Irish Open 2008 - Day 3 & 4
Alas, it wasn't to be for the sole remaining Blue Square Qualifier Lam Trinh. He started the day well enough and soon found himself on the TV table where it was hoped he would be auditioning for a role in the Monday final. Instead he was caught in the glare of the spotlights and found himself making a brave call with A9 to a big all in realise, only to find himself staring at a dominating AK that took him out of the tournament in 31st position for a €13,000 prize.
Other favourites at the start of Day 3 such as Conor Tate, Padraig Parkinson, and Julian Thew fell by the wayside as the tournament progressed into the evening and a familiar face began to take charge on the TV table. Modest Londoner Neil Channing considers himself a cash game specialist but had been having some good form in tournaments over the last 6 months or so. Here he showed that the form was no fluke by dominating the late stages to emerge as chip leader of the Final Table of six players with over 40% of the chips in play!
Many considered the Bank Holiday Monday Final Table to be something of a formality despite the cruel un-predictability of poker, but for once that wasn't far from the case. Edwin Tournier was busted in 6th place after just 3 hands, and when Channing took out Kai Paulsen in a massive pot not long later he had amassed over half of the total chips. Donal Norton was his only real challenger as the remaining two challengers failed to increase their short stacks and eventually succumbed to leave Neil Channing and the Dublin crowds’ choice Donal to do battle for the €800,000 winners’ cheque.
As expected Channing kept the pressure on his opponent, winning many points without a showdown with well timed raises and re-raises. Finally a Norten all in preflop with 55 was called by Channing with A9 who hit extra aces on both the flop and river to secure the title. Despite defeating an Irishman in his home country Neil was still a popular winner and we look forward to seeing the GUKPT regular at more events to come.
Jamie Reeve
Monday 21st January
Irish Open 2008: Day 2
The Day 1 tournament poker action may have finished but the hotel activity certainly stayed lively long into the night on Easter Friday. Having been crammed into the small bar next to the poker room all day due to religious drinking restrictions, the flood gates opened after midnight and the main bar was heaving long into the early hours as though there had been a month long Guiness drought!
Blue Square online survivors Sean Memory and Greig Crawford joined me, Blue Square pros Karl and Praz, along with recent GUKPT Champion Jeff Kimber for some late night hospitality. An excitable chap who I recall having the moniker "crazy" in his name somewhere was running around the bar encouraging everyone to take part in impromptu card related betting games. I've no idea what was going on but won €100 so wasn't going to complain! It probably wasn't the best Day 2 preparation for Sean and Greig but you can't come to Dublin and not get involved in the craic.
When play got underway at 2pm on Saturday afternoon we were treated to the first full use of the feature TV table that had been tested during Day 1. Doyle Brunson was predictably amongst the first group of players to be placed in front of the lens, although the table was switched at intervals so we also got to see Irish heroes Conor Tate and Padraig Parkinson in action later on. Impressively the edited action was broadcast to the nation on RTE2 later that night, as will the final two days of the event.
Unfortunately the Blue Square qualifiers struggled during Day 2 with many exiting during the first couple of hours. Roberto Romanello and Sean Memory were particularly difficult to console having managed to build up nicely early on before crashing out in big pots. Greig Crawford, one of the smallest stacks to make it through, battled heroically past the dinner break before cruelly having his AJ cracked by AT when a ten hit the turn in a pot which could have moved him into the above average confort zone.
There is however one ray of light remaining in the form of Lam Trinh. I don't think he could have spent more than a couple of continuous minutes in his chair all day as he was constantly jumping up to check out the other tables or chat to the rail, but this certainly didn't seem to affect his concentration. A formidable pyramid of chips was never dented and indeed grew in the final hours of the day meaning he will come back for Day 3 in 5th position of the remaining 52 players with over 260,000 chips.
Other notable players still in contention are GUKPT Champions Julian Thew and Maz Nawab, online prodigy Sorel Mizzi, and Uncover Poker founder Conor Tate. Today we play down to a final table with all 52 players knowing they are in touching distance of the massive 800,000 1st Prize. It should be an interesting Day 3.
Jamie Reeve
Irish Open 2008
Last year the Irish Open was held in a big hotel in the centre of Dublin where over 700 poker players packed their ballroom. It seems nowhere in the capital was quite big enough this year so we find ourselves 10 miles into the country at an enormous leisure complex called the City West which is famed for it's two exceptional golf courses on site.
Blue Square Poker was proud to have 19 representatives taking part in the 4500 main event having qualified online, who were also joined by 75% of our sponsored player team in the forms of Mickey Wernick, Karl Mahrenholz, and Praz Bansi. The event turned out to be great value for all involved as sponsors Paddy Power were required to add over 200,000 to the Prize Pool after their ambitious 3m guarantee was not reached.
Things did not go to plan for the sponsored pros as they all struggled to get going and were eliminated fairly early in their assault on the 800,000 1st Prize. However the online qualifiers have performed exceptionally with 8 of the 19 who started making it through to Day 2 which restarts at 2pm today.
Special note goes to Sean Memory who patiently nursed his stack all day long without straying far from the 10,000 chips he started with. However on the final level his patience was rewarded with a welcome double up putting him right in contention with over 26,000. Welsh chatterbox Roberto Romanello also performed admirably to come back from a bad beat leaving him with only 3,000 chips late in the evening - finishing the day with just under 24,000.
The full list of remaining players are as follows:
Nicholas "therock1972" Romanello 37,800
Lam "lambor1" Trinh 33,600
Sean "looleebell" Memory 26,675
Roberto "Pokaroma" Romanello 23,975
Gary "gmunee" Shaw 15,525
Daniel "1shotgun" Walley 12,800
Greig "BeanFlicker69" Crawford 7,250
Ryan "soundaffects" Fronda 4,625
257 players in total will be returning today and a few familiar names are heading up the leaderboard. GUKPT winner Mazhar Nawab and the popular Conor Tate from Northern Ireland are both in the Top 10, closely followed by internet supremo Sorel Mizzi and the legend himself Mr Doyle Brunson.
Check back tomorrow to find out if our online qualifiers have managed to topple the big names pros and make it through to Day 3.
Jamie Reeve
Monday 21st January
 |
|
About Blue Square
Contact us
Extra Time
Security
Responsible Gaming
|
|
| Jobs at Blue Square Terms & Conditions Affiliate programme | |
      |
|
Rank.com Copyright © Blue Square Online poker - Sports Betting - Gambling
| |
|
|
|
Blue Square encourages responsible gaming, for further details go to gambleaware.co.uk Visit Bingo Universal, our new bingo website for Spanish players |
|
|
|