ANDY FRANKENBERGER TAKES HOME HIS FIRST WPT® TITLE AND HIS SHARE OF A $2.15 MILLION PRIZE POOL
LOS ANGELES – The slate of recent changes to the World Poker Tour® (WPT) continues to have a positive impact as 462 players bought in for Legends of Poker at The Bicycle Casino, a 66% percent increase over the previous year’s tournament.
This was the second consecutive WPT event that has seen significant growth, as July’s Bellagio Cup saw a field of 353, a 32% rise in attendance.
“We are excited to be back at The Bicycle Casino for Legends of Poker. As a charter member of WPT, visiting The Bike really is returning home,” said WPT President Adam Pliska. “The team here has worked tirelessly to deliver the top-notch tournament action WPT players have come to expect.”
“As a longtime partner, we were thrilled with all of the additions WPT made for this year’s Legends of Poker event,” said Kelley O’Hara, Director of Marketing for The Bicycle Casino. “The players responded, attendance was up and there was a tremendous buzz around the tournament from Day 1.”
The players have definitely noticed WPT’s changes.
Joe Sebok: “I really appreciate The Bike’s efforts for the players this year. They are a stand out in the poker community for the foresight they bring in making WPT’s Legends of Poker a player friendly event.”
Adam “Roothlus” Levy: “WPT has made tons of improvements within the past year and it showed at this year’s Legends of Poker.”
Maria Ho: “Being from Los Angeles, it’s always nice to have the home-court advantage. The Bike is a well-known institution in L.A. The new event center is great, as is WPT’s set up inside the room.”
But sadly for Adam, Maria and Joe, none of them were able to make the final table or capture a WPT title. That honor went to Andy Frankenberger, who picked up a $750,000 purse, while facing stiff competition from Tom Braband, Franco Brunetti, Jared Jaffee, Tom Lee, and Kyle Wilson.
This year’s Legends of Poker was a tournament of second chances with three of the final six players making a second appearance at a WPT final table – Jared Jaffee, Tom Lee and Kyle Wilson. In the end though, Andy Frankenberger took down Kyle Wilson during heads up after a grueling final table. Though only in his second WPT event and not a household name, Frankenberger is now a WPT Champion and will get the attention he rightly deserves.
“I’m not one to brag but I suppose I could. I was very happy to get there,” said Frankenberger. “By the time I got to three handed play I was feeling really good. Early on I was dwindling and mentally it was a grind. But I stuck to my game and did the right thing. I really had to earn it.”
Final Table Standings and Payouts
1st Andy Frankenberger – $750,000
2nd Kyle Wilson – $370,000
3rd Tom Lee- $174,772
4th Tom Braband – $109,000
5th Jared Jaffee – $86,000
6th Franco Brunetti – $63,000
ABOUT WORLD POKER TOUR
World Poker Tour (WPT) is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments. WPT has broadcast globally in over 150 countries and is current filming its all-new ninth season. WPT also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which is available in 38 states across the U.S. WPT also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. WPT is a subsidiary of PartyGaming Plc. For more information, visit the World Poker Tour website.
(World Poker Tour Press Release)