Scott Seiver Wins WPT World Championship; Erik Seidel Takes Highest Buy-In Event in Las Vegas history, the WPT Super High Roller; 3 Players Took Home Over $1M Each.

With all the success World Poker Tour(R) had this year, how else could WPT Season IX have ended than with a jam packed dual-event week making US poker history? A big turnout at Bellagio Resort and Casino for the $25,000 WPT(R) World Championship, an impressive 29 players buying into the inaugural WPT Super High Roller $100,000 buy in event, and 3 poker players winning more than $1,000,000 in less than 12 hours combined to cap off Season IX and send the WPT into Season X with tremendous momentum.

The week started with Mike Sexton announcing Shuffle Up and Deal to kick off the Season IX WPT World Championship where 220 eager poker players took to the felt, a 13% increase over last year. The world's greatest players all competed for this crown jewel of poker titles including Doyle Brunson, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Smith, Phil Laak, Oliver Busquet, Barry Greenstein, Dave Ulliott, Hoyt Corkins, Dwyte Pilgrim, Kathy Liebert, Tom Marchese, Mike Sexton, Antonio Esfandiari, Carlos Mortensen, Greg Brooks and Randall Flowers. In the end it was Scott Seiver who captured the title, bracelet and $1,618,344 first prize.

"I happened to have big hands," said Seiver. "And more importantly they held. It is the combination of luck and timing and having cards at the right time. Everything worked well today. That's what you need to win one of these tables." On winning his first WPT title he continued, "it feels incredible."

In between the WPT Championship's first flop and last river, 29 of the world's best high stakes players, including Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Phil Laak, Tony G, Justin Bonomo, Tom Marchese, Justin Smith, Phil Galfond, Dan Shak and Vivek Rajkumar (who would wind up 2nd in the WPT Player of the Year chase), ponied up $100,000 to play in the World Poker Tour Super High Roller, the largest buy-in event in U.S. history. The star-studded line-up resulted in a star-studded final table with Bonomo, Rajkumar, Negreanu, and Lindgren all making the money. But none of them could take down Erik Seidel, the poker Hall of Famer, who beat WPT title-holder Lindgren heads up.

Seidel is in the midst of an unequaled run of play that even has other pros shaking their heads in awe. This title earned him $1,092,000. In less than 5 months, his 2011 winnings total more than $5.4 million including 4 titles.

A contentious and well fought race for Season IX WPT Player of the Year came to a nail-biting conclusion this week when Andy Frankenberger edged out Rajkumar by 100 points and officially earned the honor. Frankenberger's first season as a professional poker player proved the former Wall Street trader made a smart career change. He won the 2010 Legends of Poker title, made two final tables and cashed three times totaling more than $1.2 million in earnings.

WPT World Championship Final Table Winners:
1. Scott Seiver, $1,618,344
2. Farzad Bonyadi, $1,061,900
3. Galen Hall, $589,355
4. Roger Teska, $371, 665
5. Tony Gargano, $278,749
6. Justin Young, $225,654

WPT Super High Roller Payouts:
1. Erik Seidel, $1,092,780
2. Erick Lindgren, $700,500
3. Daniel Negreanu, $448,320
4. Vivek Rajkumar, $336,240
5. Justin Bonomo, $224,160