2006 World Poker Challenge Final Table Set
The 2006 World Poker Challenge at the Reno Hilton will crown a winner later today when the final six competitors lock horns. Yesterday was the third day of the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Challenge. It began with 27 players all vying for only six spots at the televised World Poker Tour final table and a chance at the $1,052,890 first prize, plus a $25,000 entry into the WPT Championship at the Bellagio.
The three tables that started day three with a flurry of action that same the tournament whittled down to one ten-handed table after only five hours of play. Chau Giang was the first victim of the day, when he was eliminated on the very first hand of play by Fabrice Soulier one of the hottest tournament players at the moment, who later would finish in 13th place. WSOP Main Event winner Carlos Mortensen also was knocked out early when his pocket jacks ran into the pocket aces of Barry Greenstein. Greenstein had entered the day in 11th chip position. He was rewarded for his play and quickly took over the chip lead and held it for most of the day. At one point, Greenstein had a lead of nearly one million chips over the second place player. Greenstein continued his strong play through the end of the day, but does not enter the final table with the chip lead.
The chip counts going into the final table are:
1. Mike Simon  $1,195,000
2. Barry Greenstein  $1,085,000
3. Tom Schneider  $1,020,000
4. Jonas Norrman  $905,000
5. Jason Stern  $880,000
6. Greg Mueller  $835,000
While the final table may not be dripping with recognizable poker names, the action this week has been great and seems likely to continue. In particular pre-flop all-ins have been a big part of this WPT event. The parity in the chip counts will also add to the excitement as all six competitors have a legitimate chance at winning the huge first prize. Play will begin today at 3pm PST and allgamingnews.com will have a report once a champion is crowned.
Article by Angela Ford