Van Nguyen, wife of ‘The Master’, wins the WPT Invitational in LA
Wednesday 5th March 2008
It’s one of the most exclusive events on the schedule, and now it will be known as the tournament which crowned the first ever female champion.
Van Nguyen won the Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, winning a place in the history books as well as a seat to the WPT Championship in April. She also won $100,000 for her success at the Commerce.
A total of 445 celebrities and poker pro were invited along to the tournament, with the chance win their seat to the WPT Championship gratis being a real pull for some of the pros in the field.
The event was also the first time a WPT final table has started five-handed, after a double elimination on the TV bubble by Billy Baxter meant there would be an empty seat at the final table.
The final table payouts were as follows:
1. Van Nguyen — $100,000 + $25,000 WPT Championship seat
2. Ethan Ruby — $50,000
3. Billy Baxter — $20,000
4. Justin Marchand — $15,000
5. Elias Madias — $10,000
Next on the WPT circuit is the Bay 101 Shooting Star event.
