Colorado Resident Berten Dragten Crowned Champion After Winning the World Poker Tour Amateur Championship
Las Vegas, NV, July 02, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Berten Dragten, of Woodmoor CO, was delivered the winning hand that earned him the title of WPT Amateur Poker League Champion last April in Las Vegas. Berten outlasted almost 700 participants and two days of tournament play to claim his title at this inaugural event.
The World Poker Tour Amateur Championship (WPTAC) is the culmination of all play across the WPT Amateur Poker League (WPTAPL) which operates in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. WPTAPL hosts No Buy-In entertainment events at a variety of locations where players compete to earn points and wins that advance them through the league structure. Players qualify for lower events such as the WPTAPL $500 Weekly Member Only Free Roll all the way up to the pinnacle event, the WPTAC, to win prizes that include, but not limited to; $10K WPT Seats, WPT Celebrity Invitational Seats, WPT Boot Camp packages, WPTAPL Cruise packages and more.
Hosted by Tropicana Las Vegas the WPTAC took place over 4 days and hosted a total of 19 separate events 3 of which required qualifying through WPTAPL while the rest where cash tournaments ranging in buy-in from $55 to $225. WPTAPL and Tropicana Las Vegas hope to see the event grow in coming years. The 2012 WPTAC series is currently slated for April of 2012 at the Tropicana Las Vegas.
Berten began playing in WPTAPL about 2 years ago when he entered a local restaurant and saw a sign for WPT Amateur Poker League and his life would never be the same again. Dragten plays with J and K Poker, based in Colorado Springs with playing locations all around the area, including the Depot in Palmer Lake Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. His meteoric rise is no fluke. In 2010, Berten qualified for the WPTAPL National Championship - held in Florida - and finished in the top 100 out of 650 people.
In 2011 he did a little better! Dragten advanced to the final table with some aggressive play and a bit of luck (it never hurts). He was down to $8,000 in chips (contestants start with $10,000) with 15 minutes to go on Day 1. It proved enough to get him to Day 2, but would probably not be enough to make a serious run at the title. “I took advantage of the reluctance of the other players to bet aggressively and went from $8,000 to $22,000 in 15 minutes,” Dragten said. “The first minutes on the second day I gained $65,000 in chips. Six hours later I was in the final three tables. I felt like I was in the zone midway through Day 2.” Of the 207 players on the final day, 32 were from Colorado, including 15 from Monument and Colorado Springs; mostly affiliated with J and K. “I felt like I had the home court advantage all the way,” Dragten said.
The final hand played out like this: Dragten and Eric Birchler of Indiana. Dragten was dealt an 8 and 9 of spades. Birchler declared he was all in, more than $1 million in chips, leaving Dragten with a difficult decision. “I had a few more chips than Eric, but I didn’t want to be pushed around so I went all in,” Dragten said. Dragten ended up with a pair of 8s, while Birchler mustered only a pair of 7s.
On April 23 Dragten, the 54-year-old Netherlands native, won the WPTAC at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, defeating 664 other players. He earned his $10,000 WPT Entry and a seat in the WPT Celebrity Invitational along with airfare and vacation discounts not to mention his spiffy, solid silver bracelet. “This has been incredibly exciting,” Dragten said. “I can’t see myself in a poker room eight hours a day, but if I have success in a celebrity tournament I might be hard-pressed not to reconsider.”
Berten intends to spread his $10K win across multiple events. His first event will be the Legends of Poker event held at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens California. The events has $3,500 buy-in and will be the first of up to 3 events Berten will play in as he seeks to take his game to the next level. In addition Berten will play in the WPT Celebrity Invitational event typically hosted in spring at the Commerce Casino in LA.
Cheering Berten on the event was a host of supporters from his Colorado region. Colorado must have something in the water as players took home just over 30% of all the prizes awarded at the WPTAC with another Colorado player, Terry Ortega, winning the WPTAPL Point Championship to claim that title for herself. Yes, Colorado has both the WPTAPL World Champion and the WPTAPL Point Champion living within its borders. Poker players be warned!
