JC Tran Wins World Poker Classic Prelim Event, WPT Event Starts Today

A star-studded final table that included Team Bodog pro David Williams marked the end of the last preliminary event of the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. (Bodog Beat Image)

If the final table of the last preliminary event of the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic is any indication of what the field is going to be like in the WPT Doyle Brunson Poker Classic championship that starts today, then the poker world could well be looking at one of the best tournaments ever. What can we say, we enjoy hyperbole.

But seriously, this table featured the cream of both the online and live poker worlds with a little Hollywood glitz thrown in. What more could you ask for?

WPT champion JC Tran, WSOP bracelet winner David Williams, EPT champion Mark Teltscher, online poker pros Justin "zeejustin" Bonomo and Shane "Shaniac" Schleger and Godsmack lead-singer Sully Erna, who was the last "celebrity" standing at both the 2006 and 2007 WSOP Main Events, all sat down to compete for the title and the $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship in April.

In the end, Tran would emerge victorious from the 307-person field and that ridiculously tough final table to take down the $523,075 first-place prize. In a breakthrough performance, Erna finished in second for $307,325. Teltscher and Williams finished in third and fourth for $153,660 and $87,810, respectively. Schleger finished in the eight spot ($29,270) with Bonomo right behind him in ninth ($23,415).

The $15,000 buy-in championship event starts later today and we'll have updates for you as the tournament progresses. WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem added "WPT champion" to his list of accolades last year, winning just over $2.18 million in last year's event. He faced poker pro Daniel Negreanu at that final table.