PRNewswire/ — With the success of the 2006 Borgata Poker Open, he biggest poker tournament in Atlantic City’s history — and the debut of its new, 85-table room, the largest poker room in Atlantic City – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced it will kick off the New Year with the second annual Borgata Winter Open. The 14-day tournament will begin January 17, 2007, and will conclude with the Borgata Poker Classic, part of the World Poker Tour, on January 26-30, 2007.

The Borgata Winter Poker Open will mark the WPT’s sixth visit to Borgata. The most recent Borgata Poker Open in September drew a record 540 players with a prize pool over $5,000,000. A virtual who’s who of pokerstars, the tournament drew such competitors as Michael “The Grinder” Mizrahi, Shannon Shorr, Daniel Negreanu (2004 WPT Player of the Year and winner of the 2004 Borgata Poker Open), Phil “the Unabomber” Laak, Academy-Award nominee Jennifer Tilly, David Williams, Antonio Esfandiari, actress Shannon Elizabeth, David “the Dragon” Pham and Maciek “Michael” Gracz, all vying for the WPT title.

However, it was an up and coming amateur from North Carolina named Mark Newhouse, who captured the WPT title and the first-place prize of $1,519,020.

Last year also marked the debut of Borgata’s revamped 21,500 square-foot poker room, home to three anchor events: Borgata Winter Open/WPT Poker Classic, Borgata Summer Open and the WPT/Borgata Poker Open. The Borgata Poker Room now features an eighteen-table High Limit Room offering food service; a nine-table tournament area offering bleacher seating for tournament viewing that may be partitioned off as a “reserved” poker area; and a 58-table Main Poker Room offering live poker action.

The room is outfitted with over seventy plasma televisions and offers the largest variety of games and limits in Atlantic City.

“At Borgata, we strive to offer our poker players a full destination experience with A-list entertainment, exciting nightlife options, stellar dining, upscale accommodations, a robust poker program and above all, great service,” said Larry Mullin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata. “Borgata is excited to partner with the WPT once again to bring a world-class tournament to Atlantic City and offer our players a unique experience while they are here.”

Televised nationally on the Travel Channel and one of the premier stops on WORLD POKER TOUR’s 17-tournament tour, the Borgata Poker Classic will feature the world’s top poker players along with local fan favorites competing in No- Limit Texas Hold’em poker. The buy-in amount is $10,000.

Online reservations are available for Main Events by visiting theborgata.com. On-site registration for all events begins Friday, January 12, 2007, and will be available until January 29 at 2PM.

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