Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 - Dublin

€175 Main Event - Road to PSPC
Day: 1a
Event Info

Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 - Dublin

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
99
Prize
€12,770
Event Info
Buy-in
€175
Entries
809
Level Info
Level
37
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Players Info - Day 1a
Entries
301
Players Left
68

Moneymaker Advances from Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 Dublin Day 1a

Level 14 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Chris Moneymaker tussled late on with Day 1a chip leader Drew Dwyer
Chris Moneymaker tussled late on with Day 1a chip leader Drew Dwyer

Just 68 players advanced from Day 1a of Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 here at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin and Chris Moneymaker himself will be joining them in Day 2. He was one of the 301 players who joined the first flight of the tournament and survived 14 levels to bag up at the end of the night.

He didn't have it all his own way, scoring some crucial doubles along the way only to lose a critical pot late on but he will have a day off to work out exactly how to increase his stack of 43,000 in search of another cash on his own tour!

The late pot came against Drew Dwyer who already sat on a stack of well over 250,000, but a late clash moved him over 400,000 and into the overall chip lead! In a four-bet pot pre-flop, he shoved an eight-high flop and got Mahmood Rasheed to commit all his chips to the pot with pocket nines.

However, Dwyer held pocket aces and they held meaning he bagged up 405,000 as the only player above 400,000 in chips.

Meanwhile, at the outer tables, Darren Carroll (333,000) and Gary Stokes (314,000) were the only other players to bag up over 300,000 in chips for Day 2 which gets underway on Sunday (12pm). Other players who bagged include 2018 Platinum Pass winners Blair Payne (94,500) and Chris Martin (51,000) along with Shawn Morales (275,000), Gareth McMahon (272,000) and Sammy O'Brien (268,000).

Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 Dublin
Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 Dublin

Those unlucky to bust on Day 1a such as Paul Leckey, Andy Black, Padraig Parkinson, Janos Jeszek, Rory Cartwright, Martin Olali and Tom Parsons will have two flights remaining to join the 68 players advancing. Day 1b gets underway at 1pm local time, with a turbo 15-minute level Day 1c starting at 8pm.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 right here in Dublin

Tags: Andy BlackBlair PayneChris MartinChris MoneymakerGareth McMahonGary StokesJanos JeszekMartin OlaliPadraig ParkinsonPaul LeckeyTom Parsons

Tait Eliminated

Level 14 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Chris Moneymaker with Robert Tait
Chris Moneymaker with Robert Tait

Dressed in the finest tartan kilt, Robert Tait is clear to see from across the poker tournament floor. Sadly, he's just been eliminated after failing to stay above water.

"I had 140,000 and was getting ace-jack, ace-queen and ace-king but had to fold them on the flop because everyone was mean!" he told PokerNews "I was down to 16 bigs and I jammed the cutoff with ace-jack and another player snapped with nines.

"I hit the ace and the turn's the nine. I've got a bullet for tomorrow, but I was hoping to have tomorrow off! It's just disappointing that we had 140,000. I should have just gone to bed!

"I didn't play bad. I was just getting the hands, but not getting the flops!"

Player Chips Progress
Robert Tait ie
Robert Tait
Busted

Tags: Robert Tait

Parsons Eliminated

Level 12 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Tom Parsons
Tom Parsons

After "a lot of hands," Tom Parsons won't be adding a second Platinum Pass to his collection - not that he's allowed - after being eliminated.

"Before I came back from break, I told my friends that I was either going to double up or get out!"

After losing with both {a-}{j-} and {j-}{j-} against {10-}{10-}, he doubled after cracking ace-king with ace-ten, only to lose with {a-}{j-} against {10-}{10-} again.

The final hand was where he got it in with the nut flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, only for the board to brick and he was eliminated.

"I enjoyed myself," said Parsons. "It would have been nice to make Day 2."

Player Chips Progress
Tom Parsons ie
Tom Parsons
Busted

Tags: Tom Parsons

Moneymaker Doubles Up

Level 12 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker

Jamie Byrne opened to 4,000 from under the gun. Chris Moneymaker three-bet to 12,000 from the big blind. Byrne moved all in for around 55,000 and Moneymaker called for less.

Chris Moneymaker: {10-Clubs}{10-Hearts}
Jamie Byrne: {a-Diamonds}{7-Diamonds}

"Thought I was messing around?" asked Moneymaker. "Or you thought you were going to get there?"

The flop came {2-Diamonds}{8-Spades}{5-Diamonds} and Moneymaker grimaced. "You're gonna get there!"

However, on the {q-Clubs}{6-Spades} runout Moneymaker survived and doubled to around 100,000 in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
105,000 40,000
Jamie Byrne ie
Jamie Byrne
5,000

Tags: Chris Moneymaker

Follow the Road to PSPC 2020 Livestream!

