Six avid poker players entered the Borgata Event Centre on September 19 and one left a champion in a competition that saw some of the most exciting play at the World Poker Tour (WPT) to date.
North Carolina's Mark Newhouse captured the title and first-place prize of $1,519,020, beating Chris McCormack in heads-up action. McCormack took home $802,985 for his second place finish. Newhouse, 21, and McCormack, 22, were the youngest players at the final table and Newhouse is the second youngest player to ever win a WPT Championship.
Newhouse, who won his seat to the final table by winning a $1,000 satellite, spoke of how McCormack forced him to adjust his strategy. 'On Monday, I used my monster chip stack to push the players around and knock them out,” explained Newhouuse. “I came to the final table with the same strategy. Chris played so well and matched my aggressive play, so I adjusted.'
McCormack was noticeably disappointed with his second place finish. “I have come close in past WPT tournaments, but this was the first televised final table and I expected to win,” he said. “But this was Mark's night.”
The 2006 Borgata Poker Open broke attendance records and rewarded more money than previous events. The action returns in January for the second annual Borgata Winter Open.
Six avid poker players entered the Borgata Event Centre on September 19 and one left a champion in a competition that saw some of the most exciting play at the World Poker Tour (WPT) to date.