Shane McCullough, executive vice president of WPTAPL, commented: “We are excited to watch Mr. Dragten represent WPTAPL in his upcoming events as he shoots for 'the dream' and from what we saw, he has the talent to do it!”
More information on this partnership and how to qualify for the event is available at www.WPTAPL.com. Tropicana Las Vegas and WPTAPL want to give players a chance to be the next WPT Poker-Made Millionaire©.
About WPTAPL:
World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League is a licensee of WPT and hosts free amateur poker events in a variety of host locations across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and soon will be opening up in the U.K. WPTAPL sanctions more than 30,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em tournaments annually. WPTAPL events are conducted by sanctioned leagues who submit their results to WPTAPL for inclusion in the WPTAPL advancement structure. The results qualify members for a host of opportunities including, but not limited to, member-only online free rolls, live special events and, of course, their seat in the WPTAC hosted at Tropicana Las Vegas to play in one of the largest amateur championship events in the world. More information on WPTAPL is available at www.WPTAPL.com.
About Tropicana Las Vegas:
In the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana Las Vegas is redefining the expectations of today’s global travelers with a $165 million Phase 1 transformation scheduled for substantial completion in December 2010. The South Beach-inspired changes include new, best-in-class hotel rooms and suites, a new casino, 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting, catering and exhibit-hall space, more than four acres of tropical pool area, new restaurants, bars, a new poker room, and a state-of-the-art race and sports book. Exceptional entertainment includes Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club and The Las Vegas Mob Experience, an interactive entertainment experience opening December 2010.
In addition to this transformation, the world’s largest Nikki Beach will debut in spring 2011, making it the city’s hottest destination. Nikki Beach at Tropicana Las Vegas will be the ultimate entertainment experience as the ultra lounge, nightclub and Cafe Nikki flow into the four-acre beach club.
The look and feel of the new Tropicana is vibrant and exciting, filled with the casual and sultry rhythm of a hot South Beach night. Tropicana Las Vegas is not affiliated with any other Tropicana property or brand. Additional information on events, amenities, and availability is available at 702-739-2222; and www.troplv.com. The latest Tropicana Las Vegas happenings can be found on Facebook (http://facebook.com/troplv) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/troplv).
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The World Poker Tour Amateur Championship (WPTAC) is the culmination of all play across the WPT Amateur Poker League (WPTAPL) which operates in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. WPTAPL hosts No Buy-In entertainment events at a variety of locations where players compete to earn points and wins that advance them through the league structure. Players qualify for lower events such as the WPTAPL $500 Weekly Member Only Free Roll all the way up to the pinnacle event, the WPTAC, to win prizes that include, but not limited to; $10K WPT Seats, WPT Celebrity Invitational Seats, WPT Boot Camp packages, WPTAPL Cruise packages and more.
Hosted by Tropicana Las Vegas the WPTAC took place over 4 days and hosted a total of 19 separate events 3 of which required qualifying through WPTAPL while the rest where cash tournaments ranging in buy-in from $55 to $225. WPTAPL and Tropicana Las Vegas hope to see the event grow in coming years. The 2012 WPTAC series is currently slated for April of 2012 at the Tropicana Las Vegas.
Berten began playing in WPTAPL about 2 years ago when he entered a local restaurant and saw a sign for WPT Amateur Poker League and his life would never be the same again. Dragten plays with J and K Poker, based in Colorado Springs with playing locations all around the area, including the Depot in Palmer Lake Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. His meteoric rise is no fluke. In 2010, Berten qualified for the WPTAPL National Championship - held in Florida - and finished in the top 100 out of 650 people.
In 2011 he did a little better! Dragten advanced to the final table with some aggressive play and a bit of luck (it never hurts). He was down to $8,000 in chips (contestants start with $10,000) with 15 minutes to go on Day 1. It proved enough to get him to Day 2, but would probably not be enough to make a serious run at the title. “I took advantage of the reluctance of the other players to bet aggressively and went from $8,000 to $22,000 in 15 minutes,” Dragten said. “The first minutes on the second day I gained $65,000 in chips. Six hours later I was in the final three tables. I felt like I was in the zone midway through Day 2.” Of the 207 players on the final day, 32 were from Colorado, including 15 from Monument and Colorado Springs; mostly affiliated with J and K. “I felt like I had the home court advantage all the way,” Dragten said.
