For Northern Michigan’s Pete Oppermann, his third time participating in the annual Boyne Thunder Poker Run, which happened last Saturday, in his 37-foot Outerlimits V-bottom definitely proved to be a charm. Not only did Speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden capture Oppermann, who was joined in the cockpit by his wife, Kelly, son, Spencer, and friends Steve and Emily Gagnon, Ron Doe and Seth-Doe Nymphie, taking flight in his his 37-footer, the well-known local optometrist earned $3,000 for having the best poker hand—a full house.

Welcome to Air Oppermann, the home of the full-house crew that came out of last weekend’s Boyne Thunder Poker Run with the winning hand (click image to enlarge). Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

“This was only my third time entering the event because in years past I was always just doing on-the-water help,” said Oppermann, who is one of the organizers of the event.

While Lake Michigan wasn’t nearly as rough for the run as it was last year, the unpredictable water still delivered plenty of liquid launch ramps.

Added Oppermann, “That photo (above) was from the morning. We only went higher in the afternoon.”

Look for a complete feature on the 2017 Boyne Thunder Poker Run in the July/August issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine. The May/June issue is live now and can be downloaded now at no charge by clicking here.

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