Casino tourney slots top players against each other

Observer Staff

3/8/2005 12:00:00 AM

Sanford resident Donald Popovich attributed divine intervention to his winning the Inaugural Presidents' Day Invitational Slot Tournament at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort.

"When I got the invitation card in the mail, the Lord was telling me something," he stated while he was waiting to be paid his $5,000 first place prize. "He knew I needed the money."

Over 100 of the casino's top slot players participated in the Feb. 21 tournament. Three groups played 10-minute morning and afternoon sessions in the Soaring Eagle Entertainment Hall. Popovich accumulated 40,029 points for the win.

"I really enjoyed this," he said. "This was the most friendly promotion I've seen at the casino in 10 years."

Popovich, a college football fan and part-time bookkeeper, said he is going to use some of his winnings to pay credit cards. He added his favorite machine at the Soaring Eagle is the nickel machine, "Trick or Treat."

"It's a five-max, five line machine that costs me $1.25 to pull, so it really isn't a nickel slot," he explained.

Mt. Pleasant's Judy Anderson finished in the tournament for $2,000 and Lawrence Patrick of Clarksville ended up third for $1,000.

The tournament paid 55 places-including $500 for 4th-10th; $300 for 11th-20th; $250 for 21st-30th; $150 for 31st-40th and $100 for 41st-55th.