€3,500 Irish Open Main Event Day 1 | 2009 PaddyPower.com Irish Open

04-10-2009 16:32 UTC+2

Eights Not Lucky

[user46392]

More chips in the locker for David Jones as he took down a chunky pot, showing pocket kings at the end of a raggy board. His dejected opponent could only boast pocket eights.

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

04-10-2009 16:16 UTC+2

While the day may be over already for certain unfortunates such as the luckless Brian Townsend, for others it has barely begun.

The Irish are renowned for their ability to party, and none party harder than Padraig Parkinson - but it must have been a particularly heavy night, as on more than one occasion today I passed by his table to be met with the eerie silence that is Parkinson being in the room, but not actually talking. We fully expect him to perk up soon though.

Tags: Padraig Parkinson

04-10-2009 16:11 UTC+2

Tables of Doom

[user46392]

With such a vast field (697 at the moment, and presumably still counting), it is inevitable that there will be more than one impressive Table Of Doom to make your average qualifier quake in their sneakers.

Table Of Doom 1:
Antony Lellouche, Jennifer Tilly, Ali Mallu and Josh Gould, all of them with very grim expressions on their faces.

Table Of Doom 2:
Pokernews Cup Alpine final tabler Farhad Kia, bald Irish up-and-comer Rob Taylor, and Juha Helppi.

Table Of Doom 3:
Last year's final tabler Tim Blake, GUKPT winner and Eastenders star Michael Greco, exuberant Irishman Thomas Nolan and the legend that is Liam Flood.

04-10-2009 15:59 UTC+2

Brian Townsend Busto

[user46298]

Our first elimination has already occurred, dramatically on the featured table, of US online star Brian Townsend. A harsh set over set (fives into aces) followed by an on-the-felt shove with what has been described as "a bag of spanners" left Townsend to be the first player interviewed post bust-out.

Tags: Brian Townsend

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0

04-10-2009 15:31 UTC+2

On Your Marks

[user46298]

Players have been called to their seats, with the full list of players flashing up on huge screens at nearly-readable speed. Among them are previous winners Marty Smyth and Neil Channing, as well as 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold, who was spotted yesterday having his photo taken with various guys and playing in the only late-night cash game. Also playing today will be Dan Harrington, Roland de Wolfe, Phil Laak, Liam Flood, Barny Boatman, Julian Thew and Andy Black, to name just a few.

A number of top European players (from origins other than the UK and Ireland) are dotted around in the 668 runners who are raring to go (the room is now rustling with chip trickery) - Ludovic Lacay, Markus Golser, Bo Sehlstedt and Abel Meijberg are among those. There's also one Feature Table which (with a delay) will be streaming a little snippet of the first day of the Irish Open live - the pressure instantly on Brian Townsend, Richard Ashby and Michael Finn; which is now as they've shuffled up and dealt.

Tags: Dan Harrington Jamie Gold Julian Thew Phil Laak Roland de Wolfe

04-10-2009 11:48 UTC+2

Irish Open 2009: Ready for Action

[user38449]

The yearly Irish Open tournament is one of the permanent fixtures on the calendar for one of the most eclectic poker fields around. Walking down the seemingly endless corridors of the Citywest Hotel in Dublin (the venue for the event) you can hear every accent imaginable. The many bars are thronged with short-hopping UK pros like Dave Colclough, Tim Blake and Steve Jelinek, the hallways hopping with French, Spanish and Scandinavian attendees, the room service number ringing off the hook. With the field swelling yearly, 2009 will in all probability see the numbers topping last year's 667 and all those €3,500 buy-ins creating a huge prize pool.

Back to attempt a repeat of last year's success will be Neil Channing who took the title (and won a bet he'd made on himself to win having disliked the odds set on him), along with the usual smattering of famous faces from across the pond. In the run-up to kickoff the last-chance satellite is going full steam, and the huge tournament area, packed with tables, is enjoying its last moment of relative calm before the inevitable rollercoaster of action which is the yearly Irish Poker Open. Live coverage will commence at 2:00 p.m. local time, as this year's batch of professionals, hopeful qualifiers, and all-round lunatics converge for the most eagerly anticipated tournament in Europe.

Tags: Irish Open