WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Final Table Preview

A final table for the ages has formed in Las Vegas as the WPT hands it’s final trophy on North American soil later today at the Bellagio…

PRAGUE PLANS DELAYED

A planned trip to Prague to end the 2013 poker season will have to wait for our final six players at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Led by 2012 GPI Player of the Year Dan Smith (GPI#34), this final table will certainly be one of the best the WPT has had to offer since the good old days of Gus, Freddy, John and the gang!

Smith, who spent the first seven weeks of 2013 at the top of the GPI300, is hoping to finish 2013 in style, just as he did in 2012 where he won the 5K Six-Max event at EPT Prague in order to secure GPI PoY honours in what was a thrilling race to the finish line with Marvin Rettenmaier.

The 24-year-old American pro will hold a small chip lead over Australian veteran Gary Benson (GPI#536) when final table play begins later today in Las Vegas.

SEROCK AND THE BOYS

Like Smith and Benson, Joseph Serock (GPI#29) is the other well recognizable name at the final table. The WPT Season X Player of the Year played made back-to-back WPT final tables two years ago and will be looking to finally breakthrough on the WPT.

You shouldn’t forget about the other three players at the final table either. Although they may not have the same résumés as their other three opponents, Eddy Sabat, Barry Hutter and Shaun Suller are all top-tier players and a big win to end 2013 could certainly propel them to stardom.

Here is a closer look at the final table participants:

[table id=680 /]

›› Won APPT Macau in 2008 ($3,540,040 HKD)
›› Has final tabled two WSOP events (2011, 2013)
›› Finished 21st at last year’s WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond
›› WPT Career: 2 cashes, $59,169 USD in earnings

[table id=681 /]

›› Finished 6th in WSOP Event #54 (1K NLH) this summer in Las Vegas ($77,685)
›› Finished 4th in a $1,500 side event in this series ($10,869)
›› Cashed at the WPT Legends of Poker in September ($7,050)
›› Has collected 15 cashes so far in 2013 on the live tournament circuit
›› WPT Career: 3 cashes, $36,096 USD in earnings

[table id=682 /]

›› Defending GPI Player of the Year
›› Earned six victories on tour in 2012
›› Has cashed in Vegas, Berlin, Barcelona and London so far in 2013
›› WPT Career: 1 cash, $25,800 USD in earnings

[table id=683 /]

›› First cash on the live tournament circuit came in 1995 (Four Queens Classic, Las Vegas)
›› Won 1K rebuy side event at Aussie Millions to start the season
›› Enjoying career year on the circuit this season (over 250K USD)
›› WPT Career: First cash on the World Poker Tour

[table id=684 /]

›› Made back-to-back WPT final tables in 2012 (Bay 101, Seminole Hard Rock)
›› Made Final Four at the NBC Heads-Up to start the year ($100,000)
›› Finished 2nd in NLH Six-Max event at the 2009 WSOP ($341,783)
›› This will mark Serock’s 11th cash on the World Poker Tour
›› WPT Season 10 Player of the Year
›› WPT Career: 2 final tables, 10 cashes, $806,459 USD in earnings

[table id=685 /]

›› Collected 58th place finish at the WPT Legends of Poker in September ($8,095)
›› Recently placed 4th at Heartland Poker Tour Vegas event ($34,722)
›› Earned 3rd place finish at WSOP Circuit Caesars Las Vegas in February ($101,444)
›› WPT Career: 1 cash, $8,095 USD in earnings

The WPT Live Updates team will keep you posted over at WPT.com starting at 4pm PT (1am Paris, 7pm New York) with hand-for-hand updates. There is no live stream for the event.

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