New Jersey Man Beats The Field at Borgata Poker Open

2006 Borgata Poker Open
World Poker Tour (WPT)
Season 5 Tournament Report
Event #8
$2,500 Buy-in
No Limit Hold'em

NEW JERSEY MAN BEATS THE FIELD AT
BORGATA POKER OPEN

UltimatePokerForum.com
The Ultimate Poker Site

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (September 14, 2006) - Event eight of Borgata’s 2006
Poker Open came to a conclusion late Wednesday night as Joseph Brooks of
Egg Harbor Township, NJ defeated poker great Lars Bonding for the title. The
field of 317 players in the $2,500 buy-in event included several of the biggest
names in poker, including former World Poker Tour Player of the Year, Eric “E-
Dog” Lindgren and Barry Greenstein. After surviving the fierce competition,
Brooks elevated his game in the final rounds and scored a big victory.

The crowd erupted when South Jersey local, Brooks, overcame a dangerously
short chip stack to defeat Bonding in head’s up action. Brooks was nearly
speechless after the event as the crowd continued to cheer. Brooks
commented, “Borgata is my ‘home turf.’ I was the underdog at a final table of
poker greats and it is difficult to explain how great it feels to win my first
major championship at the Borgata Poker Open. I really appreciate all the
fans and staff at the Event Center.” Brooks took home the biggest prize of
the 2006 Borgata Poker Open to date, collecting $241,713 and the Champion’
s Rolex watch from Bernie Robbins Fine Jewelry.

Bonding, who should feel little disappointment with his second-place finish,
collected $133,140 and third-place finisher Mike Gracz - one of the top
players in the world - took home $64,589 as payouts sky-rocketed for this
high buy-in event. Bonding said after the event, “I am happy for Joey; I had
most of the chips when we began head’s up, but he played great and won. I
am happy with my finish and look forward to coming back to Borgata.”

Fourth-place finisher, Padraig Parkinson of Ireland, collected $55,475 for his
efforts. Padraig is a fan favorite both in Europe and the US for his outgoing
personality and self deprecating humor. Parkinson was all smiles after the
tournament and had no regrets about his fourth place finish. Parkinson
commented, “Amongst Europeans, Borgata is known as the gold standard,
the best. I skipped a major European tournament to come to the Borgata
Poker Open and now I am sure it was a good decision. They treat people
right at Borgata.”

The first day of the five-day WPT Main Event begins this Friday at 11:00 a.m.
Plenty of fireworks are expected to light up the action as the best players
from all over the country try to take home the prestigious title and first-place
cash prize at this $10,000 buy-in event.

Poker greats Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari will host the WPT Kick-Off Party
at Mixx tonight. The evening will feature music by DJ Basara and a hosted bar
from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. In addition, attendees will be invited to step-up their
game with the pros themselves on PokerPro™, the revolutionary automated
poker table that merges the gap between online and live poker.

About Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM
MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM). Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it
features 2,000 guest rooms and suites, 161,000 square feet of gaming, 200
gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 14 destination restaurants, 11 retail
boutiques, a 54,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space, and
parking for 7,100 cars.

For more information on Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, visit www.theborgata.
com.

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