Tournament director Nolan Dalla addressed WSOP players today as he announced the unfortunate news that WSOP great John Bonetti had passed away this morning at his home in Texas. His death was not unexpected as he had been battling terminal health challenges for many years which had grown more and more sever in recent months. Bonetti was often known for swearing to much, berating players and dealers and for having an overall miserable persona at the table but, like a lot of poker players this was part act and he also as Hellmuth described it “wanted to win more than you, period!”. While he was not well liked by players who knew him only at the table, those who knew him off the table had a much different opinion. His career stats speak for themselves with three career bracelets, 19 WSOP final tables (including 3 Main Event final tables), had 32 career WSOP cashes and $1,743,993 in career WSOP winnings. He was a man who had the respect and friendship of many of poker’s most elite players who are now left mourning the death of their good friend. Our thoughts and condolence go out to his friends and family and to the man himself may he rest is peace.
Recent university of Toronto graduate Max Greenwood won the first WSOP bracelet of his career last night taking down 2008 WSOP Event 44 - $1K NLHE with rebuys. In doing so he picked up $693,444 top place prize money and also eliminated Denmark’s Rene Mouritsen once again as the runner up – Making three WSOP second place finishes in less than a years time. For more details read our 
The list of German bracelet winners continues to climb as early this morning Martin Klaser became the third native of Germany to win a bracelet at the 2008 Series alone. His victory came in 2008 WSOP Event 43 - $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo where he outlasted Erik Seidel, Michael Fetter and Casey Kastle to score his first career bracelet and the $216,249 top place prize money.
2008 WSOP Event 42 was one of the few events of the Series that had a special requirement to enter; this was the senior’s event so participants needed to be age 50 or older to enter. While this ruled out all the internet young-guns it still attracted an impressive 2,218 entrants including Men “The Master” Nguyen, Tom Franklin, Humberto Brenes, Chris Platt, Tom McEvoy, Paul “Eskimo” Clark, Mike Caro, Johnny Chan, Billy Baxter, and Amarillo Slim. In the end it was a retired member of the Lucas County Deputy Sheriff Department in Toledo, Ohio named Dan Lacourse who used skills he picked up from his time heading the polygraph examination team to win the event’s bracelet and the $368,832 top place prize money.
42 year-old retired software engineer Frank Gary has been traveling the country in his RV playing poker tournaments, after four WSOP circuit events his best cash came during a 19th place finish in Indiana, but last night his luck ran much further as he pulled the Bus up to the Rio walked in and took down the first WSOP bracelet of his Career. It was 2008 WSOP Event #41 $1500 buy-in Mixed Limit Holdem and in addition to the bracelet he scored himself $219,508 top place prize money.
Over 120 people are made winners of WSOP Event # 40 - $2,500 2-7 triple draw when John “The Razor” Phan captured his second WSOP title this week. Phan has been quoted as saying that poker’s all about karma, given his generosity with his winnings and the success he’s had so early in his career, one can’t help but to wonder if he may be on to something here.
David Woo won his first career WSOP bracelet last night taking down 2008 WSOP Event #39 - $1500 buy-in NLHE. When he started the final table he was near the middle of the pack, but just five hands into the night he eliminated Jim Paras and then went on to steam roll his way to the heads up match. When heads up play started Woo had a 5 to 3 chip lead over Matt Wood and in short fashion looked as if he would steam right past him as well. Wood did not go down without a valiant fight, but a couple hours into heads up play he ended up having to settle for second place and $389,844 prize money, as David Woo became the event’s champion earning $631,656 and the coveted gold bracelet.
Team Winamax player Davidi Kitai claims Belgium’s first WSOP title after a grueling five hour heads up battle in Event # 38 - $2,000 Pot Limit Hold Em. Davidi gained his momentum heads up when he trapped Chris Bell while holding a set of queens against Bell’s stone cold bluff. A while later Kitai captured the bracelet and the $244,546 top place prize money.
David Benyamine won the first WSOP bracelet of his career last night when he took down the $10K buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo Championship – Event #37. He had come close several other times this Series as this was his third final table and he also had a tenth place finish a night earlier. When he came into last nights event he was arguably the best player in poker to have never won a bracelet, while getting that monkey off his back he picked up $535,687 top place prize money brining his total 2008 WSOP winnings to $941,652.
Jesper Hougaard was inspired to a poker career after Gus Hansen’s success helped poker explode in Denmark, and now he can call himself something the Great Dane cannot, a WSOP Champion. Last night Hougaard took down the $610,304 top place prize money and his first career bracelet by winning 2008 WSOP Event 36 - $1500 NLHE. For full details see our 
