The Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) has become the kind of event that is unmissable. Introducing new talent to the game, players have gone on from CPT events to become poker stars. Others have faded into the background, choosing to sidestep the glamor of the competition, the calling of the felt. On Saturday night, new names and well-heeled celebs took part in the fourth CPT Invitational, and it was a classic.
Bibby Wins the Bet
The fourth CPT Invitational was sponsored by Monster Energy and live-streamed free on YouTube by the CPT courtesy of the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The same scene saw Bryce Hall win CPT Game Night III just last month and most of that crowd were back as 80 players battled towards a paid final table of nine.
Legends of the celebrity world such as the eventual winner Vegas Matt, eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard, Blac Chyna, Steiny, Ethan Klein and Haliey Welch – a.k.a. Hawk Tuah were all at the tables on Saturday, as they played for a top prize of $20,000. The total prizepool was $50,000 but one of the most fun elements to play was the sidebet put on for just $100 by CPT Founder Blake Wynn and the former NBA basketball star Mike Bibby, whose stake was a pair of his basketball trainers worn on court.
Wynn bet Bibby that he couldn’t last to the top 20 players. If Bibby couldn’t survive to the final 25% of the field, Wynn would win a pair of basketball trainers worth a lot more than the stake of $100. As it happened, Bibby lasted to exactly 20th to win the bet and take home $100.
Hawk Tuah Has Fun… but Busts
“I think I have a better understanding of it now – and I made some friends too.”
Haliey Welch, known more for her nickname ‘Hawk Tuah’, was at the poker felt for the first time… literally. Asked how much confidence she had in the run-up to the event by host Drea Renee, Welch declared “It’s coming out of my *ss!” before admitting, “I’ve never played poker, so we’re going to see how this goes.”
Each player began with 100,000 chips but with each blind level lasting only 15 minutes, Haliey Welch couldn’t afford to fold two pair on the flop. Distracted by a agic trick where a neck-tie was conjured from a line of masking tape, that’s exactly what Hawk Tuah did, almost causing Brent Hanks to spit-take in the commentary booth.
“Why did Hawk Tuah fold?!” Hanks asked. “She was so distracted by the magician she folded two pair … what is happening?!”
As that hand played out, Hawk Tuah’s hand was overtaken by Vegas Matt’s Broadway straight, and Hanks’ fellow commentator Jeff Platt couldn’t resist a sly dig at his pal.
“Great fold by Hawk Tuah!” Platt joked.
Not long after, Welch doubled up but with blinds escalating, she eventually had to commit her stack when 10,000/20,000 got too rich. All-in with pocket sixes, she lost to Vegas Matt’s ace-seven, as a flop containing two sevens did for Hawk Tuah’s hopes.
Not feeling chewed up or spat out, she told Renee post-match, “It was pretty good. I think I have a better understanding of it now – and I made some friends too.”
The Year of Hawk Tuah? Who knows.
Vegas Matt Mops Up After Quads Sink Nemo
An entertaining final table raced by as players such as 5up, Telli Swift, John Ferguson and Hila Klein all busted for $2,000. When former NFL wide receiver Marqise Lee missed out in fifth place for $3,000, just four remained with a huge amount still on the line. 21-year-old singer Cash Baker won $3,500 in fourth when his queen-ten ran into Vegas Matt’s pocket queens.
Model and roadtrip junkie Rachel Cook busted in third when she shoved light with seven-six and was called and busted by Qiyu ‘Nemo’ Zhou’s king-seven when a king arrived on the turn. That sent play heads-up and it was still Vegas Matt with the lead, holding over 10 million chips to Nemo’s 4.6m.
The chess grandmaster Nemo shoved with 
and Matt called it off with 
, happy to flip for the win and $20,000 compared to a runner-up prize of $10,000. The flop of 
landed and Matt hit bottom set but Nemo had the flush draw. Could Matt survive the turn? It came a king but the 
and he was safe. Things went even better on the river, as a 
fell to give Vegas Matt quads at the Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational IV title!
Watch the fourth Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational event play down to a dramatic conclusion right here:
