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HEADLINE: Bodog Poker Open Main Event Goes to Shawn "phatcat" Luman

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The inaugural Bodog Poker Open drew to a close on Sunday, March 9 with 596 online poker players making Bodog history as they competed for a share of a whopping $305,120 prize pool in the series' championship, the Bodog Poker Open Main Event.

The total cash purse, which included $25,000 in additional money added by Bodog, makes the Bodog Poker Open Main Event the richest poker tournament ever held in Bodog history, and walking away the richest from the record-setting event was Shawn "phatcat" Luman. His first-place finish not only earned him a $76,280 payday, but also the distinction of becoming the first-ever Bodog Poker Champion and the owner of a brand new engraved Omega Speedmaster watch, valued at $4,400.

"By all accounts the inaugural Bodog Poker Open was a resounding success," says Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. "The number of players that competed for the $305,120 prize pool was astounding and Bodog is looking forward to hosting even more exciting poker events in the future."

The path to victory was not an easy one for Luman as the talent-rich field contained many of the biggest names in the online poker world. Making it down to the final three at the final table was none other than Jared "TheWacoKidd" Hamby, one of the hottest players on the poker circuit today with three live tournament wins in 2007 and a second place finish at the 2007 WPT Mandalay Bay Poker Championship. On Sunday night Luman proved the better as Hamby exited in third place, winning $29,138.96, while Michael "_TheFinisher_" Berra finished second, earning $45,768.

The remaining players at the final table, in order of finish, were: Stuart "zpaceman" Taylor (4th - $21,358.40), "CK3" (5th - $16,781.60), "Anbessa" (6th - $13,730.40), Brian "PSP_addict" Bauer (8th - $7,933.12) and Eric "Eeman2004" Revak (9th - $5,187.04).

Among the 54 players who cashed in the $500 buy-in online poker tournament were quite a few who enjoyed success in the five preliminary events of the Bodog Poker Open. Bodog regular "rusostreet," who won Event No. 1 on Monday, finished in 41st place, and Event No. 5 winner, "bigcatfish," finished in 47th, while Joe "Dyzalot" Morneau, who final tabled Event No. 1, ended up in 40th place. The three players each added $1,067.92 to their Bodog Poker Open winnings on Sunday night.

As the biggest online poker tournament in Bodog history, the Bodog Poker Open got off to a phenomenal start last Monday, March 3 with Event No. 1. The $270 buy-in No-Limit Holdem tournament set the pace for the week by drawing many of the world's top online poker players, including Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad, Kevin "beLOWaBOVe" Saul, Marco "CrazyMarco" Johnson, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner, Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Thayer "Thay3r" Rasmussen, and it saw Team Bodog pros Evelyn Ng and Josh Arieh outlasting all but one to finish second and third, respectively.

All together, the six-event Bodog Poker Open drew more than 1,800 players over the week and generated more than $675,000 in prize money, a generous $75,000 of which was added by Bodog to give players extraordinary value for their buy-ins.

With the first Bodog Poker Open now in the books, online poker players are turning their attention to Bodog's 2008 World Series of Poker qualifiers. A guaranteed four WSOP seats are up for grabs every week at the Bodog Poker tables this March and April, with that number jumping to five per week in May and June. Each Main Event prize package includes the $10,000 buy-in to the tournament, $2,000 for travel expenses, loads of Team Bodog gear and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Las Vegas in total Bodog style, including meeting the Bodog Girls and much, much more.

For more details on Bodog's online qualifiers for the 2008 WSOP Main Event, visit www.bodoglife.com/poker/tournaments/world-series-vegas.html

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