PokerWorks

When the first ever Bodog Poker Open wrapped up on March 9th, Shawn “phatcat” Luman was the main event champion and Bodog Poker concluded the richest poker tournament in its history. It was one for the record books.

The Bodog Poker Open began on March 3rd and ran six events in six days. The grand finale was Event #6 – the $470 + $30 no-limit hold’em main event. It drew 596 players, and the prize pool added up to $305,120, which also included $25,000 in additional prize money added by Bodog. In the end, it was Shawn “phatcat” Luman who earned his title as the first ever Bodog Poker Open champion, along with a hefty payday of $76,280 and an engraved Omega Speedmaster watch valued at $4,400.

Luman battled through a field that included some of the biggest names in poker, including Jared “The WacoKidd” Hamby who made the final table but was eliminated in third place for $29,138.96. Luman faced Michael “_TheFinisher_” Berra in the heads-up portion of the tournament that lasted nearly 70 hands. Finally, Berra pushed all-in on a J-10-4 flop with Q-J for top pair, but Luman called with pocket Aces. The turn and river were blanks, and Berra finished in second place for $45,768. Luman and his pocket Aces won the tournament.

The remainder of the final table finishers were: 4th place – Stuart “zpaceman” Taylor for $21,358.40, 5th place – “CK3” for $16,781.60, 6th place – “flopmynuts33” for $13,730.40, 7th place – “Anbessa” for $10,679.20, 8th place – Brian “PSP_addict” Bauer for $7,933.12, and 9th place – Eric “Eeman2004” Revak for $5,187.04. Other notable in-the-money finishers included Event #1 winner “rusostreet” in 41st place and Event #5 winner “bigcatfish” in 47th, both of whom received $1,067.92 in prize money.

The six-event Bodog Poker Open series drew a total of more than 1800 players during the week and generated more than $675,000 in prize money, of which $75,000 was added by Bodog to pad the prize pool. Highlights included the participation of players like Annette Obrestad, Kevin Saul, Jon Turner, and Eric Lynch, as well as the second and third finishes in Event #1 being taken by Team Bodog members Evelyn Ng and Josh Arieh respectively.

Bodog is now putting its efforts into the 2008 World Series of Poker qualifying satellites. Four seats are being given away each week during the months of March and April, and five seats will be up for grabs each week during May and June. The seats include an additional $2000 with the prize package for travel expenses and an experience to remember at the 2008 WSOP.

Download Bodog Poker now to begin playing WSOP satellites and win your way to Las Vegas. By using the bonus code “POKERWORKS” when making an initial deposit, a bonus of 110% will be applied to any amount up to $500.