Set to air on the Travel Channel this spring, the Borgata Winter Open/Borgata Poker Classic event will air on the Travel Channel and showcase its latest winner John “Johnny World” Hennigan. Making history with his $1.6 million win this week, Hennigan now joins Daniel Negreanu in an elite group of two who have won a World Poker Tour title, a World Series Of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet (Hennigan has won two), and the US Poker Championship.

“I’ve played a lot of poker tournaments; they’re exciting and brutal,” said Hennigan after winning the tournament at the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa in Atlantic City. “I’m completely in shock right now. I’ve won a few tournaments in the past, and it usually doesn’t sink in for the first couple hours. I’m just soaking it in. Two hours from now it will really hit me.”

Hennigan bested five other remaining players at the final table of the multi-day event. Coming in sixth place was John James, who was eliminated within minutes but still walked away with $276,935. The next player to exit the Final Table was Michael Sukonic of Warminster, PA, winning $332,322 for fifth place. Joseph Simmons, a Philadelphia native and former manager of the Grammy award-winning hip-hop group, The Roots, won $387,709 in fourth place. The British-born John Gale won $443,096 for his third place finish

Following the money presentation ceremony, the 2007 Borgata Winter Poker Open featured a heads-up match between a premier professional and an amateur tournament player. As play resumed, Hennigan was the favorite to beat Charles Kelley of Stanton, VA. Kelley, a retired stockbroker, made several runs for the chip lead, but in the end, it was “Johnny World’s” night.

Hennigan grew up in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. He started playing pool as a young man, and eventually moved to the professional ranks. “Johnny World,” who got his start playing poker with friends in the neighborhood, began playing professionally in Atlantic City.

The likes of Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu have commented that “Johnny World” is one of the best cash game players on the planet. Aside from his reputation in the cash games, Hennigan gained attention at the Final Table of the first-ever World Poker Tour televised event, where he finished fourth.

Entering the final day, the chip count broke down like this: Simmons sat atop the leader board with $5.5 Million in chips while Gale had $4.8 million in chips. Hennigan had $3.25 million chips while Chuck Kelley and Michael Sukonik have $1.6 and $1.3 million, respectively, in chips. Jon James had a short stack with just $535,000 in chips.

The first event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open was the largest poker tournament in Atlantic City’s history.  The $500 buy-in event began with 1,370 players vying for a top prize of $152,960, which was won by Tae Baik of Leonia, NJ. David Zhu of Scarbourough, Canada, was the second place finisher taking home $95,900. In third, Emad Alabsi of Wickliffe, Ohio, took home $58,225.

In other tournaments, the $1,500 buy-in event was won by Leonard Cortellino of Lewiston, ME, who took home $200,860 in first place prize money. Also, at a $2,500 buy-in event Jack Schanbacher of Pittsburgh, PA, won, taking home $192,975.

Jon “Pearljammed” Turner of Henderson, NV, finished third and took home $59,138. Turner is known as one of the top Internet players in the world and was disappointed with his finish. “I am still surprised at my last hand, and know I could have won this event,” he said.

Borgata is the preeminent casino hotel in Atlantic City and features 161,000 square feet of gaming, 200 gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 14 destination restaurants, 11 retail boutiques and a 54,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space. An expansion due at the end of the year will add another 800 hotel rooms spa and multiple indoor pools.