Tournament Details

$25,000 in cold hard cash – and that's just to get a seat at the felt. 605 players to beat. 6 days of grueling, mind-and-body-racking qualifying play. A $15,000,000 prize pool with $3,700,000 of it going to the champion. So it was that after 16 exciting, unpredictable and sometimes unbelievable World Poker Tour Season IV events had been etched in the books, it was once again time for the big one, the grand tourney of poker tourneys: the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas . All 16 of the Season IV tour event winners arrived on day one to take their crack at poker immortality, as did poker's elite, along with a whole bunch of dreamers and schemers.

When the clock struck final play, only six earned the right to fight it out at that much sought-after table. At the start of play, here was the "murderer's row" of tough poker players: however,

In Seat 1, 26 year-old former pool shark and son of a Vegas poker dealer, Joe Bartholdi, in 2nd chip position with $7,135,000. In Seat 2, the only tour event winner - young British pro, Roland de Wolfe, amiable and dangerous Paris champ in 5th chip position with $1,860,000. In Seat 3, one of the most ferocious and feared players in the world, 4-time Card Player of the Year, poker legend, Men "the Master" Nguyen, on the short stack with $1,490,000. In Seat 4, 38-year old Claus Nielsen, a Denmark native trained by WPT Season II Champion, in 3rd chip position with $5,875,000. In Seat 5, rugged and resilient Las Vegas journeyman James Van Alstyne, the chip leader with $8,070,000. In Seat 6, the "people's choice," a 47 year-old Canadian amateur who qualified via a $25 satellite, amateur David Matthew, in 4th chip position with $5,765,000. Antes and blinds began at $15,000, $60,000, and $120,000.

The chip leaders immediately tried to set the tone by taking down antes and blinds with steals. Van Alstyne came right out of the gate firing with 8-4 offsuit, successfully taking down the inaugural hand, and Bartholdi followed on the next with J-8 suited. Then, early on, came what would prove to be a fateful hand.

Claus, with Kc-Qs, raised in middle position. Van Alstyne, with Kh-Th, called, as did Bartholdi, looking to see a flop with pocket 8's, making the pot a nice $1,300,000. The flop came 4c-4h-3d, making Bartholdi feel good about his 8's, so he pushed in a half-pot sized bet. Claus had seen enough, and mucked, but Van Alstyne thought he might be able to push Bartholdi off, and re-raised another million. Bartholdi didn't buy it, though, and called smooth. Ah on the turn brought a check by Bartholdi, and Van Alstyne again fired, but this time a smallish $1,400,000 into a $4,500,000 pot. Bartholdi seemed to still feel that he had the best hand, and called. The river came 6c, and again Bartholdi checked. Van Alstyne, gun-shy now from the two previous calls, decided not to fire a third shell, and was instead shelled when Bartholdi flipped up the winner. His reward was a $7,300,000 pot, and the chip lead. By tempting fate and tangling with the other chip leader on an early bluff, Van Alstyne donked off a third of his hard-won starting stack. And conversely, Bartholdi, by making a courageous call, instantly asserted himself. It would have long-lasting repercussions.

The legendary Men "the Master" Nguyen struggled all tournament long on a short stack, and his troubles never relented in the final. After having taken down his first meager pot with an all-in push on K-J offsuit, he found Ts-Th from the small blind on the very next hand. He repeated the maneuver, to the tune of $1,115,000. This time, though, Claus, in the big blind, woke up with wired Q's. Showboating a bit, Claus asked "do you want action?" Not that he really cared, as he quickly called. Nguyen appeared a bit steamed at Claus's Hollywooding. The flop came Ad-9d-5c, helping neither, and when the turn and river came 8c, Ks, the Master was forced to take his complaints to the rail, along with a 6th place finish worth $292,915. A disappointment to his fans, such as countryman Scotty Nguyen, but a testament to his enduring prowess and longevity.

Having tumbled to 4th chip position, Van Alstyne's problems continued to mount. First, he was shut down on a move with 9-2 offsuit in the small blind, when Matthews snapped him off from the big blind. Next, with 7-3 offsuit in the big blind, Van Alstyne tried to get cute with Claus, allowing the Dane to limp with 7-5 offsuit from the small blind. After Q-high blanks on the flop, he again put out a curiously small bet of $300,000 into an $800,000 pot. Claus called with, as Vince Van Patten has been known to say, "zip and pip." A Td on the turn drew checks from both of them. But 7d on the river paired both, and Claus came right out with $600,000, causing Van Alstyne again to slink away, robbed.

If the night had been painful for Van Alstyne, the next hand would be an actual nightmare. Fed up with pushing out smallish bets that got no respect, and – truth be told – in a swirling, steaming meltdown, Van Alstyne pushed all-in, $1,555,000, with Ks-6s. Just his luck, Roland woke up with pocket K's and called instantly. In a daze, Van Alstyne wandered from the table and had his mic removed, thinking he was covered. But when Roland's K's had indeed held up, Van Alstyne discovered to his grave misfortune that he was left with just half an ante. As if to dig in the final indignity, Van Alstyne, forced in on the next hand blind, flipped up A-K offsuit. He found a single caller in Bartholdi, with J-T offsuit. The flop came 7-5-4 rainbow, offering a glimmer of the old "chip and a chair" hopes, but Ts on the turn was emblematic of Van Alstyne's horror ride. 9s on the river sealed his fate, and he went to the rail in 5th place, with a payout of $459,375 and he showed grace under great duress, shaking hands with his opponents on the way out.

