From the moment the first cards were dealt at the 2008 World Series of Poker* to the final days of the Main Event, Team Bodog enjoyed a terrific run this summer in Las Vegas. And tonight, poker fans will be able to see one of Bodog's very own capture the ultimate prize, a WSOP* bracelet, when ESPN airs its coverage of Event No. 2 ($1,500 buy-in No Limit Holdem). The two-hour, final table coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET.
During tonight's ESPN broadcast, viewers will witness Team Bodog player Grant Hinkle, a 27-year-old marketing manager from Kansas City, Mo., bust a talented final table featuring poker legend Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, young gun Theo Tran and tournament ace David Bach. Along with his impressive victory in an event that drew 3,929 players, the largest non-Main Event field in WSOP* history, Hinkle took home a life-changing $831,462.
Hinkle's early bracelet win proved to be momentous for Team Bodog. Just a day later, the team was back in the spotlight with Bodog pros David Williams and Justin Bonomo seated side by side at the final table for Event No. 4 ($5,000 buy-in Mixed Holdem). With an all-pro final nine, including 2008 WSOP* Player of the Year Erick Lindgren, this will be one to watch when it airs on ESPN on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 8 p.m. ET.
Like Williams and Bonomo, Team Bodog pros Jean-Robert Bellande and Evelyn Ng also found great success at the tables this summer. In the final tournament before the Main Event, Bellande racked up a second place finish to pocket $173,564 and Ng saw herself cashing in two events this summer including an impressive deep run in the Main Event. All together, Team Bodog pros and qualifiers walked away with a combined total of $1,629,767 in winnings from the World Series in Las Vegas.
"We are extremely proud of our Team Bodog pros and qualifiers for their successes at this year's World Series," said Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. "The WSOP* has been very good to Bodog players for several years now, including a Main Event win in 2006 and a number of bracelet titles. We expect to see even more success at the WSOP Europe this September and across the globe at WPT, EPT and APT events throughout the year."
Regardless of how they fared at the tables, no Team Bodog qualifer walked away empty-handed as everyone donning the black and red of Bodog was treated to an unparalleled VIP experience the moment they touched down in Las Vegas. From an exclusive party at The Palms Hardwood Fantasy Suite filled to the rim with Bodog Girls to private helicopter excursions to the Grand Canyon and an adrenaline-filled day at the racetrack driving high-performance Corvettes, Bodog's WSOP qualifiers experienced Las Vegas like no one else - in total Bodog style.
The World Series in Las Vegas is just one of a number of tournaments held around the world that poker players can win seats to for as little as $1 at Bodog every week. From the Asian Poker Tour in Macau this August, to the WSOP Europe in London this September and WPT events across North America, Bodog's Player's Choice packages give winners the chance to compete for millions of dollars while experiencing some of the most exciting and exotic locations in the world as only Team Bodog members do.
