diff --git a/lib/SlackBot.js b/lib/SlackBot.js
index 33e34044c..acd694249 100755
--- a/lib/SlackBot.js
+++ b/lib/SlackBot.js
@@ -416,6 +416,9 @@ function Slackbot(configuration) {
 
         slack_botkit.log('** Setting up custom handlers for processing Slack messages');
         slack_botkit.on('message_received', function(bot, message) {
+            var mentionSyntax = '<@' + bot.identity.id + '(\\|' + bot.identity.name.replace('.', '\\.') + ')?>';
+            var mention = new RegExp(mentionSyntax, 'i');
+            var direct_mention = new RegExp('^' + mentionSyntax, 'i');
 
 
             if (message.ok != undefined) {
@@ -463,7 +466,6 @@ function Slackbot(configuration) {
                     }
 
                     // remove direct mention so the handler doesn't have to deal with it
-                    var direct_mention = new RegExp('^\<\@' + bot.identity.id + '\>', 'i');
                     message.text = message.text.replace(direct_mention, '')
                     .replace(/^\s+/, '').replace(/^\:\s+/, '').replace(/^\s+/, '');
 
@@ -481,9 +483,6 @@ function Slackbot(configuration) {
                         return false;
                     }
 
-                    var direct_mention = new RegExp('^\<\@' + bot.identity.id + '\>', 'i');
-                    var mention = new RegExp('\<\@' + bot.identity.id + '\>', 'i');
-
                     if (message.text.match(direct_mention)) {
                         // this is a direct mention
                         message.text = message.text.replace(direct_mention, '')