The World Poker Tour (WPT) is celebrating its 20th anniversary , and the occasion will culminate in just over a month with the $10,400 buy-in, $15 million GTD WPT World Championship at Wynn Lass Vegas.
You might think that tournament, which will run December 12-18, is going to be filled with big-name pros, and while that’s likely accurate, there are also going to be dozens, if not hundreds, of qualifiers lining the field.
The Wynn is already offering live $1,100 buy-in satellite, while ClubWPT has been hosting online qualifiers since May. The winners of those qualifiers have been awarded a $12,000 Passport to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. That passport includes the tournament buy-in, plus a hotel and travel stipend.
There have already been two dozen ClubWPT qualifiers, and PokerNews recently caught up with the first, Drew “Ainsley1” Rautenberg, to talk about his experience. Below, we profile two more qualifiers fortunate enough to punch their ticket to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
Last Chance to Win a $12,000 Passport on ClubWPT
Just one more chance remains for ClubWPT subscribers to win their way to Las Vegas. On Sunday, October 30 at 5:30 PM ET, a final $12K WPT World Championship Challenge will be held. If you’re already a member be sure to register, and if you’re not there’s still time to get signed up.
The $12,000 Passport Includes:
- $10,400 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas main event seat. (Flight Day 1B, Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022.)
- Four-night stay at the luxurious Wynn Las Vegas (Monday, Dec 12 thru Friday, Dec 16, 2022.)
- $1,000 cash (for travel expenses.)
- Dedicated ClubWPT VIP host.
- Official ClubWPT branded merchandise.
- Meet & greet with WPT talent.
Learn How You Can Qualify for the WPT World Championship for free on ClubWPT w/ free trial!
From Alaska to Bright Lights of Vegas
Back on Saturday, May 28, Alaska’s Bruce “wlkwolf13” Ramoth became the second player to win a coveted seat via ClubWPT. The 54-year-old from Selawik runs a small business with his loving wife, Nora.
“We have seven children and 19 grandchildren,” he told PokerNews. “I have played poker since I was around seven or eight years old. I started playing Texas hold’em about 20 years ago. This WPT tournament satellite is my biggest win playing poker so far.”
Not only is it his biggest win, but it’ll also lead to him playing in his first-ever live poker tournament! While most players might start with a $60 nightly tournament as their first tournament experience, Ramoth is going big by finding himself in the WPT World Championship. It’s there he hopes to meet several famous poker pros such as Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.
“I think he’s one of the best poker players of all time,” said Ramoth. “I am excited to be playing in my first ever live WPT event, my wife and I can’t wait to be there.”
From Busto to Playing for $15 Million
The day after Ramoth won his seat, Hartford, Connecticut’s Quran “willqdoit” Cruse followed suit and claimed a seat of his own.
It came at the right time for the unemployed 39-year-old, who had been dabbling in crypto but unfortunately lost it all. It was the latest bad beat for a man who was once wrongfully locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.
“I was visiting family in Virginia and while there I was locked up for possession of narcotics that I never had on me,” Cruse explained. “I beat the case because there was no evidence of me having it.”
While it was a rough experience for Cruse, one silver lining was that he learned how to play poker while incarcerated. He signed up for ClubWPT back in May, and it didn’t take but a month for him to ship a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship.
“I love playing poker but couldn’t afford to go to the casino,” said Cruse. “I’ve never played any other big tournaments, so this will be my first. I have played small-stakes tournaments and won a couple of them, but my proudest poker accomplishment came when I won this seat to WPT Wynn.”
He continued: “I’m most looking forward to having my name on the trophy because I always believed if I ever got a chance to play this big tournament I was going to take it down. I would like to meet all the great poker players. I enjoy watching everyone play.”
Cruse, who has a girlfriend he’s been with for 15 years, said his favorite poker player is Garrett Adelstein.
Learn More About the Subscription-Based ClubWPT here!
ClubWPT Qualifiers Thus Far for WPT Wynn
| Date Qualifier | Player | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/14/2022 | Drew Rautenberg | Medfield | MA |
| 5/28/2022 | Bruce Ramoth | Selawik | AK |
| 5/29/2022 | Quran Cruse | West Hartford | CT |
| 6/5/2022 | William Hays | Jackson | TN |
| 6/12/2022 | Anthony Greene | Penfield | NY |
| 6/19/2022 | Michael Ensey II | Gun Barrel | TX |
| 7/3/2022 | Jason Kilby | Wakeman | OH |
| 7/10/2022 | Philip Aleman | Staten Island | NY |
| 7/10/2022 | Kurt Carlson | Golden | CO |
| 7/17/2022 | Ronald “Tigar” Penepent | Cleveland | TN |
| 7/24/2022 | Sepideh Moghaddam | Bellaire | TX |
| 8/7/2022 | Joseph Giannone | Citrus Heights | CA |
| 8/14/2022 | Dan Lincoln | West Bridgewater | MA |
| 8/28/2022 | William Haines | Superior | CO |
| 8/28/2022 | Albert Cohen | Mount Dora | FL |
| 9/4/2022 | Richard Jaros | North Anson | ME |
| 9/11/2022 | Mike Robinson | Lone Star | TX |
| 9/18/2022 | Timothy Robins | Lincoln | NE |
| 9/25/2022 | Stacey Breslin | Lakemoor | IL |
| 10/2/2022 | Jerry Tucker | Florence | KY |
| 10/9/2022 | Charles Ralston | Hot Springs | AR |
| 10/16/2022 | Joseph DiTommaso | Concord | NH |
| 10/23/2022 | Bob Bacon | Overgaard | AZ |
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.