With antes and blinds jumping to $20,000, $100,000, and $200,000, the next to suffer brainlock and overconfidence was Claus. After doubling up on Roland with pocket 9's, Claus bet everyone out with pocket 5's. Then on the next, he found Ah-Qc on the button, and – commenting distractedly at someone in the crowd – he brought it in for $1,100,000. Bartholdi, with Kd-Td, decided to speculate and see a flop. It came 9c-7d-2d, giving him a flush draw, which he deigned to check, looking for a free card. Here, Claus made a grievous error. He was handed the golden opportunity to bet out Bartholdi when the young Vegas pro checked, but Claus missed a bet and checked right after him. On the turn, the board paired 7's, and Bartholdi, having gotten the green light, led out with a $1,000,000 bet. Claus instantly called, thinking his A high was good, which it was. But disaster struck when the river came Qd, giving him top pair, but making Bartholdi's flush. Claus declared a raise of $2,000,000, and Bartholdi immediately announced all-in. Without even taking a second to observe the board, Claus called. When he finally did look at the board it was too late. Claus was out in 4th place, with $659,120 clams to soften the blow.

Suddenly all that was left were three new millionaires – each of the players left being assured of at least a million dollar payout. The WPT Season IV Paris champ, Roland de Wolfe, played tight but aggressive poker all night, but now found himself the hunted, on the short stack. After Bartholdi, still the chip leader on the button, brought it in for a $900,000 raise, Roland woke up with pocket 6's. He pushed all-in over the top for $5,180,000, and after a brief moment for Matthews to muck, Bartholdi called. When he flipped over Qh-Qd, Roland was in big trouble, and knocked the table in acknowledgement. The flop came with Qs in the window, giving Bartholdi top set, followed by 8c-5h. The turn, 4s, brought one flicker of hope to the genial Briton, an inside straight draw, but that was snuffed with 3c on the river. Just like that, the only remaining Season IV victor was vanquished. But he went out with class, a hefty $1,025,205 payday, and no regrets. "I had my A game all day," he quipped in his exit interview. "I'm real pleased."

Also tickled pink by this turn of events was the sole amateur at the final table, the pride of Toronto, Canada by way of Antigua, David Matthew, who was now guaranteed at least a nearly $2,000,000 payday. All night, he had played more like a pro than the poker neophyte he is. He showed absolutely no fear, check-raising, making tough calls, and running successful bluffs on his far more experienced competitors. Now he faced off with Joe Bartholdi, who came into heads up play with a dominating lead of $20,205,000 to $9,990,000. That didn't last, though. Matthew came out swinging, with successive all-in check-raises forcing Bartholdi to back down. One of these, however, may have proved costly to the Canadian's cause.

After limping with Ks-2s, and Bartholdi also limping with Js-7h, they both caught a piece of the Ks-Jh-6h flop. But after check-check, 8h on the turn brought a flurry of action, both players feeling that their pairs were good. Bartholdi raised $700,000, Matthew came over the top for another $1,300,000, and Bartholdi declared yet another raise. But before he could complete the bet, Matthew jumped the gun and called "all-in." This gave Bartholdi a chance to get away from the hand with just the minimum raise of $1,300,000. Who knows how much he might've been willing to risk on his middle pair? And to make matters more intriguing, the viewers at home got to see that 8c came on the river, which would've filled up Matthew's boat. Oh, what might have been.

But this is poker, after all, careers and reputations have been built of such ephemeral events. Now the antes and blinds went to uncharted regions – a world record for tournament poker - $100,000, $400,000, and $800,000, putting 1.4 million into the pot on every hand. After Matthew made a straight to take the chip lead, the cards suddenly abandoned him and fled to Bartholdi. He capitalized, hammering back three hands in a row to take back the lead.

Then, with Th-4h, Matthew elected to limp, and Bartholdi checked his 9d-5h. The flop came Ah-9c-8h, giving the Canadian a four-flush, and the American middle pair. Matthew brought it in for $800,000, and Bartholdi boldly pushed back over the top of him for another $2,000,000. As he had so many times before, Matthew pushed right back, hard, staking his tournament life on a flush draw by pushing all-in. Bartholdi considered, and, as he also had all day, made another great call, getting all his money in with the best of it. The turn came 2d, and time was running short for Matthew. And it finally ran out with Ad on the river. That sealed it for Bartholdi, the 26 year-old Vegas poker pro, making him the winner of the largest single payout in WPT history, a whopping $3,735,950. Matthew was philosophical, with a huge smile, due to his astonishing 2nd place finish, and $1,903-950 paycheck. There you have it, just another day on the World Poker Tour. Already can't wait for next season!