Jason Gladden Wins Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
Three Finalists Chop-Up Prize Money at Late Hour as Mississippi Poker Player Gets Credit for His First Major Tournament Victory
New Orleans, LA - The fifth event on the 2008 Bayou Poker Challenge schedule was completed today as Jason Gladden won the $500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha competition. The tournament was hosted by the Harrahs New Orleans Casino and Resort. First place officially paid $25,099. Gladden was also presented with a gold ring, presented to all World Series of Poker Circuit winners here in New Orleans.
The tournament began with 44 entries. There were also 71 re-buys, creating a prize pool totaling $55,775. Only the top five finishers received payouts. The surviving five players took their seats at the final table with Ricky Byrd in the chip lead with 69,400. Doug Saidenberg was in second place with 53,600 in chips. The exact starting chip counts were as follows:
Seat 1: Michael 'Car Wash' Schneider 10,300
Seat 2: Ricky Byrd 69,400
Seat 3: Jody Simon 33,000
Seat 4: Jason Gladden 50,000
Seat 5: Doug Saidenberg 53,600
Ten players started play at the final table. However, since only the top five were paid, hands were recorded in bust-out order. The order of eliminations went as follows:
5th Place - Just a few hands into play, Doug Saidenberg seized the chip lead. That lead would be temporary. Saidenberg lost two-thirds of his stack when Ricky Byrd completed a wrap-around draw with both straight and flush possibilities. Byrd moved all-in with his huge draw and completed a jack-high straight which scooped the monster-sized pot and gave him about 90,000 in his stack. However, Saidenberg spent the next hour clawing and scratching his way back to the 50,000 mark.
Meanwhile, Michael 'Car Wash' Schneider got waxed. He survived one all-in moment but finally went out holding A-A-Q-7 against Saidenberg's K-9-8-8. Saidenberg made a full-house on the hand (queens full of eights), which resulted in Schneider's elimination. The 41-year-old poker player from Covington, GA scooped up $2,789 for fifth place. At least I did not bubble in this event,' he joked afterward, referring to his two previous one-spot out-of-the-money finishes the last two years playing P.L.O. in New Orleans. Note: This was Schneider's sixth WSOP Circuit cash. His best finish was third place at an event held last year at Caesars Indiana.
4th Place - Down to four-handed, Saidenberg ran cold for a half hour before busting out in fourth place. The 23-year-old New Yorker was knocked out when his A-K-J-5 lost to Jason Gladden's A-8-4-2 to a final board showing 6-5-2-4-9. Gladden made two small pair, but that was enough to take down the big pot. Saidenberg had to settle for fourth place, which paid $5,578. Note: This was Saidenberg's first-ever cash in a WSOP-related event.
3rd Place - Gladden enjoyed a slight chip lead when play started at three-handed. The three remaining players played for about an hour before they made a financial arrangement at 3 am. They agreed to split the remaining prize money. For purposes of reporting tournament results, hands were properly dealt out and an official order of finish resulted in Ricky Byrd taking third place. His official payout amounted to $8,366. Note: This was Byrd's fifth time to cash in a WSOP event. Previously, his best finish was fifth place last year at the Tunica Grand WSOP Circuit series.
2nd Place - Second place went to Jody Simon, from Houston. The auctioneer officially collected $13,944. Note: This was Simon's second time to cash in a WSOP-related event. He finished in-the-money at the 2005 WSOP in Las Vegas.
1st Place - The official winner was Jason Gladden, from Ocean Springs, MS. He is a 31-year-old poker player. This was Gladden's first time ever to cash at a WSOP Circuit event, although he has cashed three times at various poker tournaments this year located throughout the South.
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