BY TOM SOMACH

Poker players from Israel and Bangladesh are among the latest winners at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas.

Rafi Amit, from Holon, Israel, has won WSOP Event #48, a $1,000 buy-in, 2-7 triple draw lowball tournament with rebuys.

The event had 209 entrants and a total prize pool of $755,000.

For his winning effort, the 27-year-old Amit takes home $227,005 worth of gelt.

Finishing in second was Leonard Martin, hometown unknown, who earns $128,120.

Finishing in 14th place and taking home $6,496 was poker pro and Christ lookalike Chris “Jesus” Ferguson of Pacific Palisades, Calif., USA.

The victory was the Israeli’s second WSOP championship gold bracelet.

At the 2005 WSOP, Amit won a $10,000 buy-in, pot-limit Omaha tournament.

In other just-completed action at this year’s WSOP, Saifuddin Alumad won Event #43, a $2,000 buy-in, limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with 472 participants and a total prize pool of $859,040.

Alumad, 59, originally from Bangladesh and now a resident of Newport Beach, Calif., USA, earns $217,329 for the victory.

Finishing second was Bill Jensen of College Park, Md., USA, who takes home $133,151.

Also playing in the tourney, but finishing out of the money, was Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss.

Later, WSOP Event #44, a $2,000 buy-in, Omaha high-low eight-or-better tournament with 534 entrants and a total prize pool of $971,880, was won by Frank O’Dell.

O’Dell, 35, of Denver, Colo., USA, earned $240,057 for the win.

The runnerup was Thang Luu of Las Vegas, Nev., USA, who took home $147,726.

Finishing fourth was flamboyant poker pro Marcel “The Flying Dutchman” Luske of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who earned a Dutch treat of $64,630.

Finishing fifth was Indonesian poker pro John Juanda, who picked up $9,719.

The win was the second gold championship WSOP bracelet for O’Dell.

He won a bracelet in an Omaha event at the 2003 WSOP.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)