|
|
Tierman wins inaugural AmericaTab Handicapping Open The inaugural AmericaTab Handicapping Open Championship was completed Saturday and veteran horseplayer Dennis Tiernan took home the lucrative $60,000 grand prize. A four-time Las Vegas qualifier and a long-time AmericaTab member, Tiernan staged a dramatic comeback to take down the title over runner-up Allen Strahan. With four races to go in the 15-race contest, Strahan had more than a $50 lead based on $2 Win and Place mutuels. Then, in the 4TH race at Del Mar, Tiernan hit $44 winner My Dancen Diva. Strahan failed to cash and proceeded to drop 30 cents out of first place, behind Tiernan. In the next-to-last race of the tournament, Tiernan cashed for another $5 in winnings to extend and preserve his lead. His final bankroll of $166.20 was $5.30 best, giving him the title of 2005 AmericaTab Handicapping Open Champion. Runner-up Allen Strahan ($160.90) invested only $125 during the contest to qualify for the finals. His return for placing second was worth $18,000. He was followed by Patrick Gianforte ($145.50), David Sferra ($140.20), and Darrow Jones ($137.80), rounding out the top five. With a 100 percent payout structure, the top 30 finishers in the Open received cash prizes. "For only a $25 entry fee our members could qualify for racing's most lucrative online contest," said tournament director Rich Nilsen. "It took Dennis Tiernan only $375 (15 weekly entries) to qualify for the championship. The top two finishers invested only $500 combined and won over $80,000 in prize money." The Championship event was guaranteed by AmericaTab back in January to be a minimum of $100,000. With 221 finalists in the August 6 finals, it was racing's richest online handicapping tournament. During the 42 weeks of the AmericaTab Open, more than $164,210 was paid out in weekly cash prizes. Each week 40 percent of the pool was carried over to the Championship, which resulted in a total pool of $106,365 for the finals. Between the weekly prizes and the finals, a grand total of $270,575 was paid out based on the 100 percent payback structure. The next AmericaTab Handicapping Open is expected to begin in early October.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
