet – $63,013
6. Connor Drinan – $52,222