The final hand played out like this: Dragten and Eric Birchler of Indiana. Dragten was dealt an 8 and 9 of spades. Birchler declared he was all in, more than $1 million in chips, leaving Dragten with a difficult decision. “I had a few more chips than Eric, but I didn’t want to be pushed around so I went all in,” Dragten said. Dragten ended up with a pair of 8s, while Birchler mustered only a pair of 7s.
On April 23 Dragten, the 54-year-old Netherlands native, won the WPTAC at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, defeating 664 other players. He earned his $10,000 WPT Entry and a seat in the WPT Celebrity Invitational along with airfare and vacation discounts not to mention his spiffy, solid silver bracelet. “This has been incredibly exciting,” Dragten said. “I can’t see myself in a poker room eight hours a day, but if I have success in a celebrity tournament I might be hard-pressed not to reconsider.”
Berten intends to spread his $10K win across multiple events. His first event will be the Legends of Poker event held at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens California. The events has $3,500 buy-in and will be the first of up to 3 events Berten will play in as he seeks to take his game to the next level. In addition Berten will play in the WPT Celebrity Invitational event typically hosted in spring at the Commerce Casino in LA.
Cheering Berten on the event was a host of supporters from his Colorado region. Colorado must have something in the water as players took home just over 30% of all the prizes awarded at the WPTAC with another Colorado player, Terry Ortega, winning the WPTAPL Point Championship to claim that title for herself. Yes, Colorado has both the WPTAPL World Champion and the WPTAPL Point Champion living within its borders. Poker players be warned!
Shane McCullough, executive vice president of WPTAPL, commented: “We are excited to watch Mr. Dragten represent WPTAPL in his upcoming events as he shoots for 'the dream' and from what we saw, he has the talent to do it!”
More information on this partnership and how to qualify for the event is available at www.WPTAPL.com. Tropicana Las Vegas and WPTAPL want to give players a chance to be the next WPT Poker-Made Millionaire©.
About WPTAPL:
World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League is a licensee of WPT and hosts free amateur poker events in a variety of host locations across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and soon will be opening up in the U.K. WPTAPL sanctions more than 30,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em tournaments annually. WPTAPL events are conducted by sanctioned leagues who submit their results to WPTAPL for inclusion in the WPTAPL advancement structure. The results qualify members for a host of opportunities including, but not limited to, member-only online free rolls, live special events and, of course, their seat in the WPTAC hosted at Tropicana Las Vegas to play in one of the largest amateur championship events in the world. More information on WPTAPL is available at www.WPTAPL.com.
About Tropicana Las Vegas:
In the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana Las Vegas is redefining the expectations of today’s global travelers with a $165 million Phase 1 transformation scheduled for substantial completion in December 2010. The South Beach-inspired changes include new, best-in-class hotel rooms and suites, a new casino, 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting, catering and exhibit-hall space, more than four acres of tropical pool area, new restaurants, bars, a new poker room, and a state-of-the-art race and sports book. Exceptional entertainment includes Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club and The Las Vegas Mob Experience, an interactive entertainment experience opening December 2010.
In addition to this transformation, the world’s largest Nikki Beach will debut in spring 2011, making it the city’s hottest destination. Nikki Beach at Tropicana Las Vegas will be the ultimate entertainment experience as the ultra lounge, nightclub and Cafe Nikki flow into the four-acre beach club.
The look and feel of the new Tropicana is vibrant and exciting, filled with the casual and sultry rhythm of a hot South Beach night. Tropicana Las Vegas is not affiliated with any other Tropicana property or brand. Additional information on events, amenities, and availability is available at 702-739-2222; and www.troplv.com. The latest Tropicana Las Vegas happenings can be found on Facebook (http://facebook.com/troplv) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/troplv).
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Contact
World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League
Shane McCullough
316-689-0600
http://www.wptapl.com
Shane McCullough
316-689-0600
http://www.wptapl.com
Contact
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