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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- It was electric inside the Event Center at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa on Thursday. The forty remaining players from Event 1 ($500 buy-in event) returned to battle. The field that began with 1,370 players had been whittled down to three. Tae Baik of Leonia, NJ, knocked out the remaining two players to capture the first title of the 2007 Winter Poker Open and the $152,960 in first place prize money. David Zhu of Scarbourough, Canada, was the second place finisher taking home $95,900. The third place finisher, Emad Alabsi of Wickliffe, Ohio takes home $58,225. Alabsi, who called himself the "The Beast" at the table, had a dominating table personality often singing for the table or laughing it up with the growing crowd. "I always have fun when I'm playing poker here; Borgata offers a great atmosphere to play in." Baik, who wore the perfect "poker face" throughout the tournament, was all smiles when he received his prize money and Tag Heuer purchased from Bernie Robbins Fine Jewelry, given to all main event winners throughout the Winter Poker Open. Baik commented, "I have played tournaments in Borgata's new poker room before, but this is my first victory in a tournament of this magnitude." Vinny Procopio, a constant fixture at Borgata events, was the seventh place finisher taking home $30,825. Procopio was enjoying his time at the final table and was pleased with his finish, inviting many of his poker friends to join him at his table at mur.mur this weekend. The $750 buy-in event featured juicy poker action from the aggressive field. Players included Men "The Master" and Joseph Brooks, a winner at the 2006 Borgata Poker Open. The remaining 18 players return to Borgata Event Center on Friday to play for the championship and their piece of the $464,250 prize pool. There are 28 Super Satellites and Second Chance Tournaments remaining -- 28 opportunities to take as little as $120 and turn it into thousands. About Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE:MGM). Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it features 2,000 guest rooms and suites, 161,000 square feet of gaming, 200 gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 14 destination restaurants, 11 retail boutiques, a 54,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space, and parking for 7,100 cars. For more information on Borgata or to obtain a copy of this press release, please visit http://www.theborgata.com/ or use AOL keyword: borgata. Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at http://www.boydgaming.com/; additional information on MGM MIRAGE can be found at http://www.mgmmirage.com/. About WPTE WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 150 markets globally. With the WPT in its fifth season, WPTE has launched a second series on the Travel Channel, the Professional Poker Tour(TM), which focuses on the play of poker's leading stars. WPT also operates a real-money online gaming website, http://www.wptonline.com/, which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and other restricted jurisdictions. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to http://www.worldpokertour.com/. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: http://www.worldpokertour.com/media. (WPTEF) DATASOURCE: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa CONTACT: Noel Stevenson of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, +1-609-317-7380, Web site: http://www.theborgata.com/ http://www.boydgaming.com/ http://www.mgmmirage.com/ http://www.wptonline.com/ http://www.worldpokertour.com/

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