Win Your Way In!

Date: 2006.04.10 | Category: Hand Of The Week | By: Phil Hellmuth   

In the UltimateBet.net Poker Challenge III Finals, shown Final Four weekend on FSN (Fox Sports Net), six players had a crack at the $200,000 first-place prize, but second place was a whole lot of nothing. Thirty-one players had won their way into the televised tournament through a free promotion at UltimateBet.net, and none of them was used to playing poker for more than a few dollars. But now they were playing for $200,000 for first, and nothing for second, so the pressure was on!

The following five men won their FSN televised six-handed tournaments — and $10,000 each for first place — to qualify for the finale; Josh Taub, Adam Marshall, Tom McCormick III, Mo Poons, and New York State Trooper Mark Cianfrini (sin-free-nee). This had reduced the 30 men down to five, and then a wild card online qualifier, Scott Friend, was added to the mix. (By the way, I was announcing this finale for FSN along with regular announcers Barry Tompkins and John Vorhaus.)