KEVIN MCCOLGAN TAKES CASINO CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WIN IN EVENT #12 AT HARRAH

CHESTER, PA – Event #12, $345 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo, drew to an end late Monday, concluding the 2011-2012 Circuit Series at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The winner was Kevin McColgan, a 33-year-old poker pro from Douglasville, PA. For the win, McColgan earned $12,221 and his first-ever WSOP Circuit Gold Ring. In addition, with two previous final table finishes here at Harrah’s Philadelphia, McColgan edged out John Alfera for the title of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino Champion.

He will join 99 other WSOP Circuit qualifiers this July at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino to play for his share of a $1 million prize pool and a WSOP Bracelet, all in front of the ESPN spotlight.

Poker pro Bryan Devonshire also may very well see a place on a nationally-televised stage as his cash finish in this event put him at 117.5 total points, prime position for a seat to the National Championship. 

McColgan’s most recent win at Harrah’s Philadelphia comes off of the heels of an impressive victory at this year’s Chicago Classic $1k No-Limit-Hold’em Heads up event. The area local played poker online for a living before Black Friday and now begrudgingly travels across the border to Toronto for weeks at a time to continue his livelihood.

Hopefully, his Ring win will afford him the option to skip his next excursion across the northern border, and perhaps give him more time to invest in a project that is far dearer to his heart than poker.

McColgan and his wife started an annual charity event which they host at their home called Red Corner Benefit. Red Corner Benefit raises money for area kids who are battling cancer. Each year, they select a new kid to raise money for to assist with medical, travel and everyday expenses which can be devastating to the family of a child stricken with the unforgiving disease.

After the win, McColgan declined to talk about heads up play, final table strategy or event the WSOP National Championship. His focus was on Red Corner Benefit. “It’s a huge passion of ours,” said McColgan his voice nearly cracking as gestured to his heart.

Red Corner started as a simple house party a few years ago and since then has blossomed into an annual event. More information about Red Corner Benefit can be found at: http://www.redcornerbenefit.com/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/redcorner.benefit

Indeed, Harrah’s Philadelphia’s Casino Champion is truly a champion in every sense of the word. Come July, when he competes in July for his share of a $1 million prize pool, you can be certain that the children of Red Corner will not be far from his mind.

This concludes the WSOP Circuit Series at Harrah’s Philadelphia. The next and final stop of the WSOP Circuit Series is Harrah’s New Orleans, which begins May 10 and runs through May 21. You can find the full schedule of events here. You can find the complete 2011/2012 WSOP CIRCUIT SCHEDULE here.

MORE ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT AT HARRAH’S PHILADELPHIA

Harrah’s Philadelphia is a casino and racetrack located in Philadelphia, PA -- about 15 minutes south of Philadelphia International Airport. It is the 16th (of 17) WSOP Circuit host properties. Harrah’s New Orleans is the last remaining stop of the 2011-2012 WSOPC season.

This marks the second season that the WSOP Circuit has visited Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Harrah’s Philadelphia first opened in 2007, offering slot games and horse racing. Table games were introduced to the casino in 2010 after they were legalized by the state of Pennsylvania.

Harrah’s Philadelphia originally opened as Harrah’s Chester, but is currently in the process of rebranding itself as Harrah’s Philadelphia, which is expected to be complete on May 1st.

Harrah’s Philadelphia’s “12 Rings in 12 Days” series is taking place April 25-May 7.  Tournaments are held in the ballroom located on the second floor of the casino. Cash games can be found in the poker room next to the race book also located on the second floor.

Each Ring Event Final Table will be streamed live from the final table stage area in the ballroom. The live stream can be accessed at: http://www.wsop.com/2011/circuit/live-video/. Because final table start times are tentative, viewers should follow the WSOP on Twitter @wsop to be notified when live streams begin. 

Media Contact:

Alan Fowler

WSOP/Caesars Interactive Entertainment

afowler@caesars.com