Brecher takes home WPT title

DUBLIN, Ireland -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Full Tilt Poker Pro Steve Brecher won first place at the 2009 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, taking home more than $1 million in prize money and his first WPT Championship title.

Brecher started the final table in third place, with over $2 million in chips and battled his way through the longest final table in WPT history - a record 319 hands dealt.

The key moment at the final table came during three-handed play, with Brecher all in pre-flop with A-Q versus Kathy Liebert's A-K. Though dominated, Brecher turned an Ace-high straight to win the pot and keep his championship hopes alive.

Entering heads-up play, Brecher held a better than 2-to-1 chip lead over Liebert, who would've been the first woman to win a WPT open tournament. The final hand came when Liebert's pre-flop raise met a re-raise from Brecher. Liebert called all-in with her remaining chips and showed Q-10 versus Brecher's A-9. The board fell 6-6-2-2-4, giving Brecher two pair with a better kicker and his first WPT Championship.

Brecher bested a field of 391 players, including several "Shooting Star" pros with $5K bounties on their heads.

This is Brecher's first major tournament victory. A former software programmer, his previous best finish came at the 2004 $25K WPT Championship, where he finished sixth for more than $225K in prize money. With this victory, Brecher also earns a seat at the 2009 $25K WPT Championship event.

To learn more about Steve Brecher, please visit www.fulltiltpoker.com.

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