Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 14, 2005 -- Poker pros Steve Brecher and John Juanda each made a final table appearance at last week's United States Poker Championship at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.Brecher's third-place finish marks the fourth final-table appearance of his career, and his best overall showing in a major poker tournament. His performance earned him a total of $218,250, bringing his total poker winnings for the 2005 season to nearly $280,000. Prior to his United States Poker Championship performance, Brecher's best result came in the 2004 Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic/WPT Championship tournament where he finished sixth and earned $232,862.John Juanda's fifth-place finish at the United States Poker Championship marks his third final-table appearance of the 2005 season, and his second final table in the past two months. Juanda's $98,213 payday brings his yearly poker winnings to more than $586,000."Over the last two years, there are few poker players who have finished in the money at Championship events more than Steve Brecher," said fellow poker pro Howard Lederer. "One of those players is John Juanda, who might just have the best overall poker record in tournament play over the past five years."