Bodog Teams Up with Warped Tour

NEW JERSEY – (PRESS RELEASE) -– On a recent summer day outside of Philadelphia, in record-breaking heat, the 41st stop of the 2006 Vans Warped Tour took place and Bodog's high-class brand of gaming entertainment transported the Warped masses into another world. At the Tweeter Center in Camden, N.J., Bodog hosted the hottest after-hours party to hit Warped all summer.

Normally, when the crowds of fans leave the venue and the stages are broken down, musicians queue up awaiting the daily barbeque of hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies and beer for their nightly antics. Not this time. The Camden after show was not the typical dirty, hot, punk rock DIY panorama the Warped Tour bands and crew are used to. Camden was about Bodog and the Biggest Punk Rock Poker Tournament to ever hit the national touring circuit.

The artists and crew at Warped '06 walked into a Poker Palladium. Players were greeted at the door by a bounty of beautiful Bodog Girls who handed out goody bags filled with killer Bodog Merchandise. All who came sampled some delectable treats and hit the open bar. With drink in hand, players were escorted by the ladies to their table as the AC cranked and the sounds of DMC world champion and Bodog Music recording artist DJ Dopey (Dead Celebrity Status) pumped.

Attendees were dealt into the rock star game of choice, Texas Holdem on the 10 Bodog tables custom built for the event. An experienced team of dealers and tournament directors was on hand to make sure the 80 Sit-n-Go and tournament players were treated like poker pros.

Warped musicians showed up with a winner-takes-all attitude. They represented the following bands: Motion City Soundtrack, Silverstein, NOFX, Anti-Flag, Billy Talent, VAUX, and Bodog Music recording artists Britt Black, Dead Celebrity Status and The Vincent Black Shadow, to name a few. Artists played with several sponsors and tour personnel, including Steve Van Doren, the founder of the tour's title sponsor, Vans, and Warped Tour originator/director Kevin Lyman. Tables were full as all attempted to prove their poker skills.

In the end, Josh Bodwell, the guitarist for Split Fifty, reigned as the king of the Bodog Texas Holdem Warped Tour Poker Tournament '06. Bodwell took home the crystal tournament trophy and the grand prize of a 46-Inch Plasma TV and a custom Bodog poker table. " The Bodog table will be traveling on tour with me, and the TV will be in the living room," he said.

Also snagging a prize was Chris Kirkham, bassist for Bodog Music's The Vincent Black Shadow. Kirkham finished as the chip leader at the Sit-n-Go Poker Table and walked away with a Bodog-branded Sony Cybershot T-5 digital still camera.

During the action at the tables, the room was flooded with players, spectators, and those who enjoyed the open bar and never-ending buffet. Bodog chips flew across the table and when Lyman went all-in during tournament play, tensions rose. As players were eliminated, crowds grew larger, antis were raised and stakes got higher. One by one, the mighty fell. And the heavy hitters were the only ones left in the late rounds.

Joining Bodwell at the final table were nine other men: Jay Martin (TAT), Marc Namm (Bodog Music Director of Viral Marketing), Syd Suntha (Adair), Yas Talaat (Dead Celebrity Status), Jonathan Gallant (Billy Talent), John Bush (NOFX), Quentin Smith, (Vaux), Billy Hamilton (Silverstein) and Mike Daher (Vans). The excitement was uncontainable as the final table was surrounded by a mob of crazed tournament-goers who raised their voices and glasses in tandem, bringing forth a rumble that rivaled the stage-goers earlier in the day.

Although all the players crouched around their piles of chips in hopes of victory, it was Bodwell whose stack continued to grow and grow as the final table progressed. After his victory, he exclaimed, " I can't believe how awesome it was for Bodog to put on the game. It was one of the most fun moments for me on Warped Tour this year. Not just for me but for all the other bands. We all had a really good time."

And that is the buzz: The Bodog Texas Holdem Warped Tour Poker Tournament was one intensely amazing event. An experience only Bodog.com can provide. See You Next Year Warped Tour, Be Prepared