The final scheduled event #12 of the Mirage Poker Showdown before the WPT $10,000 buy-in Championship began play today at noon. The $3,000 + $100 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament attracted 195 players and collected a prize pool of $567,450. Eighteen finalists receive at least $5,572 from the pool; but the bulk of the dough is going to the winner and second place finisher. First place will receive $233,100 plus a $10,200 seat in the WPT Championship scheduled to get under way on Monday. The first runner up will take home a respectable $111,450. The event finally got down to the lucky eighteen shortly before midnight this evening. Players remaining in the field include Professional Miami John Cernuto, 2004 WSOP event winner Mike Sica, well known pro Eric Seidel, and always tough David Plastik. Play will continue until only nine remain to return to the final table on Saturday and decide who will be the champion.

Saturday will be a Super Satellite day for the WPT Championship. A $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament will award as many $10,000 seats in Monday's WPT Championship event as sign ups allow. The WPT tournament will run over the course of four days with the final table being filmed for later broadcast on the World Poker Tour Series on the Travel Channel. The event will be the first show of Season IV. Sunday will also be another Super Satellite day. The pros have gathered here in Las Vegas for the championship event providing fans an excellent opportunity to watch all their stars work their poker table magic. The fans can also become an audience member for the television final table. A great way to spend an evening and see how they film the game for TV. The WPT will be introducing the replacement (a closely guarded secret) for Shana Hiatt, the WPT host that left after last season.

This is the last major poker tournament before the start of the 2005 World Series of Poker on June 3, 2005. The WSOP will be held, for the first time, out of downtown Las Vegas just off the top of the Vegas Strip at the Rio Resort. The facilities are top drawer, the biggest and best the WSOP has ever seen. The crowds of players and fans are expected to fill the 60K plus square footage of the Rio's Pavilion. The Rio is already running satellites for the big show. Our crew will be on site every minute of the tournament providing news, interviews, photos and behind the scenes details of poker's biggest happening. Speaking of photos, we have added more pics to the Mirage Poker Showdown Gallery. Complete tournament results are available at Poker Player Newspaper.