Team PokerBlue Co-Captain Yosh Nakano Wins $500K Intercontinental Poker Championship

Team PokerBlue Co-Captain Yosh Nakano Wins $500K Intercontinental Poker Championship

Watch Japan's Nakano Outgun Australia's Tony Guoga in Tomorrow's Intercontinental Tourny Final on CBS-TV

LOS ANGELES, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- When CBS Sports airs its final one- hour segment of the International Poker Championship (IPC) on Saturday, July 22, at 2pm (pacific) -- Japan's Yosh Nakano will be the last player standing.

En route to the title and the $350K first-place money -- Nakano bested some of the biggest names in poker. The No-Limit Texas Hold'Em competition featured 21 world-class players from 21 different countries. Seated at the final table with Australia's Tony Guoga, Nakano took a "best of three head's up game" to take the championship. Runner-up Guoga walked away with $150K. Other notable IPG competitors included -- Doyle Brunson (USA), Daniel Negreanu (Canada), Johnny Chan (China), Sam Farha (Lebanon), and Hasan Habib (Pakistan).

"Winning is always a rush ... no matter how much I win. But winning this Championship -- against such a cutthroat international field -- is a huge rush that not many people in the world will ever experience," said a smiling and exhilarated Nakano.

A world-ranked player and Co-Captain of Team PokerBlue, Nakano is widely regarded as Southern California's high-limit impresario. He is currently in Las Vegas where he will lead Team Poker Blue's all-star line-up in a calculated bid to win the 2006 World Series of Poker, which begins July 28. The Team PokerBlue format improves WSOP "to cash" odds from 800-1 to 1-3 favorite; and improves odds to share in the estimated $10 million first place prize from 8000-1 to 308-1.

Team PokerBlue is comprised of 26 players -- each of whom own a 1% share in each of their teammates. Team members include poker heavyweights Ted Forrest (Co-Captain), Gank, Don Zewin, and Thor Hansen.

PokerBlue.com is a premiere Internet poker web site, developed by players for players. PokerBlue.com made a splash with its launch during the July 2005 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Visit http://www.pokerblue.com/ for more information.

Source: PokerBlue.com

CONTACT: Jim Bardwil, Principal Consultant for AMBITIONGROUP,
+1-310-829-1617, +1-310-415-1554 mobile

Web site: http://www.pokerblue.com/

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