Players are now on dinner break for 60-minutes. There are six players left. When action resumes, blinds will be on 250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 big blind ante.
Declan Rice opened from under the gun and the action folded to Andy Black in the hijack. Black then three-bet all in for 8,325,000. The rest of the table folded and Rice took some time to think things over.
Ultimately, he made the call, putting Black at risk and creating a chip lead pot. It turned out the players were flipping, in a sense.
Andy Black: 
Declan Rice: 
Both players had the same hand, but only one still had a chance of scooping the pot after the 
board came out.
Black was taunting his opponent as the river was revealed, but it came in the form of a black card: 
.
Groans were coming from the players and spectators alike, some in disappointment, some in relief. In the end, however, the players chopped the pot, and a new hand was dealt.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
16,450,000 | -800,000 |
|
11,175,000 | -500,000 |
Tom Waters raised from the hijack and Carl Shaw moved all in from the small blind for 5,775,000. Waters thought for a while before making the call and players flipped their cards, with Shaw the player at risk.
Carl Shaw: 
Tom Waters: 
Waters had Shaw dominated and the board came 
. The flop gave Waters a pair of jacks and the turn brought him trips. The ace on the river further improved Waters' hand to a full house and he took the pot, which was worth over six million chips.
Shaw was eliminated in 7th place for €56,500.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
18,500,000 | 8,150,000 |
|
Busted |
Action has been slow at the final table, with lots of preflop raises that take it down.
In one hand that did go to postflop Panagiotis Mavritsakis opened from the cutoff and only received a call from big blind Eugeniu Barbaros.
The flop came down 
and Barbaros promptly led all-in for his final 12 big blinds.
Mavritsakis evidently did not hit anything good enough to call with, as he let this one go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,700,000 | -1,650,000 |
|
7,100,000 | 2,025,000 |
Level: 36
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 400,000
Andy Black raised from the cutoff to 600,000 and Henri Ojala pushed all in from the button for 4,800,000 chips. Tom Waters had 
in the big blind but opted to fold his hand. Black made the call and the two players flipped their cards, with Ojala at risk.
Henri Ojala: 
Andy Black: 
Black had a pocket pair of eights and Ojala had the suited ace-queen. It was a classic poker race as the dealer turned over the board cards, which were 
. Ojala failed to improve and Black scooped the pot to add over 5 million to his stack.
Ojala was eliminated in 8th place for €43,500.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,675,000 | 6,750,000 |
|
Busted |
On the latest PokerNews Podcast episode, Chad Holloway, Jesse Fullen, and Connor Richards talk about the grand opening of the Horseshoe Las Vegas, Garrett Adelstein's interview with Doug Polk, and recent winners from the 2023 PokerStars USA SCOOP.
Plus, Shaun Deeb has been in the headlines this week for a few reasons. First, he won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit $1,700 Main Event at Turning Stone for $276K, and then he made a body fat percentage loss prop bet with Bill Perkins, one that could see him either lose $100,000 or possibly win $1,000,000! Finally, he actually talks to Connor about nearly losing $10,000, which had to be fished out of a trash can. Find out the story behind what happened from Deeb himself.
Also, hear from the legendary Vanessa Selbst, who stepped away from poker years ago but has recently dipped her toe back in as a part of the WSOP Thrill Team. Selbst talks to Chad about what inspired her to join, what she thinks of the game nowadays, and her plans for poker, including a likely return to the WSOP this summer. Don't miss your chance to hear from one of the best to ever play the game.
The final eight players have taken their seats and the cards are in the air. The official final table of the 2023 Irish Open Main Event has begun.
The official final table of eight has some ceremonial obligations before play will resume.
Stay tuned as the action will be right back, after the photos and announcements have been completed.
Jamie Wynne entered the unofficial final table as by far the shortest stack with less than three big blinds, and they went into the pot the very first hand he played. He jammed them all in from the hijack and all players folded until Carl Shaw was left in the big blind. Shaw paid the few more chips due and the cards went face-up.
Jamie Wynne: 
Carl Shaw: 
Wynne was a slight favorite to double up, but Shaw sprung in the lead on the flop. Wynne turned some extra outs on the 
turn, but the 
blank river meant he was not the winner and was the first one of the final nine who had to leave.
With Wynne's elimination, the tournament has now officially reached its final table with the last eight players.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,475,000 | 1,025,000 |
|
Busted |
