During this weekend's NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, David Oppenheim earned $75,000 for his fifth place finish after defeating numerous top players like Vanessa Selbst, Phil Laak and Kenny Tran, but astute observers may have noticed, despite his obvious qualifications, Oppenheim wasn't originally even scheduled to be at the NHPC and instead seemed to be filling in for an oddly absent Layne Flack.

At the time of the start of the event, rumors spread quickly as to where Layne was and what had happened (talk of accidents, drunk driving, etc.) but thankfully more concrete details have slowly begun to emerge, including an official statement which Layne himself released on Saturday.

"I attended the Draw Party at Pure on Friday night and then met with my brother, who had flown into Vegas for Heads Up. I was under the impression that I was to play in the last bracket the next evening at around 8 pm. I was pulled over for speeding and refused a breathalyzer test as I have been instructed to do. I have no idea why I was written a ticket for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. There were no emergency vehicles around, besides the police car. A test, given by the Las Vegas PD, later revealed that I had a blood alcohol content of zero. I also took a blood test, as I have nothing to hide. I was held for the mandatory six hours and released. I always go out of my way to not drink and drive. I regret that I was not able to play in NBC Heads Up and hope to be invited next year to play in this prestigious event."

Further details have not yet been released, however, it is known that Flack was charged with three misdemeanor charges at the time - Driving Under the Influence, Speeding, and Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle. Given the test results that Layne is now reporting, it appears quite likely that at least one of those three charges may soon go away.


Story by Mark Anderson