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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The biggest $5,000 buy-in tournament in the history of Atlantic City got underway this weekend at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. The field started with 337 players making for a $1,685,000 prize-pool with over $500,000 for first place. Players came from all over the East Coast to play this tournament, and some players even flew back from the WSOP in Las Vegas. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070313/NYTU119LOGO ) Matthew Stout, one of the top Internet players in the world, ended play on Sunday night with one of the largest chip stacks. "I flew to Borgata from the WSOP just a few hours before the tournament started, because I could not miss this. There is no other tournament structured like this in the country (each player getting $50k in chips). This really allows great poker to be played; whoever wins this is really going to have to win, not just get lucky." Notable players in the event include top pro Steve Dannenman, AKA Barta, who made the final table of the 2005 U.S. Poker Championship; "Little Man" Mike Sica, the winner of a World Series of Poker Bracelet; and a local New Brunswick, NJ, native. Other notable players who were part of the field include, Louie Espositio, Paul McCaffrey, Joe Simmons, and Shawn Chaconoas to name a few. The second day of the tournament resumed on Sunday with 253 still remaining, but by the end of the night, only 88 players remained for the start of Day 3. Play finished at 2:00 am on Sunday, Day 3 of the Championship tournament. Leading the way is D.J. Whorley, but the competition remains neck to neck, with several players ready to overtake the lead and win the half- million dollar first prize. The field resumed play on Tuesday at 11am for the final table. The players at the final table are: Last Name First Name Town Chip Count WHORLEY DAJUAN RAYSHAWN ACCOKEEK MD $3,553,000 MCCAFFREY PAUL S BOSTON MA $3,136,000 ARRIGONI THOMAS KILLINGWORTH CT $2,581,000 SANTILLI ROBERT JACKSON NJ $1,846,000 KIARASH KIAN NEW YORK NY $1,526,000 BARTA BALINT CLIFTON NJ $1,452,000 NAIDRICH MICHAEL WEST WINDSOR NJ $977,000 FAIVUSH ALBERT JERICHO NY $897,000 MCDONALD RONALD FORT VALLEY VA $802,000 NGUYEN HOA MINH FAIRFAX VA $377,000 Players and fans can follow the action on the ACTV Blog, which features live updates and commentary on the tournament's most notable hands, at http://www.theborgata.com/ and http://www.cityatlantic.com/. On-site registration for all Borgata Summer Poker Open events is in the Borgata Poker Room, where all tournaments will take place. To view the complete event schedule visit http://www.theborgata.com/. 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, 12 destination restaurants, 12 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/. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070313/NYTU119LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa CONTACT: Noel Stevenson of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, +1-609-317-7380, or Web site: http://www.theborgata.com/ http://www.cityatlantic.com/ http://www.boydgaming.com/ http://www.mgmmirage.com/

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