Poker Lifestyle

2017 WPT Tournament of Champions Trip Recap (Vlog + Pics)

Author: Robbie Strazynski
April 25, 2017

After having had such a great trip to cover the 2017 World Poker Tour Tournament of Champions festivities, I thought it would be fun to put together a trip recap post from a more personal angle. Below, you’ll find a short vlog as well as a photo essay with some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Included are some images from what I would certainly call “behind the scenes”. I hope you enjoy vicariously consuming the sights and sounds I experienced at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

VLOG

PHOTO ESSAY

Miami — Springtime in Miami doesn’t get much more beautiful. We were blessed with awesome weather throughout.

Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood, Florida — Lest one be uncertain where they were 🙂 , there were signs all over the place indicating that you’d arrived at the Seminole Hard Rock – Hollywood, Florida

Poker Media Robbie — There’s me hard at work, alone in media row… I was one of the first to arrive. Or, maybe I was just posing for the picture…. I’ll let you be the judge 🙂

WPT Media — The WPT media crew hard at work (bottom right), a poker media powwow (left), and good times amongst media members at the Vince Van Patten roast (top right).

full poker room — Have to include a “standard” picture of a huge ballroom full of tournament poker players…

WPT $10K Final Table - Ryan Riess — Watching the action unfold at the WPT $10K event final table, eventually won by Ryan Riess

Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood, Florida - Poolside — Have I mentioned that the weather was awesome? Picturesque palms poolside, with the hotel tower in the background.

WPT cast — Adam Pliska, together with members of the World Poker Tour cast and tournament officials, announcing the start of the Tournament of Champions.

Lunch with Eli Elezra — Enjoying a delicious shwarma lunch with Eli Elezra

WPT Trophy — The unmistakable WPT trophy aside some of the sponsor-added prizes received by the Tournament of Champions winner (Jason Mercier).

Robbie & Jesse Sylvia — Me and Jesse Sylvia enjoying the players party

pool party — A couple of shots from the WPT players party, by the pool

Hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you!

About Robbie Strazynski

Robbie founded the Cardplayer Lifestyle poker blog in 2009.

Having quite literally learned how to play poker around the kitchen table as a child, "living a Cardplayer Lifestyle" is something that he's always aspired to. After having worked as a copywriter and marketing professional in the online gaming industry for a number of years, Robbie transitioned to become self-employed in the poker media industry in March 2017.

Robbie translated Pulling The Trigger: The Autobiography of Poker Pro Eli Elezra, from Hebrew into English. He is also the host of the Twitch.tv/poker roundtable panel show The Orbit, the CardsChat Podcast, and creator of the Poker Notes Live mobile app.

Robbie received the 2018 Global Poker Award for Charitable Initiative of the Year.

Connect with Robbie on Twitter @cardplayerlife, or via email: robbie@cardplayerlifestyle.com.

Other Posts You'll Enjoy

Poker Room Review: Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood, Florida
Having had the opportunity to play in a few low-stakes cash game sessions at the Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood, Florida poker room, I thought…
Eli Elezra Launches Biography with Tel Aviv Book Signing
Eli Elezra, a worldwide fan favorite among poker lovers, has finally released his long-awaited biography. He returned home to his native Israel for a book…
It's Time to See What the World Poker Tour is All About
Though the World Poker Tour has been around now for 15 years, I've never attended a single event of theirs in person.... until now. I'm…
Huck Seed Wins 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions
Never far from center stage in the 14 years since his Main Event win at the World Series, Huck Seed has done it again, winning…
Review: Jonathan Little's Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker Series
If you’re looking to purchase a great poker book, there's a series of three, by Jonathan Little, that we highly recommend. Having read through all…
Interview with Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton
Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton was kind enough to allow me to interview him in person on Facebook Live at the 2016 World Series…
Aussie Millions to Stage Tournament of Champions This Weekend
It's late January and that means it's time for the Aussie Millions, the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker tournament! Cardplayer Lifestyle has learned that event organizers…
Winner of 2010 World Poker Tour Championships: David Williams
Remember David Williams? Probably best known for his 2nd place finish in the World Series of Poker to Greg Raymer in 2004, for the last…
My First World Series of Poker Trip in a Nutshell
After having experienced so much while attending my first World Series of Poker, I know that it's going to take me numerous blog posts to…
Interview with Poker Events Manager Steve Frezer
Steve Frezer's face is familiar to anyone who's played poker on the international scene over the last decade. A former tournament director for EPT, WSOP,…

Write A Comment Cancel Reply

As Featured On