2009 PaddyPower.com Irish Open

€3,500 Irish Open Main Event
Day: 1
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Event Info

2009 PaddyPower.com Irish Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
jx9x
Prize
€600,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€3,200
Prize Pool
€2,243,200
Entries
700
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
4,000
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Tureniec Chip Leader

[user46298]
[user46298]
It looks like the successful Swede Michael Tureniec is now leading the pack, with around 50,000 chips. Tablemate Paul Gourlay attributes his dominance to the fact that, "He's hit everything! He's had aces and kings a hundred times." Be that as it may, Tureniec is highly rated by his peers and was an EPT runner-up in 2008, with several other close-but-no-title results. Could this be his Irish Open?

Tags: Michael Tureniec

2007 Irish Open Champion Bites the Dust

[user46298]
[user46298]
Marty Smyth is out, having gotten into trouble with pocket jacks against the pocket aces of Yehong Luo. After a 10-high board with two spades fell, Smyth called a raise from Luo and the rest of his stack crossed the line on the {9-?} turn.

Luo, who recounted the hand for us, had around 20,000 at this point, and although his memory of the exact board cards was a little hazy, neighbor Jerome Bradpiece helped him out.

"You know the hand better than I do," laughed Luo.

"It's something to do when you don't get hands of your own," lamented Bradpiece, on a paltry 4,000.

Tags: Marty SmythYehong Luo

Curran Events

[user46392]
[user46392]
Jon Kalmar, up to a very healthy 28,000, called a 3,500 shove from Kevin Curran, and it was an easy double up for Curran.

Kalmar: {A-Hearts} {7-Hearts}
Curran: {A-Spades} {8-Diamonds}

Board: {8-Clubs} {9-Spades} {5-Clubs} {4-Hearts} {A-Diamonds}

Kalmar is still extremely comfortable on 24,500, though.

Flood Takes His Time

[user46392]
[user46392]
With the small Wall Of Railers still surrounding the table, Liam Flood raised to 950 in early position, only for Mihai Manole to reraise to a whopping 5,300. Flood went into the tank for some time. "I think you're ahead," he said eventually, but decided to dwell some more for good measure. Jamie Gold, not in the hand, apparently got bored at this point and bought the services of a masseuse. "Hi, I'm Jamie," he drawled and they shook hands before the lady began pummeling his shoulder muscles. At last, Flood gave it up and Manole took down the pot.

Chips/No Chips

[user46298]
[user46298]
Nick Gibson's final grain of rice has gone, and he's already happily installed in a cash game. John Kabbaj, too, has recently bitten the dust, and there's no sign of Jennifer Tilly.

Still in and not mentioned for a while, though:

Steven Devlin - 13,200
Richard Ashby - 21,000
Dewi James - 6,400
Ali Mallu - 17,000
Gary Clarke - 30,000
Ian Frazer - 12,000

Tags: Jennifer TillyNick Gibson

Lawless Accommodating

[user46298]
[user46298]
Mark Lawless gave his dwelling opponent a break after folding to a shove on the river of a {5-Clubs} {A-Hearts} {6-Hearts} {2-Hearts} {K-Clubs} board. He flipped his {A-Diamonds} {K-Hearts} and took the 16,000 pot of which his stack is now made of.

Lawless, incidentally, is wearing a grey hoody identical to many of the players here today. It says, bizarrely, "Last Man Standing" (a row of these side by side at a table instantly contradict each other) and represents his qualification from sponsor site Paddy Power.

This year they've got a huge last-longer prize going - €100,000 (divided into cash and buy-ins to other events). This has actually had a noticeable effect on the pace of Day One. If last year's carnage was a 10 on a scale from 1-10, then today has been only a 7.

There's a lot hinging on being the actual Last Man Standing and as the tournament progresses, expect some serious sweating from those who qualified online.

Chip Count Time

[user46392]
[user46392]
A selection from the currently non-dining half of the room.

Marc Goodwin: 7,000
David Docherty: 2,700
Julian Thew: 24,000
Nik Persaud: 17,000
Nicolas Levi: 12,000
Kara Scott: 15,200
John Tabatabai: 10,000
Mikael Johansson: 27,000
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