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
Fintan 'EasyWithAces' Hand and Georgina 'GJReggie' James
Fintan 'EasyWithAces' Hand and Georgina 'GJReggie' James

Over the next three days a rotating cast of commentators including PokerStars Ambassadors Fintan 'EasyWithAces' Hand and Georgina 'GJReggie' James will be on hand to broadcast coverage of Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 from the Bonnington Hotel, Dublin.

Stay up to date by following PokerStars on Twitch and YouTube to find the link for each day's coverage.

Tags: Fintan HandGeorgina James

Mazilu Runs into Aces; Harding Soaring

Level 9 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Ektor Strumi
Ektor Strumi

Michael Mazilu opened to 2,700 and got one caller before Ektor Strumi three-bet to around 12,000. Mazilu four-bet all in for around 40,000. The caller folded and Strumi called putting Mazilu at risk.

Michael Mazilu: {7-Diamonds}{7-Spades}
Ektor Strumi: {a-Clubs}{a-Spades}

The board ran out {4-Hearts}{q-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{2-Spades}{2-Diamonds} and Mazilu was eliminated, moving Strumi up above 100,000 in chips. Meanwhile Aaron Harding is the chip leader at his table with 170,000.

Player Chips Progress
Aaron Harding
Aaron Harding
170,000 37,000
Ektor Strumi kv
Ektor Strumi
120,000 88,000
Michael Mazilu ie
Michael Mazilu
Busted

Tags: Aaron HardingEktor StrumiMichael Mazilu

Moneymaker Still in Approaching Dinner Break

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante
Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker

Just short of the halfway stage of Day 1a, Chris Moneymaker is sat on the feature table and says he's been enjoying himself.

"Not optimal. I'm sitting at 70,000 and I'm enjoying myself. I'm having a blast. It's a fun table. I've been trying to splash maybe a little bit too much.

"The numbers are great and there's a real buzz around the poker room."

Player Chips Progress
Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
70,000 20,000

Over 250 Entries on Day 1a

Level 7 : 300/600, 600 ante
Shaun Lennon
Shaun Lennon

The tournament field has moved up above 250 players. They include Irish poker regular Vytautas Aganauskas along with Janos Jeszek who missed out on a Platinum Pass last year finishing as runner-up in the 2019 Mammoth.

One player who is no longer in the field is 2019 Platinum Pass winner Shaun Lennon who got it in with {a-}{10-} against {q-}{q-} of an opponent, however, the queens turned a set and rivered quads to eliminate Lennon.

Player Chips Progress
Vytautas Aganauskas lt
Vytautas Aganauskas
30,000 30,000
Janos Jeszek
Janos Jeszek
30,000 30,000
Shaun Lennon
Shaun Lennon
Busted

Tags: Janos JeszekShaun LennonVytautas Aganauskas

Up and Down for Martin

Level 6 : 200/500, 500 ante
Chris Martin
Chris Martin

We caught a glum-looking Platinum Pass winner from last year, Chris Martin on a downswing when he called with the nut flush draw with his {a-Hearts}{5-Hearts} on a flop of {j-Spades}{10-Hearts}{4-Hearts}. One player held {k-Spades}{9-Clubs} and Michal Janeczko had top set with {j-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}

A safe {6-Clubs} turn and {9-Diamonds} river saw Chris drop to 8k.

He then had an upswing as his {q-}{j-} rivered a straight against a set and two pair to treble up, before doubling up when his nut flush got paid by the second nut flush on a five-heart run out.

Player Chips Progress
Chris Martin gb
Chris Martin
70,000 70,000

Tags: Chris Martin

Platinum Pass Secured; Parsons Looks for More Practice Ahead of PSPC 2020

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante
Tom Parsons
Tom Parsons

Tom Parson has already secured himself a Platinum Pass to the 2020 PSPC in Barcelona, but says that the allure of the live felt and the desire to get as much practice in before next year was just too much.

"I can't win another one," said Parsons on the first break of Day 1a of Moneymaker's Road to PSPC here in Dublin. "But live experience is always a good thing, especially with me looking forward to going to Barcelona. But it's also about meeting up with people again. It's really nice to have a little break, especially in the middle of my term time."

After emerging victorious in a special Lex Live sit and go, Parsons says that the live bug had bitten, leading him to travel and play more in preparation for next year.

"It was a ridiculous, ridiculous tournament. It was an amazing festival. It makes you want to travel and play more, even if it's not to a Lex Live. If it's just to one of these Moneymaker events, you're still going to see familiar faces and you're still going to meet people who you want to talk with.

"It gives online players like myself live experience that they don't usually get. They can still love the game of poker that they know but in a different context of playing live. It gives you then the rail, the social interaction. You can actually have a beer and a chat instead of talking in Twitch chat if you're streaming. I couldn't wait to get down here and I can't wait to try and play as many live events as possible."

Tags: Tom Parsons