It didn't have the glamour or panache of a WSOP or WPT event, but it did have something lacking in those popular poker festivals - a home game type of atmosphere where a bit more fun is injected into the action.
The first ever events of the Poker is Fun Tour are in the books, with Peixin Liu emerging as champion of the $450 buy-in tournament for $8,501, while event #2 ($185 entry fee) went to Cody Torke, who took home $2,427 that included some final table deal-making. Both champions were awarded trophies along with their prize winnings, and, dare I say it, their names etched in history should the PIFT become wildly successful?
Modest Beginnings
OK, I'm getting ahead of myself considering that only 82 entries plunked down the buy-in for the first event and 90 for event #2. But hey, need I remind you that only a handful of players competed at the World Series of Poker in its first couple of years?
You have to start somewhere and the PIFT began this past weekend at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. The new tour is the brainchild of Mike "Schneids" Schneider, a Limit Hold'em pro who deserves credit for turning his vision into a reality.
That vision included a tour where the tournaments don't drag on for days at a time, where the players are more involved with each other socially, and where a portion of the prize pool (1%) is donated to charity. All the boxes were ticked on those goals, as the events did not stretch beyond one day, the "Winners Shown" rule forced pot winners to show their hole cards which prompted players to become engaged and pay more attention, and nearly $2,500 was raised for a worthy cause.
Kudos to Schneider and Canterbury Park for pulling this off. In order for poker to grow, new tours need to be supported. PokerTube intends to do its part by posting information and results that cover PIFT action.
While no definitive plans for the next tour stop have been announced, the good news is that there will be future PIFT events, according to the tour's Facebook page:
"We had a great time this weekend, thank you to all the players that took part in our inaugural weekend! We'll be back at it again before you know it, stay tuned!"
Final Table Payouts of Inaugural PIFT:
Event #1 - $450 buy-in - $31,488 prize pool
| 1 | Peixin Liu | $8,501 |
| 2 | Tyler Caspers | $5,668 |
| 3 | John Reading | $4,251 |
| 4 | Michael Wilmes | $2,834 |
| 5 | Frank Szewc | $2,204 |
| 6 | Rob Wazwaz | $1,574 |
| 7 | Jay Rockets | $1,260 |
| 8 | Mark Anderson | $945 |
| 9 | Mark Dunbar | $787 |
Event #2 - $185 buy-in - $12,960 prize pool
| 1 | Cody Torke | $2,427 |
| 2 | Michelle Day | $2,400 |
| 3 | Tom Marsland | $1,800 |
| 4 | Eric Waldron | $1,800 |
| 5 | Andrew Kaplan | $842 |
| 6 | Steve R | $648 |
| 7 | John Somsky | $518 |
| 8 | Thomas Gjerde | $389 |
| 9 | Michael Gray | $324 |