€3,000 Main Event | 2024 Irish Poker Festival

11-04-2024 00:24 UTC

Buckley Rivers a Miracle to Double

Tim Baker

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

Mark Buckley shoved from the cutoff for 3,005,000. When it folded to Sean Hegarty in the big blind, he took one look at his cards and flicked in the call to put Buckley at risk.

Mark Buckley: A♣5♥ All in
Sean Hegarty: A♥K♠

Buckley was dominated and looked poised to be headed for the rail. The 10♥6♥4♠ didn't change anything but Buckley did have some backdoor draws. The 2♣ turn gave him a gutshot, but the 5♦ river improved Buckley to a pair of fives. Buckley doubled up while Hegarty was left as the table short-stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	6,200,000 2,670,000	2,670,000
Sean Hegarty	900,000 3,150,000	3,150,000

Tags: Mark Buckley Sean Hegarty

11-04-2024 00:32 UTC

Sean Hegarty Eliminated in 4th Place (€50,000)

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Maxime Taldir

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

Joni Rantamaki in the small blind took purple chips from his stack and raised to 1,680,000, more than Sean Hegarty's stack. Hegarty looked at his cards, went into the tank and called, being at risk for approximately 1,500,000.

Sean Hegarty: Q♦10♣ All in
Joni Rantamaki: 5♦4♠

Hegarty was in the lead, but Rantamaki flopped a pair on 4♣3♦J♠. The 2♦2♣ runout gave him two pair and sent Hegarty to the rail in 4th place for €50,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joni Rantamaki	6,200,000 1,200,000	1,200,000

Sean Hegarty	Busted

Tags: Joni Rantamaki Sean Hegarty

11-04-2024 00:42 UTC

Buckley Holds With Kings

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Tim Baker

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

Mark Buckley raised to 325,000 on the button before Joni Rantamaki shoved from the big blind with the covering stack. Buckley had 4,300,000 behind and snap-called.

Mark Buckley: K♠K♥ All in
Joni Rantamaki: A♦3♣

If Rantamak could find an ace to crack the kings of Buckley, he would go into heads-up with around ninety percent of the chips in play. However, the board didn't contain an ace as it came J♥J♠7♣5♦4♣, and now Buckley became the chip leader of the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	9,350,000 3,150,000	3,150,000
Joni Rantamaki	3,800,000 2,400,000	2,400,000

Tags: Joni Rantamaki Mark Buckley

11-04-2024 00:47 UTC

Conor O'Rourke Eliminated in 3rd Place (€70,000)

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Maxime Taldir

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

Conor O'Rourke jammed from the button for roughly 1,500,000, and he was called by Mark Buckley in the big blind.

Conor O'Rourke: A♣2♥ All in
Mark Buckley: A♦6♣

There was no hope for O'Rourke as he was already drawing dead after Buckley flopped the best full house on A♥A♠6♥7♠2♦.

He finished in third place for €70,000 while Buckley and Joni Rantamaki are now playing for the title and €177,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	11,110,000 1,760,000	1,760,000
Joni Rantamaki	3,140,000 660,000	660,000

Conor O'Rourke	Busted

Tags: Conor O'Rourke Mark Buckley

11-04-2024 00:48 UTC

Rantamaki Dodges the First Bullet

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Maxime Taldir

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

Moments after heads-up play began, Joni Rantamaki limped from the small blind, and Mark Buckley moved all-in. Rantamaki snap-called.

Joni Rantamaki: 9♦9♠ All in
Mark Buckley: 5♣5♠

Rantamaki flopped a boat on 6♠6♦9♣8♠2♥, doubling his 3,140,000 chip stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joni Rantamaki	7,810,000 4,670,000	4,670,000

Mark Buckley	6,440,000 4,670,000	4,670,000

Tags: Joni Rantamaki Mark Buckley

11-04-2024 00:50 UTC

Break Time

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Tim Baker

Level 31 : Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante

The two players are now on a 15-minute break. The next levels will be shortened to 30 minutes.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	8,450,000 2,010,000	2,010,000
Joni Rantamaki	5,790,000 2,020,000	2,020,000

Level: 32

Blinds: 100,000/200,000

Ante: 200,000

11-04-2024 01:10 UTC

Buckley Value-Bets Bottom Pair

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Tim Baker

Level 32 : Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

With around 1,000,000 in the middle, Mark Buckley and Joni Rantamaki checked a flop of 7♣6♣3♣ to see the 7♠ come on the turn. Buckley bet 350,000, and Rantamaki called.

The 2♦ hit the river and Buckley led out for 275,000. Rantamaki called again, and was shown 8♣2♠ by Buckley for just a pair of deuces. Rantamaki mucked and Buckley won the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	8,000,000 450,000	450,000
Joni Rantamaki	6,240,000 450,000	450,000

Tags: Joni Rantamaki Mark Buckley

11-04-2024 01:21 UTC

Rantamaki Takes From Buckley

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Tim Baker

Level 32 : Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Mark Buckley limped from the button and Joni Rantamaki checked out of the big blind.

Rantamaki check-called a bet of 200,000 from Buckley on the J♠K♠K♣ flop.

The two players checked the J♥ turn for the 3♠ to hit the river. Rantamaki led out for 400,000 and Buckley called. Rantamaki turned over J♦8♣ for a full house and Buckley mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joni Rantamaki	7,750,000 1,510,000	1,510,000

Mark Buckley	6,500,000 1,500,000	1,500,000

Tags: Joni Rantamaki Mark Buckley

11-04-2024 01:26 UTC

Buckley Has Rantamaki on the Ropes

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Tim Baker

Level 32 : Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Joni Rantamaki limped from the small blind and Mark Buckley raised to 600,000 out of the big blind. Rantamaki called to see a flop.

Buckley checked the 6♠6♦3♦ flop and Rantamaki bet 900,000. Buckley check-raised all in for 5,950,000 and Rantamaki called.

Mark Buckley: A♣K♣ All in
Joni Rantamaki: 7♦5♦

Much to Buckley's surprise, he was ahead with Big Slick, but he had to fade almost half the deck to take a commanding chip lead heads-up. Rantamaki on the other hand could win the tournament if he could hit any of his many outs.

The rest of the board ran out Q♥3♥ and Buckley's ace-king high had catapulted him into a commanding chip lead.