Intercontinental Poker Championship
Encyclopedia
The Intercontinental Poker Championship is a poker tournament featuring professional poker players representing various nations. 21 players competed in the inaugural event, which was taped at Palms Hotel and Casino April 14-16, 2006, and aired on CBS
for seven weeks beginning June 17, 2006. Jeff Medders and Gabe Kaplan
provided commentary.
The field of 21 players was split into three groups of seven, each of which participated in a double elimination Texas hold 'em
"shootout." The winner from each group of seven advanced to the semi-finals. The remaining six players from each group competed again, with the winner also advancing.
With the field narrowed to six, the remaining players played another double elimination round. The winner advanced to the final table and the remaining five players competed again, with the winner advancing to the heads up final match.
At the best of three heads up final table, Yoshio Nakano
of Japan defeated Australia's Tony G
two out of three to take down $350,000. Tony G won $150,000 for his second place finish.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for seven weeks beginning June 17, 2006. Jeff Medders and Gabe Kaplan
Gabe Kaplan
Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
provided commentary.
The field of 21 players was split into three groups of seven, each of which participated in a double elimination Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
"shootout." The winner from each group of seven advanced to the semi-finals. The remaining six players from each group competed again, with the winner also advancing.
With the field narrowed to six, the remaining players played another double elimination round. The winner advanced to the final table and the remaining five players competed again, with the winner advancing to the heads up final match.
At the best of three heads up final table, Yoshio Nakano
Yoshio Nakano
Yoshio Nakano is a professional poker player and entrepreneur who resides in Long Beach, California.He has played professionally for over 20 years and is a long-time regular at high stakes poker tables at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles...
of Japan defeated Australia's Tony G
Tony G
Antanas Guoga , more commonly known as Tony G, is a businessman and professional poker player. As a child, he was the Rubik's Cube champion of Lithuania before moving to Melbourne, Australia at the age of 11. He has played poker since the age of 18, and is known for his outlandish table talk and...
two out of three to take down $350,000. Tony G won $150,000 for his second place finish.
Players
- David BenyamineDavid BenyamineDavid Benyamine is a French professional poker player with a World Poker Tour title. Benyamine was a professional tennis player in his early career but had to retire because of shoulder pain. He was also a successful top ten billiards player in France. He learned poker at the age of 12 and plays...
(France) - Chris BjorinChris BjorinChrister "Chris" Björin is a Swedish professional poker player, now based in London, England. Throughout his career, Björin has kept a relatively low profile and avoided many televised poker tournaments and interviews.-Poker:...
(Sweden) - Humberto BrenesHumberto BrenesHumberto Brenes is a professional poker player. Brenes currently resides in Miami Lakes, Florida with his wife and three children ....
(Costa Rica) - Doyle BrunsonDoyle BrunsonDoyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
(USA) - Jimmy ChaJimmy ChaJimmy Cha , also known as Ch'a Min-su, is a South Korean professional go and avid poker player. He is also a black belt in martial arts and a talented classical pianist....
(South Korea) - Johnny ChanJohnny Chan (poker player)Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
(China) - Eli ElezraEli ElezraEliahu Ilan Elezra is an Israeli professional poker player and a businessman, now living in Las Vegas, Nevada.While he was in Israel, Elezra was a lieutenant in the Golani Brigade. He was bedridden by a leg injury; during this time he began playing poker...
(Israel) - Sam FarhaSam FarhaIhsan Farha is a professional poker player. He is best known for finishing as runner up in the World Series of Poker main event in 2003 and has won three bracelets at the WSOP.-Early years:...
(Lebanon) - Tony GTony GAntanas Guoga , more commonly known as Tony G, is a businessman and professional poker player. As a child, he was the Rubik's Cube champion of Lithuania before moving to Melbourne, Australia at the age of 11. He has played poker since the age of 18, and is known for his outlandish table talk and...
(Australia) - Chau GiangChau GiangChau Tu Giang is an American professional poker player of Chinese descent, who is a three time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and a three time final tablist of the World Poker Tour with over $3 million in live tournament winnings alone.- Biography :Giang fled Vietnam in a small boat in the...
(Vietnam) - Hasan HabibHasan HabibHasan Habib is a Pakistani American professional poker player.During his early years in Pakistan, Habib was the Pakistan 14-and-under National Tennis Champion. Habib went to America at the age of 18 to study business at the University of Redlands. He also once owned a nationwide chain of video...
(Pakistan) - Thor HansenThor HansenThor Harald Hansen is a professional poker player. He was recruited by Larry Flynt to play poker for him after Hansen played against him in Las Vegas in the mid 1990s. He has two WSOP braclets, one from the 1988 WSOP in Seven-card stud, and then later in Deuce to Seven Lowball in the 2002 WSOP...
(Norway) - Carlos MortensenCarlos MortensenJuan Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player of Danish descent and the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style.Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in...
(Spain) - Yosh Nakano (Japan)
- Daniel NegreanuDaniel NegreanuDaniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
(Canada) - Donnacha O'DeaDonnacha O'DeaDonnacha "The Don" O'Dea is an Irish professional poker player. In his youth he was a swimmer, and represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. He was also the first Irish swimmer to swim 100m in less than one minute...
(Ireland) - Ralph PerryRalph Perry (poker player)Rafael "Ralph" Perry is a professional poker player originally from Russia. He has been playing professionally since 1992.In 2006, Perry represented Russia at the inaugural Intercontinental Poker Championship and reached the semi-finals, during which he was the target of some much-publicised...
(Russia) - Refugio Quintero (Mexico)
- Marco TranielloMarco TranielloMarco Traniello is an Italian professional hairdresser and is sponsored professional poker player on Full Tilt Poker.-Poker:...
(Italy) - Dave "The Devilfish" UlliotDave UlliottDavid A. Ulliott , known by the nickname Devilfish, is an English professional gambler and poker player. Formerly, Ulliott was a minor figure in the Hull underworld, but went on to become a World Series of Poker bracelet-winner, and a mainstay of televised poker...
(England) - Stephen WolffStephen WolffFor the poker player, see .Stephen Wolff is considered to be one of the many fathers of the internet. He is mainly credited with turning the internet from a government project into something that proved to have scholarly and commercial interest for the rest of the world. Dr...
(South Africa)