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

Level: 5

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 0

04-10-2009 20:04 UTC+2

Blake Timinates the Opposition

[user46392]

A small crowd has gathered around one of the earlier Tables Of Doom, as Jamie Gold has joined Michael Greco, Tim Blake and Liam Flood to form a kind of Table Of Extreme Doom.

Most of these players saw a {5-Spades}

flop, and it checked around to Michael Greco, who bet 650. Philip Baker called on the button, and the action moved back around to Tim Blake under the gun, who raised to 2,500. Greco made a small noise and folded swiftly, and after a pause, Baker folded too. Blake flashed him the {K-Clubs}

.

04-10-2009 20:10 UTC+2

Not So Kokki Now

[user46298]

Bad timing for Ari-Pekkja Kokki as button Jeff Kimber raises to 2,200 over the top of the cutoff. Kokki found {A-Diamonds}

in the small blind, and after a good long think, pushed in his whole stack (around 13,000). The cutoff was no longer interested but Kimber snapcalled with {A-Clubs}

, avoiding any drama at all as the board came {7-Diamonds}

. Kimber got a count-down as they weren't sure who covered who, but he came out on top and now has a 28,000 stack.

Tags: Ari-Pekkja Kokki Jeff Kimber

04-10-2009 20:14 UTC+2

Staggered Dinner

[user46392]

Half of the room has now wandered off for dinner. The other half continues to play until they're back, so they will be playing level 5 twice.

04-10-2009 20:15 UTC+2

Byrne Busto

[user46298]

John Byrne is no more after being a short stack and running his {10-Spades}

into a dominating {A-Diamonds}

held by Jacques Denner. There was no help from the board and now one more player won't be coming back from the dinner break.

Tags: John Byrne

04-10-2009 20:16 UTC+2

Dewi Passes Kings

[user46392]

With 5,000 in the pot by the {9-Diamonds}

flop, Dewi James checked to Mark Lawless, who promptly moved all in. With a sigh, James folded {K-Clubs}

face up. Lawless flashed him the inevitable {A-Clubs}

.

04-10-2009 20:21 UTC+2

Clarke Mclovin It

[user46392]

With three players to the turn of the {8-Clubs}

board and 5,000 in the pot already, it checked around to Ali Mallu on the button, who made a bet. The gentleman on the big blind folded, but Gary "Mclovin" Clarke from the under the gun position raised. Mallu called, the big blind folded, and they were heads up to the river.

River: {10-Hearts}

Clarke bet out 3,300, but Mallu quietly pushed his whole stack across the line, which well covered Clarke. After a moment's thought, Clarke called.

"You win, I missed," announced Mallu immediately. And duly Clarke turned over {A-Spades}

. Mallu mucked.

Clarke: 30,000
Mallu: 9,500

04-10-2009 20:35 UTC+2

Kyllonen Won't Die

[user46392]

Jen Kyllonen made a brave shove with {5-Hearts}

and got looked up by an opponent holding a rather better {J-Spades}

. However, a {10-Hearts}

board did wonders, and Kyllonen stays in the game on around 5,000 chips.

04-10-2009 20:39 UTC+2

Chip Count Time

[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

04-10-2009 21:01 UTC+2

Lawless Accommodating

[user46298]

Mark Lawless gave his dwelling opponent a break after folding to a shove on the river of a {5-Clubs}

board. He flipped his {A-Diamonds}

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.