January 16 2004

The Oregon Poker Tour was up and running again. On this Friday night, eight OPT players gathered at the house of Co-founder Dugan for a chance to leave with real cash. Two newcomers walked into the game, both of which having already knew the game before they started playing. Would either of them take their first OPT win? To this point, 2003 Points Champion Luke Shortridge's poker games had been in a downward spiral, but would his luck change tonight? Josh Cowan, who finished in second place in the points standings in 2003, was looking to take his first victory in 2004. As it turned out, it would be a night of firsts for a few people.

The Winner ($19.00):

Co-founder Luke Shortridge

Luke finally took his first win of 2004, putting him ever so closer to returning to the top of the OPT's leader board. And with a larger second game on the way, Luke would be able to take first place in one night.

For the first time in a very long while, everyone who played in the first game participated in the second game. Plus, two more players arrived: Jeff Hartman and Ray Welch. Ray had recently turned into an online tournament player, but would those skill translate to an OPT game?

The Winner ($24.00):

Co-founder Tim Dugan

Dugan not only took his third game in as many weeks, becoming the first OPT player to do so this year, but also won his first multi-table tournament.

The OPT was finished for the night, having added $2 to the championship fund.