Main Event Day 1 | 2010 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open

04-02-2010 16:37 UTC

Praz Lets Go of the Ladies

[user4144]

Great fold from Praz Bansi, according to that ever-reliable grapevine. Apparently, he check-called pocket queens on a {J-?}

flop, and when his foe led for 6,500 on the {10-?}

turn, chucked them into the muck. His opponent showed kings.

Tags: Praz Bansi

04-02-2010 16:42 UTC

The scores on the board claim there to have been 34 casualties so far, with 674 remaining from an initial, and record-equaling 708. One of those is Adrian Swingler (remember his crippling quads versus house tale from earlier?), who parted the room mumbling about running sixes into A-Q, and, I strongly assume, not holding up.

04-02-2010 16:51 UTC

Have a Kit-Kat

[user4144]

Players are currently on the 20 minute break. 41 on a slightly longer one.

04-02-2010 17:13 UTC

A Room With A Thew

[user76023]

Julian Thew told us an interesting hand during the break. He'd raised {10-?}

preflop and then check-raised the {10-?}

flop before firing on the {Q-?}

turn as well. The river was another {Q-?}

and it went check-check, his opponent flipped {10-?}

and the eight kicker played.

04-02-2010 17:31 UTC

Early Pace Setters

[user4144]

With 47 players already departed, those chips must have gone somewhere, won't they? Well, yes, and although there doesn't appear to be one man who is racing away with the chip lead, there are a handful of familiar faces setting the early pace, including Ola Brandborn and Laurence Gosney who have more than tripled their stacks with around 35,000 and 31,000 respectively.

04-02-2010 17:38 UTC

Lassi Longer

[user76023]

Ramzi Jelassi was all in for his tournament life after leading out for 725 on a {J-Spades}

flop. The button who had called his initial preflop raise, made it 1,500 to go to put the pressure back on the young Swede.

Jelassi thought for a moment before moving all-in for 7,150 on top but almost with an air of not being too comfortable about doing so. There was no snap-call though, but instead a slow counting out of chips before Jelassi's opponent thought better of it and flung his {A-Clubs}

face up into the muck.

04-02-2010 17:40 UTC

The Power of the Media

[user4144]

Out of all the recipients of Paddy Power's now annual April Fools press release, I am perhaps the most gullible, having previously reported news of their Strip Poker live event, as well as a mix-up resulting in giant chips the size of discuses being ordered by mistake.

However, when I awoke this morning to read that Nicky Power had been unearthed as Isildur, I knew they'd gone a step too far. And when I read that, "Niklas 'Nicky' Power is a 40-year-old poker pro from Sweden, who moved to Ireland in the late eighties," I nearly spat out my hotel coffee.

Incredibly, 'Niklas' has decided to escape the glaze of his monitor to grace us with his presence here at the Irish Open, swapping the nosebleed action for a mere €3,500 freezeout. "I was just as surprised as you," confessed Power. "'Where can I withdraw?' was my first thought."

Power currently has 9,000, and is going against the grain of his online reputation by grinding. Also at his table are Laurence Houghton (10,000) and Andy Ward (8,000).

Tags: Nicky Power

04-02-2010 17:53 UTC

Wolfe Feeling Sheepish

[user76023]

Roland de Wolfe quickly gave up his hand after he saw a 725 bet check-raised to 2,500 on a {3-Clubs}

flop but the Englishman is still playing a lot of pots at this early stage.

Also being involved in many pots at the moment is Sorrel Mizzi who compulsively opens at least five pots a round.

Finally Jeff Kimber looks to be among the chip leaders at the moment, he's up to about 30,000 while sitting next to a slightly glum looking Neil Channing.

04-02-2010 18:09 UTC

Having a Mairs

[user4144]

Neil Channing has brought a small army over to Dublin as a result of his recent Grading process. Sadly for the 2008 Champion, one of those has already hit the deck in the shape of Simon Mairs.

"I had about 6,500 at the time," reported Mairs, "and this guy raised to 375. I had {A-?}

and made it 1,100 and he shoved. I don't like going broke with A-K, but I three-bet him a couple of times before so I thought he could spazzing out with {A-?}

or something. I called, but he had kings, and I didn't hit."

Tags: Simon Mairs

Level: 4

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 0