€600 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2024 Galway Poker Festival
€600 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
2024 Galway Poker Festival
Buy-in
€600
Prize Pool
€434,075
Entries
833
Level
34
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
147
Players Left
30
Mark Bennett Aiming for Another Deep Irish Poker Tour Run
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The €600 Galway Poker Festival Main Event's second starting flight attracted a total of 147 entries, with 30 players managing to find a bag for Day 2. Among them is Mark Bennett (242,000), aiming for his third deep run in Irish Poker Tour Main Events.
However Cathal Shine led the way, amassing an impressive stack of 604,000. Shine is still some way behind Day 1a chip leader James O'Sullivan (734,000), but will no doubt be looking to add to his impressive live resume of $679,181 earnings.
Shine was closely followed by his fellow countrymen, Kevin Hayes (554,000) and Tadgh Conway (510,000).
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cathal Shine | Ireland | 604,000 | 76 |
| 2 | Kevin Hayes | Ireland | 554,000 | 69 |
| 3 | Tadgh Conway | Ireland | 510,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Justin Boyle | Ireland | 405,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Noel Murphy | Ireland | 401,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Liam Chevalier | France | 383,000 | 47 |
| 7 | Jonathan Geraghty | Ireland | 343,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Philip Brown | Ireland | 315,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Gerard Wynne | Ireland | 280,000 | 35 |
| 10 | Fergal Coyle | Ireland | 275,000 | 34 |
Other notable names who qualified for Day 2 include Marc MacDonnell (168,000) and Conor O'Driscoll (162,000).
Irish Poker Tour pros Darren Harbinson and Dara O'Kearney were not so fortunate and will have to fire another bullet if they wish to advance to Day 2.
The final three opening flights of the Main Event will take place on January 6 at noon, 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. (featuring 30-minute, 25-minute and 15-minute blind levels respectively) with players having to navigate fifteen levels to progress to Day 2. Each player will have a 50,000 starting stack with blinds starting at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante.
Late registration in Day 1c has just closed. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your Main Event coverage.
Chip Counts for Day 1b Survivors (full)
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
604,000
454,000
|
454,000 |
|
||
|
554,000
554,000
|
554,000 |
|
|
510,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
|
405,000
245,000
|
245,000 |
|
|
401,000
401,000
|
401,000 |
|
383,000
383,000
|
383,000 |
|
|
343,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
315,000
267,000
|
267,000 |
|
|
280,000
102,000
|
102,000 |
|
275,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
257,000
107,000
|
107,000 |
|
|
249,000
249,000
|
249,000 |
|
242,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
|
236,000
186,000
|
186,000 |
|
231,000
231,000
|
231,000 |
|
221,000
136,000
|
136,000 |
|
201,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
197,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
|
197,000
141,000
|
141,000 |
|
|
192,000
128,000
|
128,000 |
|
188,000
188,000
|
188,000 |
|
168,000
168,000
|
168,000 |
|
152,000
152,000
|
152,000 |
|
||
|
|
126,000
-22,000
|
-22,000 |
|
|
95,000
29,400
|
29,400 |
Players Bagging and Tagging
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Day 1b of the €600 Galway Poker Cup Main Event has concluded with 30 players bagging up for Day 2. Full chip counts and a recap of the day will follow shortly.
Bennett Doubles Through Conway
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
On a board of Q♣6♦Q♦4♥ Mark Bennett put out a bet of 23,000, leaving himself about 78,000 behind. His opponent Tadgh Conway, moved all in for over slightly over 600,000, putting Bennett to the test for the rest of his chips.
Bennett pondered the decision for quite some time but eventually found the call.
Mark Bennett: 10♠10♦
Tadgh Conway: A♣2♠
Conway needed an ace on the river but the K♥ sent the pot to Bennett with his pocket tens for a full double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
510,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
|
|
220,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
Two More Hands in Day 1b
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The tournament director has paused the clock and announced the players will play two more hands before Day 1b concludes.
Wall Doubles Through Bennett
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Mark Bennett opened to 12,000 under the gun and Derrick Wall moved all in for 66,000 from middle position. Bennett quickly called to put Wall at risk.
Derrick Wall: A♠K♦
Mark Bennett: K♣Q♣
Wall was in good shape and the K♥3♦10♠8♠9♣ runout secured him a double up, his ace kicker securing the pot with both players holding a pair of kings.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
148,000
-47,000
|
-47,000 |
|
|
125,000
-31,000
|
-31,000 |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
Break Time
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
The remaining 33 players have gone on their last 10-minute break of Day 1b. After returning, they will have a final 30-minute level to navigate in order to reach Day 2.
Coyle Scoops Monster Pot; Knocks Out Wilkinson, Leaves Griffin with Crumbs
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
PokerNews reached the table as Fergal Coyle, Paul Wilkinson and Michael Griffin were in a three-way all-in, with Griffin slightly covering both players and with cards already on the table.
Michael Griffin: A♣K♠
Paul Wilkinson: 8♠8♣
Fergal Coyle: A♠A♥
Coyle's aces were in great shape, and the 6♣3♣4♠5♠A♦ runout provided no help for his opponents, sending Wilkinson to the rail and leaving Griffin with crumbs. Coyle scooped a huge pot with his set of aces.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
250,000
197,000
|
197,000 |
|
|
4,500
4,500
|
4,500 |
|
|
Busted |