Poker is played everywhere: with friends, in casinos brick and mortar poker rooms as well as online dittos. The players have mixed goals of enjoying themselves and making money. The better players make more money (in the long run!) but compared with sports as: track & field, tennis or golf, it is difficult to say who the best poker player is. The best way to find the best players is to look at the results from the biggest tournaments.
The first modern poker tournaments were organized by Benny Binion, he called the heads-up games, which grew into a tournament, which became a full fledged festival in the 70ies, the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The popularity of the WSOP has only increased and it is fun to see how the WSOP has evolved by looking back at the early years. The other dominant in poker tournaments is the WPT. The WPT has put many well organized tournaments in the limelight. ‘The cofounder of the poker boom’ hosts tournaments with huge prize pools, also check out the poker celebrities created by the WPT. One other poker tour which deserves recognition in this context is the European Poker Tour, the EPT.
When you surf the latest tournament results, be sure to remember to compare with previous tournaments or to check how a player has done in other events.
WSOP WPT EPT
Let’s go back to the question about the best poker player by taking an example from track & field and we will see it is not clear cut who’s the best there either. In long jump the best athlete is the one who has either: made the longest jump (this year or ever), won the World Championship, won the Olympics, or perhaps the one who has performed best at the large meets as the Golden League. In tennis it is easier; the leader of the ATP-ranking is the undisputed champion. Although a case can be made someone is the world’s best clay surface player and another player is still better on grass. In golf there are several tours with one much more prestigious than the others. Large events on the smaller tours which draws the attention of all the worlds golfers still necessitates a combined world ranking.
The best poker player can be appraised by a conjuncture of the ways that the sportsmen above are. No one makes long jumps in poker, many take great leaps of faith but that is beside the point. Someone does however make the most money. You will find lists comprised from the big tours which give you a good idea of who is an excellent poker player. Players who constantly place themselves in the money and on the final tables get there through better skills. Poker has had its World Championship for some time with the WSOP main event but it does not crown the undisputed champion. The WPT Championship is a strong contender for this privilege. But even if one is held above the other then just as there can be a clay and grass tennis champ, someone can still be a better Omaha player than a Hold’em World Champion. Then perhaps the WSOP Horse Champion is the best candidate for world #1?
Matters can get somewhat more complicated by including more tours and a heck of a lot more impossible by including cash games. Foremost people who have done well in any single tournament should be appreciated for what they did on that occasion. The quest for the best player really must end in finding many accomplished players who always have new challenges ahead of them.
Added 2007-07-17 12:46:23
