Main Event Day 1 | 2010 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open

04-02-2010 15:51 UTC

Swingler Swings Low

[user4144]

Not an exit, but just as exciting! With the board reading {K-?}

, Adrian Swingler found himself left with little more than a bowl of rice after getting it in with a king, only to find James Kerrane sitting pretty (to Angeline Jolie proportions!) with {6-?}

for the flopped quads. No dramatic king on the river (despite the subterranean, yet sadistic wishes of the table), and the pot was Kerrane's.

Tags: Adrian Swingler James Kerrane

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

04-02-2010 15:40 UTC

No Average Joe

[user76023]

Joey Lovelady has made the early front running, having just dispatched a shortish stack with {A-?}

against

.

"I've played two hands, both aces, both won big pots. It's easy this game."

Aces twice an hour, that's all you need.

04-02-2010 15:39 UTC

There's always a few home bankers when it comes to masseuses: Trevor Reardon, Roland De Wolfe, and Nik Persaud to name but a few. The latter of those three hasn't let us down today, immediately locking in the most voluptuous masseuse and luring her over like a snake-charmer with his undeniable charm.

In fact, after a fruitless 12 months, Persaud is in high spirits, keen to make the Irish Open the rain to his dry patch. As I approached, he raised it up and received one caller, the usual cheeky smile on his face as he continued to entertain the table.

On the {5-Spades}

flop, he led for around 300, and was raised another 1,000, which he quickly called. Both players checked the {2-Clubs}

turn, but on the {3-Hearts}

river, Persaud fired for 2,100.

His opponent dwelt momentarily, but ultimately made the call with {10-Hearts}

, only for Persaud to reveal a triumphant {9-Clubs}

. "I'm playing the rush," gleamed Persaud as he scooped the pot and some useful early chips.

Tags: Nik Persaud

04-02-2010 15:16 UTC

Player Spotting

[user76023]

Amongst the incredibly crowded tables, it's actually surprisingly easy to spot the odd the celebrity getting involved in the mix.

Irish snooker player Ken Doherty is quietly in the corner, while former England international footballer Teddy Sheringham is no doubt hoping to have big score of another kind this weekend.

Dutchman Ruben Visser underscored his own alertness, quickly asking for a massage even before the event started. Bracelet winner Praz Bansi might be looking one of those soon too, he just came by the press area struggling to keep his eyes open stating, a little dizzily, "I've literally just got off the plane..."

Coffee for this man methinks.

04-02-2010 15:13 UTC

Quietly Sneaking Out

[user4144]

According to the board, we've lost our first man. I didn't spot the departure (I imagine he snuck out quietly in order to avoid the joyful cheers of a relieved field), but it did remind me of the year Carlos Mortensen was the first man down.

He'd just had aces cruelly slapped silly by kings, only for the organisers to invite him on stage. It appeared as though he was going to get a booby prize of some kind, something to relieve the pain at least, but all he got was a public announcement that he was the first man eliminated, and a rather insincere round of applause from the 700-thick field. Talk about a rubdown! Still, he's just won another WPT, so I think he may have forgotten by now.

04-02-2010 15:07 UTC

A Blogger's Nightmare

[user4144]

In some ways, the Irish Open is a blogger's nightmare as they pool everyone together in one starting day, meaning your intrepid, but perhaps not-as-physically-fit-as-they-should-be live update team have a sea of tables to slither and slide their way through.

This makes catching a big early exit rather tricky, and you end up picking up various specs of information that could perhaps be combined to form an actual hand. On my travels I saw Chris Moorman punch the air after raising the small blind to pick up his first hand of the day, Barny Boatman screaming, "I promise I won't slowplay pocket kings again," and Michael Greco picking up a small pot with continuation bet on the flop. Snippets, but no real stack versus stack hand. The search continues.

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0

04-02-2010 14:50 UTC

Shuffle Up And Deal!

[user76023]

With 697 players now sitting down at the table, the tournament director has announced, "Shuffle up and deal!"

04-02-2010 14:43 UTC

A Plethora of Familiar Names

[user4144]

The sound of chips riffling, impatiently and with increasing speed, simmers through the room as player squirm in their chairs like three-legged ferrets. It's a testament to the tournament that players are so eager to start. But, to their dismay, we're still experiencing a delay as the dude on the microphone continues to coordinate various proceedings.

In the meantime, we have received the Holy Grail: a player list, which boasts a plethora of familiar names such as Juda Ainsworth, Praz Bansi, Barny Boatman, Jerome Bradpiece, Dave Callaghan, and Tony Cascarino - and that's only up to the C's!