€600 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
€600 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
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).
| 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.
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.
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.
The tournament director has paused the clock and announced the players will play two more hands before Day 1b concludes.
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.
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000
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.
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.