#TheCupAwaits its Next Champion Here in Amsterdam

A lot has changed since May 2002 when Gus Hansen became the first-ever WPT Champions Club member; buy-ins, field sizes, rules, and regulations, as well as the revolving cast of poker players, dealer, and tournament staff, have seen many variations throughout the World Poker Tour’s rich history. But one thing has remained a constant presence on the World Poker Tour, and that is the prestigious WPT Champions Cup.

From Eugene Katchalov’s huge $2.5 million win in 2007 to Antonio Esfandiari’s second title in 2010, and from Farid Yachou’s back-to-back WPT Amsterdam and WPT Monster Tournament of Champions wins to Ema Zajmovic becoming the WPT’s first female winner of an open event on the WPT Main Tour earlier this year (pictured below), there has been one thing that brings them all together – the WPT Champions Cup. With it comes entry into an exclusive club of the game’s great competitors and a storied history the same as any major sporting trophy in the world.

In this article we’re going to look at the history of the WPT Champions Cup and how it first came about, not just as a concept, but rather down to the exact design of the trophy itself. The Champions Cup and the WPT Champions Club it represents were the brainchild of former WPT CEO Steve Heller, as he wanted to add more importance and prestige to becoming a WPT champion.

The WPT Champions Cup’s design is similar in concept to the NHL’s Stanley Cup or the Davis Cup in tennis where all former champions’ names are engraved on its façade. A façade that grows with the crowning of a new champion after every WPT Main Tour stop.

Prior to the introduction of the WPT Champions Cup, the WPT awarded a custom Tiffany and Co. bracelet, but the WPT wanted to come up with something unique to differentiate the tour from other brands. After going through a number of different designs (pictured above), current WPT CEO Adam Pliska and his team finally decided on the current model (pictured below).

The base was originally supposed to mimic a poker table shaped like an octagon, but the green felt has since been removed as additional layers have been added so that more and more names of WPT champions could be included. In addition to players names being engraved on plaques adorning the multi-level base, champions with more than one title receive a diamond on their plaque for each victory after their first (pictured below).

The next name to adorn the WPT Champions Cup will come from right here in Amsterdam, at the beautiful Holland Casino. Stay tuned to WorldPokerTour.com to find out who will earn the right to call themselves a WPT champion and have their name forever etched in poker history.