€600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2024 Galway Poker Festival
€600 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2024 Galway Poker Festival
Buy-in
€600
Prize Pool
€434,075
Entries
833
Level
34
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
71
Players Left
15
Irish Legend Andy Black Bags Above-Average Stack on Day 1a of Galway Poker Festival Main Event
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The €600 Galway Poker Festival Main Event's first starting flight saw 71 entries being made at the luxurious The Galmont Hotel & Spa, of which 15 players bagged up at the end of 15 levels. Among them is Ireland's all-time money leader Andy Black, who ended the day with 282,000 chips, good for 35 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
Black has competed all over the world for buy-ins as high as $60,000 throughout his long career but is often seen at the comparatively lower stakes that the Irish Poker Tour offers back in his home country as well as he is an ambassador for the poker festivals.
Black may have had the most lifetime tournament earnings of the field on Day 1a, having amassed more than $5,000,000 throughout the years, but he did not end up with the most chips. That honor was bestowed upon James O'Sullivan from the United Kingdom, who won a humongous hand at the end of the night to end up with a stack of 797,000 chips. O'Sullivan is no stranger to success at the Irish Poker Tour, having won the €300 Winter Festival for €39,000 less than two months ago, and will be looking to add another big score to his name.
A testament to how big O'Sullivan's lead is is the fact that his fellow countryman Matthew Greig sits in second place on the leaderboard, but plays less than half the stack of O'Sullivan, with 362,000 chips in his bag. Stephan Kehoe, meanwhile, completes the top three with 290,000 bagged chips. Lander Dejonghe (160,000) and Nicolas Sievers (155,000) also find themselves in the top ten chip counts, having traveled from afar to play some cards in Galway.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James O'Sullivan | United Kingdom | 797,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Matthew Greig | United Kingdom | 362,000 | 45 |
| 3 | Stephan Kehoe | Ireland | 290,000 | 36 |
| 4 | Andy Black | Ireland | 282,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Francis Onwuka | Ireland | 242,000 | 30 |
| 6 | Daniel Smyth | Ireland | 234,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Colm Chan | Ireland | 168,000 | 21 |
| 8 | Lander Dejonghe | Belgium | 160,000 | 20 |
| 9 | Jamie Flynn | Ireland | 159,000 | 20 |
| 10 | Nicolas Sievers | Germany | 155,000 | 19 |
Some notable names that fired a bullet on Day 1a but did not manage to find a bag include poker streamer Gary Blackwood, recent EPT Prague champion Padraig O'Neill, and Marc MacDonnell, who is chasing Black on the Ireland all-time money list, occupying fourth place.
Their next chance to punch their ticket to Day 2 will be tomorrow, Friday, January 5, when Day 1b kicks off at noon local time. Another evening flight is planned as well, with Day 1c starting at 5 p.m. local time on the same day.
Be sure to check back to PokerNews then to continue following the poker action from the beautiful coastal city of Galway, Ireland.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
797,000
66,000
|
66,000 |
|
||
|
362,000
112,000
|
112,000 |
|
290,000
290,000
|
290,000 |
|
282,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
242,000
122,000
|
122,000 |
|
234,000
158,000
|
158,000 |
|
168,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
160,000
-110,000
|
-110,000 |
|
159,000
-46,000
|
-46,000 |
|
155,000
-95,000
|
-95,000 |
|
149,000 | |
|
|
141,000
-59,000
|
-59,000 |
|
141,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
141,000
-44,000
|
-44,000 |
|
131,000
71,000
|
71,000 |
Day 1a Concludes
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Both remaining tables are bagging and tagging, meaning that Day 1a has reached its ending.
Fifteen players remain out of the starting field of 71, and they have all secured a spot on Day 2.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the night.
O'Sullivan Hits Wild Runout to Eliminate Buckley in Dying Minutes
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
James O'Sullivan raised to 13,000 from early position and found one caller in Mark Buckley in middle position. The two went off to a flop of J♠2♣7♠, on which O'Sullivan continued for 15,000.
Buckley then raised to 33,000 before O'Sullivan responded with a three-bet to 75,000. Buckley took some time before announcing his all-in for 195,000 total.
O'Sullivan let out a big sigh and pondered the situation for a couple of minutes. Eventually, he slammed in calling chips to put his opponent at risk.
Mark Buckley: 9♠8♠
James O'Sullivan: A♣K♦
Miraculously, O'sullivan's ace-high was still the best hand after four bets went in on the flop. Buckley celebrated as the 10♦ brought him his straight, but O'Sullivan had the last laugh as he hit a three-outer for Broadway when the Q♦ river completed the board.
Buckley left the tournament area with a disgusted look on his face, while O'Sullivan secured a monster chip lead at the end of Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
731,000
311,000
|
311,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
The End Is Nigh
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The floor has drawn for the final hands of the night. Two more of them will be played before the remaining players bag and tag.
O'Sullivan Solidifies Chip Lead
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
James O'Sullivan and Keith Cummins were in a blind-on-blind battle when they saw the completed board of 2♣10♥3♥8♣Q♥.
O'Sullivan made a sizable bet of 75,000 into the pot of 125,000, and Cummins confrimed the amount before eventually putting in a call.
O'Sullivan turned over his Q♣2♥ for rivered two pair and Cummins threw his hands up in the air in frustration as he paid his dues to the chipleader.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
420,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
||
|
117,000
-83,000
|
-83,000 |
Pre-Break Eliminations
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
Final Break of Day 1a
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
The 19 remaining players have been sent on a quick 15-minute break. When they come back, one more 25-minute level will be played before they bag and tag for Day 2.