Who is Eric Brooks? PokerListings.com Meets Very Generous Poker Champion at 2008 Series

Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles (PRWEB) June 11, 2008 -- Not Daniel Negreanu. Not Phil Ivey. Nor any other of the heavily favored poker legends who stepped to the felt for Event 14, the $10,000 World Championship of Seven-Card Stud, at the 2008 World Series of Poker* (http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/wsop) on Monday,

The new Stud World Champ is a 48-year-old business owner from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, named Eric Brooks, who not only stunned the elite field for the prestigious title and bracelet, stunned the poker media on hand by announcing he was donating all $415,856 of his first-place prize to charity.

The lucky beneficiary? The Decision Education Foundation, a charity based in Palo Alto, California. Its purpose? To instruct kids from kindergarten through to 12th grade in the fine art of better decision making.

Explained Brooks, in his exclusive PokerListings.com post-win interview (http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player-interviews/wsop/2008/interview-with-event-14-winner-eric-brooks): "I'm on the board of directors - actually Annie Duke is also on the board - and essentially what we do is work with schools and teachers instructing the science of decision making, which is something that has been taught since the early 1960s and 1970s at the university level.

"We're working with schools integrating the science of decision making and decision analytics so kids can grow up to be really good decision makers whether they are playing poker or deciding what they want to do with their life."

Showing he's one who practices what he preaches, Brooks also explained how solid decision making helped him to his title: "Hopefully I made good decisions. I really tried, but no matter what I certainly got a good outcome so I'm very pleased with what happened."

Also making good decisions and capturing a life-changing World Series bracelet on Day 12 was Vancouver native Duncan "Pumper" Bell, who had some good company at the final table for Event 13, $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - his friend and fellow Vancouverite Shawn Buchanan.

Said Bell in his exclusive PokerListings.com post-win interview (http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player-interviews/wsop/2008/pump-up-the-volume-duncan-bell-wins-event-13): "It was just super, the chances with the field being so big, and for two guys that are good friends who come from the same town, and to end up at the final table, it'll probably never happen again!"

Live 2008 WSOP* coverage continues daily at PokerListings.com with updates, blogs, player interviews and photos from all ongoing events, which on Wednesday includes the now-standard six events either playing down to their conclusions or firing up their first days.

Of particular note will be the final table of Event 18, $5,000 No-Limit Triple-Draw w/Rebuys, as it is sure to be packed with the biggest names in poker.

Leading the pack into Day 2 action of the event are a true "who's who," including Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Mike Matusow, Michael Binger, David Benyamine, Erick Lindgren, Nick Schulman and Phil Ivey - who, living up to his legend, spent $60,000 on his rebuys.

Live coverage is, as always, capped off by the PokerListings.com daily video recap (http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/wsop/2008/videos) with host Amy Macbride, bringing viewers up to speed on all the day's key hands, big winners and talking points.

Visit the PokerListings.com World Series coverage section (http://www.pokerlistings.com/live-tournaments/wsop) to access all features.

About PokerListings.com

PokerListings.com (http://www.pokerlistings.com) was launched in 2003 and quickly became the largest online poker guide in the world. It provides poker players with in-depth reviews of all major online poker rooms, the world's best sign-up bonuses and promotions, breaking poker news and detailed content on strategy, tours, tournaments and the game's best players. PokerListings.com also has the best live poker tournament reporting on the Web, with unrivaled year-round coverage from the World Series, the World Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour and more.

(*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ('Harrahs'). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.)

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