2010 PaddyPowerPoker Irish Open Day 3: Final Table Set with Saneri Valikoski Leading
Day 3 of the 2010 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open ended with just eight players, each guaranteed at least a €56,000 payout for surviving this year’s field, which topped 700. At the very top of the pack is Finn Saneri Valikoski with 1,722,000 leading a final table otherwise compromised of Irish and English players.
Valikoski hit the ground running making a big call with only 6♦ 4♠ on a 3♠ A♦ 4♦ A♠ board against Petter Krikkay’s complete air ball with K♦ 6♥ to bust Krikkay out in big pot at the time. Valikoski also picked up big pots against Liam Flood, whom he would end up eliminating, and the talented Canadian Tyler Bonkowski.
James Mitchell took the chip lead for a time, having won a huge pot with queens against Martin Hanitz’ A♠J♠ on an eight-high-two spade board. Mitchell also claimed the notable scalp of PaddyPowePoker online qualifier Maurice Whelan, the latter having survived so many all-in showdowns that many people thought he was Lazarus reborn.
The "Sole Survivor," which rewarded the last Paddy Power Poker online qualifier promotion, was won by Englishman Rob Sherwood who became the last Paddypower qualifier left when Barry Donovan ran A♠ K♣ into Declan Connolly’s K♠ K♥ and was eliminated in 12th place. This gave Sherwood the bonus prize of an extra €100,000, which is almost twice as much as he is now guaranteed now if he were to go out eighth.
Along the way we did lose some big names with Keith "The Camel" Hawkins running kings into Ben Roberts’ aces, while Nik Persaud, Marty Wilson and Stuart Rutter all couldn’t come close enough either. Occasional PokerNews blogger Jen Mason managed to cash before she, too, lost out in a flip with king-queen against pocket tens.
The final table has been set though as follows:
Seat 1: Peter Murphy - 546,000
Seat 2: Ben Roberts - 419,000
Seat 3: Edmund Sweeney - 407,000
Seat 4: Santeri Valikoski - 1,722,000
Seat 5: Rob Sherwood - 497,000
Seat 6: Paul Carr - 1,596,000
Seat 7: James Mitchell - 1,155,000
Seat 8: Declan Connolly - 735,000
The final table has already begun in Dublin and PokerNews is bringing you all the action from the felt.
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