Wednesday, August 06, 2008

National Deaf Poker Tour


There are plenty of signs that poker continues to broaden its appeal and bring new players to the table.


Take the climax of the National Deaf Poker Tour (NDPT) on Friday.


Its 2007-2008 season featured four events, that last of which took place in the Venetian Casino, Las Vegas.

The NDPT was created by six hearing impaired players. One of those founders, James Rydstrom, said

‘We wanted to be able to have a deaf-only tournament to provide us the privilege of playing in a tourney where we can talk to anyone around us. If was playing in a world Series of Poker event among non-deaf players, I would not be able to pick up on what’s being said around the table. This is our event, where there are no barriers of communication.’

The noble aims of the organisation are matched by a rewarding prize structure.

The NDPT is structured on a points system and now the season is over, the body will be sending its top three players to a national (American) event of their choosing.

These skilled individuals are

Peter Vitucci – 854 points

Jonathan Barnes - 781.5

Jonathan Collins – 742

They will receive packages valued at $2,000, $1,000 and $750 respectively and they can choose any event from the WSOP or the WPT.

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