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

04-02-2010 19:30 UTC

Wading to Victory

[user4144]

The field is too vast to confirm, but Waheed Ashraf could well be your current chip leader with 55,000. A regular at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, 'Wade', as he is more commonly known, told of a brave, if not maniacal bluff he just pulled off to help reach that figure:

"There was a raise to 525 and a couple of callers, including myself with pocket fours. The flop came {A-?}

rainbow, and we all checked. On the {10-?}

turn, the first guy led out for 1,200, the initial raiser folded, and I made it 2,600. He reraised to 5,500, I made it 9,000 and he called. Then, on the {8-?}

river, I stuck him all in and he folded. When I showed the hand, he said, 'That was a really good bluff', so I reckon I must have got him off A-5 or something."

Note to self: don't mess with Wade.

04-02-2010 19:33 UTC

"Allinstevie" and out.

[user76023]

Stephen Devlin has been eliminated. Down to he led out from the small blind with {9-?}

on a

flop, he received one caller and proceeded to bet the {4-?}

turn and moved in on the {6-?}

river, hoping to push his opponent off a chop. But he had been called down by {8-?}

which had flopped a pair, turned the gutshot and managed to river a better straight.

04-02-2010 19:52 UTC

Use the Fours, Neil

[user4144]

"I outplayed the Greekstein", claimed Neil Channing, talking about forum fiend Cos Paparestis.

According to the aftermath mumbles, Channing limped on the button with {K-?}

and Greekstein checked his option in the big blind. On the {10-?}

flop, Greekstein led for 550 and Channing called, before both players checked the {2-?}

turn.

Another {4-?}

on the river, and Greekstein fired again, this time to the tune of 1,300. "I suppose I have to call," commented Channing as he threw in the chips. Of course, that was that was the least he had to do, and his trip fours were more than enough to pick up the pot.

Oh, and Greekstein's hand? {K-?}

. Yep, I can't work it out either.

Channing on around 10,500.

Tags: Neil Channing

04-02-2010 20:07 UTC

Raising and de Wolfe

[user76023]

A player opened to 675 and Anthony Romanello min-reraised to 1,350 at which point Roland de Wolfe thought this was wrong. He was told by the dealer as well as some of the Irish players including Alan Smurfit that in the Irish Open the min-reraise rule is different (as opposed to EPT's and most other tournaments in Europe). So in an EPT you could min-raise at 150/300 to 600 but a min-reraise would be 900, here at the Irish Open the min-reraise would have to be 1,200.

This did seem to irk de Wolfe somewhat but he immediately min-raised the next hand and took it down with a 600 bet on the {A-?}

flop against the big blind.

04-02-2010 20:10 UTC

Cowboy Spells Danger for Mark

[user4144]

Mark Spelman has been eliminated from today's event, {4-Spades}

no good against Ola Brandborn's {A-Clubs}

, all in preflop and with a king high board.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that early pace setter Brandborn had more chips than Harry Ramsden's after his out-of-the-blocks stack, but the Swede's stack has been up and down like a kangaroo on a bungee, and he still has 30,000, despite taking the most recent scalp.

Tags: Ola Brandborn

04-02-2010 20:22 UTC

James & the Giant Stack

[user4144]

James Mitchell is wearing a grin the width of the equator, predominantly due to his newly acquired stack.

Most of that ascent was due to a well-timed bluff. Picking up {A-Diamonds}

in the blind, Mitchell three-bet an initial raise of 900 to 2,800, which was subsequently called. On the {J-Diamonds}

flop, Mitchell led for 3,600, his opponent made it 8,000, and Mitchell jammed.

"He thought for a while, but eventually folded," reported a relieved Mitchell.

Tags: James Mitchell

04-02-2010 20:38 UTC

Mason-ry Stack Building

[user76023]

Occasional Pokernews blogger Jen "Djinn" Mason has 36,000 after making a good call on the river.

She raised to 800 preflop receiving one caller from the big blind.

Mason bet 1,200 on the {J-Clubs}

flop and got called. On the {4-Spades}

turn, the big blind lead out for 2,200 and Mason made the call. The river was the {Q-Spades}

and the big blind fired once more to the tune of 3,400.

Mason made the call with just {A-Clubs}

but it was good as the big blind just mucked.

04-02-2010 20:38 UTC

One Gone; One Survives

[user4144]

Rene Brazda has hit the deck, {A-Clubs}

in piping hot water against {Q-Spades}

on a

flop. The

turn created four outs, but to no avail as the river came {6-Spades}

.

Meanwhile, Aron Gustavson just doubled up, in somewhat clinical style, {A-Hearts}

making a full house on the turn against {10-Clubs}

on a

board.

04-02-2010 20:59 UTC

More For Mattern

[user76023]

Arnaud Mattern has just added a bit more to his stack, he called a reraise in position against the big blind and instantly called the push on a {10-Clubs}

flop. His opponent showed {A-Clubs}

but was drawing to running aces or kings as Mattern had {10-Diamonds}

for a flopped full house.

Predictably there was no miracle and the Frenchman took a sizeable pot.

04-02-2010 21:05 UTC

Barny Trouble

[user4144]

Barny Boatman has been frequenting the commentary box of late, which either means he's chip leader and has time to burn, or is out. Sadly, it's the latter, Boatman seeing his stack go south with the same encounter that has haunted him three years in a row: kings versus aces.

"I keep getting this hand, and now when I look at, I think, 'OK, how many chips am I going to lose this time,' especially here."

Ultimately, he played his kings rather slow this year, and ended up checking it down on the river of a queen high board to lose just a third of his stack.

Instead, it was left to fellow Londoner Richard Ashby to pick up the pieces, queens holding up against Boatman's jacks to send the Hendon Mobber home.

Tags: Barny Boatman Richard Ashby