Ten players took their seats at the final table of the Borgata Poker Summer Open Championship last week - the surviviors of a tournament characterized by aggressive play and chips firing back and forth across the table.

When it got to the final table, however, and over $500k was on the line, play tightened up, as life-changing prize money tends to bring out even in the best of players.

In the end, it was three experienced pros - Andrew "AK" Barta, Paul McCaffrey, and Hoa Minh Nguyen - battling for control, with Barta finally overcoming the other two for the win, the $513, 925 and the Tag Heuer watch for the Championship. Play route 66 poker.

All of the final three were quite pleased with the results nonetheless, with all of them having huge smiles on their faces as the poker tournament ended.

Said Barta, as he accepted his prize: "It is a great honor for me to win this Championship. This tournament is a hidden jewel in the poker world and I can't wait to play more tournaments at Borgata." Play $500 match poker bonus.

McCaffrey, a Boston native who took home $283,080 for second place, also chipped in:

"I am really thrilled right now. I just felt good playing here all week. There were times at the final table that I had lost most of my chips, but I was able to fight back. This tournament is structured in a way that good players & women poker pros really have the advantage."

Nguyen took home $137,327 for his third place finish.

Stan Strickland, Director of Poker Operations, commented after the event he also was happy with the results:

"Borgata is pleased with the overwhelming response for the second annual Borgata Summer Open, further establishing Borgata as THE place to play poker on the East Coast. The Championship Event was a record-breaking event with the largest field ever in Atlantic City to participate in a $5,000 event." Download poker wallpapers.

Poker News Source: Poker Listings