Rivers Casino Schenectady crowns champion of Capital Region Classic

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady today announced that the second installment of the wildly popular $100,000 Guaranteed Capital Region Classic drew 733 entries to the Rivers Casino Event Center, generating a prize pool of $181,565.

Shaun Deeb of Wynantskill, New York, went home with the Capital Region Classic trophy, as well as $36,559 in winnings for securing the top spot in the five-day, no limit Texas Hold'em tournament.

Deeb walked away the tournament champion after the top three players struck a deal early Monday morning. Michael Lynch of Staten Island, New York, walked away with $20,600 for his second-place finish, and Keith Pierce, of Valatie, New York, went home with $19,600 for his third-place finish. The remainder of the prize pool was divided among the top 80 players.

"With the recent visit of Poker Night in America and some of the biggest players in the world, Rivers has had an amazing week of poker," said Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady General Manager Mary Cheeks. "Our amazing poker room team has really outdone themselves and brought the poker community a first-class experience."

The Capital Region Classic was preceded by the taping of the nationally televised Poker Night in America. Poker greats Phil Hellmuth, Doug Polk, Daniel Cates and Frank Kassela competed in two days of heads-up, no-limit Texas Hold'em action from the Van Slyck's entertainment lounge off of the Rivers gaming floor. Phil Hellmuth took home the first-ever King of the Hill belt and $200,000 after a dramatic comeback against Daniel Cates that captured the attention of the worldwide poker community.

To learn more about Rivers Casino & Resort, including daily poker room promotions and tournaments, visit the website.