[user46298]
The 2009 Irish Open has dropped 692 players, leaving just eight remaining to take their seats on the lights-camera-action TV stage. In commanding shape is Canadian Andrew Pantling on 2.286 million chips. Used to heading the pack in this tournament, Pantling has been on-and-off chip leader throughout all three days and now has more than double the next stacks. Those are bunched tightly together -- Lee Brooke-Pearce, Atanas Gueorguiev and Christer Johansson just shy of a million apiece.
Also making a final table appearance is British-Canadian dual citizen Kara Scott, making the total of Canadians in the final 1.5. Expect fireworks when the players retake their seats (which will be in about half an hour's time).
In seat order, with counts, the final looks like:
Lee Brooke-Pearce - 998,000
Andrew Pantling - 2,286,000
Andy Bradshaw - 351,000
Kara Scott - 701,000
William Kassouf - 569,000
Bradley Verburg - 217,000
Christer Johansson - 906,000
Atanas Gueorguiev - 990,000
[user46392]
Not here
Andy Bradshaw -- who actually managed not to sign for his chips yesterday as he wandered off as soon as play was over, and despite numerous announcements pleading with him to come back to the table absolutely failed to do so -- has now gone AWOL again.
"Andy Bradshaw, please come to final table," the TD is sighing, the rest of our finalists already seated at the feature table. "We're just missing Andy Bradshaw."
[user46392]
Mr Bradshaw has finally arrived, and it looks as though we will be kicking off as soon as the TV crew have finished zooming in and out and doing various other TV crew things. Please stand by...
[user46392]
Very first hand, Andy Bradshaw raised and it folded around to Atanas Gueorguiev, who reraised all in. Bradshaw called all in, and then wandered off to chat with some people at the rail.
Bradshaw:
Gueorguiev:
Board:
Thus we lose our first runner, and we continue seven-handed.
[user46298]
Moments after Andy Bradshaw's exit, another short stack declared himself all in preflop. It was Bradley Verburg, and he was being stared at by chip leader Andrew Pantling. Pantling made the call with and found himself up against the of the all-in player.
The board came , pairing Pantling's jack and busting Verburg.
At this point, someone on the rail could be heard saying, "This is all gonna be over in two hours!"
[user46392]
Scott: busy
Kara Scott raised under the gun, and then stared resolutely down at the table. Everyone passed and she grinned widely as she raked in the blinds.
The next hand, Christer Johansson raised and found a caller in Lee Brooke-Pearce on the button. Small blind Pantling passed, but on the big blind, Kara Scott moved all in. Once again, she stared down at the felt. She has some serious respect at this final table, though -- both players passed and she picked up a chunky pot.
[user46392]
A curious hand between the chip leader Andrew Pantling and dweller extraordinaire William Kassouf.
Pantling raised from the cutoff (he'd raised the button the previous hand and received no callers), and Kassouf thought about it for a while, blinking rapidly, and then called.
Flop:
Kassouf checked, and then called a big bet from Pantling.
Turn:
Pantling announced, "All in", and Kassouf went into the tank. He checked his hole cards, very slowly, one by one. He thought about some more. Then he passed.
[user46298]
Confident Andrew Pantling can't seem to stay out of pots in these early stages of the final table. He just called Atanas Gueorguiev's button raise in the big blind and check-raised him off the flop.
The next hand he limped in the small blind, while Kara Scott checked her option. They both checked the flop, but Scott bet the turn when it was checked to her, as well as the river (125,000). Pantling considered the river bet, but paid off her two pair -- she held -- eventually.
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and found himself up against the 
of the all-in player.
flop, but Scott bet the 
turn when it was checked to her, as well as the 
river (125,000). Pantling considered the river bet, but paid off her two pair -- she held