Neil Stoddart/PokerStars
Award Kitai the Triple Crown?
A Triple Threat, But No Crown
It's always tough when you start an argument knowing that you're already facing an uphill battle, but really, that's the case regarding Davidi Kitai and the Triple Crown. Much of the poker media has already posted headlines above Kitai's smiling face and called him the fifth-ever Triple Crown winner. They've proclaimed he's joined Gavin Griffin, Bertrand Grospellier, Jake Cody and Roland De Wolfe as the only players to attain titles on the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour felt. What he has done is incredible, and regardless of my argument, it's impossible not to understand that Kitai is a true talent in the poker world. But to me, he hasn't quite yet earned the honor of being a Triple Crown winner.
Earlier this month, Kitai won the EPT Berlin main event and earned a career-best $930,816 score for his efforts. It is a single accomplishment that many poker players dream of. You're part of the history books and have basically made a million dollars in less than a week. Not bad. I'd take it.
In 2008, Kitai satisfied the dreams of even more players, capturing his first WSOP bracelet. The $244,583 pay day was nice and remains his third-best career cash to this day. Since then, he's made two more WSOP final tables. He's considered a bracelet winner and can be looped into the group that includes Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey.
The last leg of the Triple Crown would be a victory on the World Poker Tour and in 2011, Kitai won the WPT Celebrity Invitational for a top prize of $100,000. Challenge!
Kitai's name may be etched into the WPT Champions Trophy which means the WPT considers him a title holder, but this event is different and should be considered a little bit differently. Being an invitational, if you and your home game wanted to head to the casino to participate, the people in front of the red carpet would've turned you away. Not to mention how quickly you'd be dismissed by all the security hired to protect the A-list celebrities that were playing.
The fact that this was not an open even is my real argument. Sure, part of the 482-player field included some of the best poker players in the world, but unless you a player on the radar of the WPT and received an invite, you weren't taking your seat. Also, given that it is a charity event, the caliber of the field was far inferior compared to typical open event. Field size as an argument is irrelevant to me, but welcoming all players with open arms should be the deciding factor.
For someone to be considered a Triple Crown champion, their titles must come in open events. Just like the Hendon Mob excludes this victory in some of their all-time record lists because it was an "Entry restricted" event, I think the media and poker historians must either put an asterisk next to this accomplishment or completely dismiss it.
Jessica has a great argument that the qualifications for the Triple Crown were simply passed down as titles on all three of the tours, but considering that it is a media-created accomplishment, it can also be clarified further by the media so that those that can boast this honor truly stand out above the rest. Griffin (2004 WSOP, 2007 EPT Grand Final and 2008 WPT Borgata), De Wolfe (2005 WPT Grand Prix de Paris, 2006 EPT Irish Open, 2009 WSOP), Cody (2010 EPT Deauville, 2010 WPT London, 2011 WSOP) and Grospellier (2008 EPT PCA, 2008 WPT Festa Al Lago, 2011 WSOP) each won three open events. There were no red carpets, no invitation list, just poker players trying to do work. They've earned it and while Kitai may be on that WPT Champions trophy, he's not getting Triple Crown love from me just yet.
A Title Is A Title
Poker media, like all media, has a fascination with the record books. In a game where there is little consensus regarding the right and wrong moves on the felt, these scoreboards of wins and earnings have become one of the few concrete ways for the media to prove someone is good to the casual fan. Understanding that need for validation, it isn't all that surprising then that some years back someone in the poker media came up with the idea for the Triple Crown.
I wasn't part of the industry when this development occurred, so I can only tell you what has been passed down to me. The criteria for the Triple Crown is a WSOP bracelet, a European Poker Tour title, and a World Poker Tour title. There are no stipulations beyond that and no substitutions with wins on some other tour. It's easy, concrete, and a clear cut way to determine someone has hit the big time on the poker circuit.
Davidi Kitai's Triple Crown-earning victory at EPT Berlin has people talking though, suggesting his win in the WPT Invitational isn't sufficient for a Triple Crown title. Here's my problem: that decision isn't your call. Much like the bracelet debates surrounding the WSOPE during its debut a few years ago, you can have an opinion on the matter, but if Caesars decides it is a bracelet, it's a bracelet. If the WPT says the Invitational is a title, it is and if the EPT can tell me an event held in the Bahamas counts as an EPT win, it does.
None of the three tours we associate with the Triple Crown have abused these title-giving privileges. Certainly, there have been a few eyebrow-raising decisions along the way, but until something egregious happens like proclaiming all WSOPC events bracelet events or running 100-plus WPT main events each year, we have to stick with what they say is a title. The WPT has made it especially easy to determine who is a WPT Champion with the creation of the Champions Cup. It's pretty concrete; if your name is on the cup, you're a WPT title holder.
It isn't that I don't understand where people are coming from when they question Kitai's status because I do. The problem is once you open the door to question the validity of a title, any title, you are going down a very complicated road. Kitai earned $100,000 for his Invitational win where he beat a field of 482 people. The first-ever EPT Champ Alexander Stevic didn't earn that much. He beat a 229-person field to win 80,000 euros in a 1,000 euro buy-in event. One of Doyle Brunson's bracelets came in a $600 Mixed Doubles Event where he had to share the $9,000 payday with partner Starla Brodie. No one says Brunson has nine bracelets though. In other words, it is a slippery slope.
The only point I can give some credit to is the assertion the Invitational is not an open event. Though, it is worth noting that Kitai's year the Commerce did run several satellites that awarded seats into the event. It was entirely feasible to win your way in. The thing is, even if you feel that way about it, the WPT doesn't. They proclaimed it worthy of a title, so it is.
If you want to put caveats on the Triple Crown, that's your prerogative. But to me, what makes it such a useful tool for valuation is its concreteness and its simplicity, so that is why I am not messing with it and will simply say congratulations on the Triple Crown, Mr. Kitai.
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