The 2008 WSOP $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event

Labeled as Event 37 of the 39th Annual World Series of Poker, the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better poker tournament was well participated by some of the biggest and brightest names in the world of poker. From June 19 to 21, 2008, a total 235 exciting professional poker players suited up for this three-day display of scintillating poker skills and strategies. In the end, the participants were all battling for a huge prize pool valued at $2,209,000.

Because of the high-stakes involved, the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better was truly one of the grandest events lined up for the 39th Annual World Series of Poker. At the last day of the competition, only nine were able to qualify for the final table round of this exciting poker tournament. Among the most popular players of the game who reached this all-important part of the event were Eugene Katchalov, Mike Matusow, and David Benyamine. At the same time, key players such as Tony Ma, David Chiu, and Ram Vaswani were also present to compete for a prestigious WSOP title. The last three slots for the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better finals of the 39th Annual World Series of Poker belonged to Toto Leonidas, Jason Gray, and Greg Jamison.

From the tip-off rounds of the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better for the 39th Annual World Series of Poker, all the participants were very much optimistic to win this illustrious title. However, Ma failed to sustain the brilliant plays, strategies, and tactics of his fellow competitors, which consequently led to his landing at the ninth place for a prize of $55,225. The same fate also faced Chiu, as he went out of the championship race with an eighth place finish and a prize of $71,792. The opening rounds ended after Vaswani earned a seventh place finish, which came with a really nice prize of $88,360.

The middle rounds of the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better finals for the 39th Annual World Series of Poker were marked by one brilliant play after another. In the end, Katchalov landed at the sixth place that came with a hefty payout valued at $110,450. Soon enough, Matusow also fell out of the title contention with a fifth place finish and a large sum of $138,062. The middle parts of the competition ended after Leonidas snatched the fourth place for a hefty payout amounting to $171,197.

At the final rounds of the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better final table match for the 39th Annual World Series of Poker, the major protagonists were Benyamine, Gray, and Jamison. After these outstanding players exchanged some crucial plays and brilliant strategies, Benyamine knocked out his equally talented opponents for the victory. For his third place performance, Gray received a nice pay of $209,855, while Jamison got a much better reward of $331,350 for his astonishing second place finish. Benyamine's victory came with a considerable amount of cash valued at $535,687, as well as his very first WSOP championship bracelet after years of serious competitions.