WSOP Event #43

World Series of Poker Event #43, Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split, 24-26 June 2008

Entrants: 720
Buy in: $1,500
Prize pool: $982,800

Final results:

1. Martin Klaser, $216,249

2. Casey Kastle, $137,985

3. Michael Fetter, $83,538

4. Erik Seidel, $68,304

5. Jon Maren, $56,019

6. Chad Burum, $44,226

7. Joseph Haddad, $34,398

8. Larry Wright, $27,027

9. Tom Chambers, $19,656

The $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split championship (Event #43) attracted 720 entries, creating a prize pool totaling $982,800. The top 72 finishers collected prize money.

This was the largest event of its kind in poker history. The turnout topped last year’s number of entries (687) by five percent.

The 2008 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split champion is Martin Klaser, from Rheinbach, Germany. He is a 21-year-old student, and aspiring professional poker player. Klaser has played previously in some European poker events.

Klaser turned 21 in April, 2008. At age 21 years and four months, he ranks as one of the youngest WSOP gold bracelet winners in history. However, at least five winners were younger than Klaser at their time of victory.

Klaser won $216,249 for first place. This was Klaser’s first year to play at the WSOP (due to his age). This was only his third WSOP tournament entry.

Klaser becomes the third German national to win at the WSOP this year. He also becomes only the seventh German ever to win a gold bracelet, following Matthias Rohnacher (1997), Eddy Scharf (with two wins, in 2001 and 2003), Michael Keiner (2007), Katja Thater (2007), Jen Voertmann (2008), and Sebastian Ruthenburg (2008).

Erik Seidel just missed winning what would have been his ninth WSOP gold bracelet, ending up as the fourth-place finisher. A victory would have placed him into near-contention with the so-called “big three” – the trio which includes Phil Hellmuth (11 wins), Johnny Chan (10 wins), and Doyle Brunson (10 wins). As it stands, Seidel remains with eight WSOP triumphs.

With his cash in this event, Erik Seidel now has 52 in-the-money finishes in his WSOP career, which ranks him sixth on the all-time list.

With his cash in this event, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson now has 56 in-the-money finishes in his WSOP career, which ranks him tied for third on the all-time list.

Nikolay Evdakov, from Moscow, Russia is the only player at this year’s WSOP who has cashed seven times – just one off the all-time record mark. Evdakov is positioned to break the record set for “Most WSOP Cashes in a Single Year,” shared by five players — Michael Binger (2007), Chad Brown (2007), Phil Hellmuth (2006), Richard Tatalovich (2006), and Humberto Brenes (2006), with eight.

All WSOP images are supplied by “IMPDI for the 2008 WSOP”