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02:01 IPO Day 1A Ends
The last hand has just been dealt and in probably the first time in history, a tournament is ending on time! Chipcounts are forthcoming, but there'll be no more action from the tables tonight.
01:40 Dara runs away from Paul
Dara O'Kearney was having a torrid time of it when he was seated alongside Paul Smallwood and Chris Dowling. He described Paul as the "dogging merchant". I presume he was referring to the fact that Paul managed to outdraw him twice in big pots. Dara has been reseated though and has since knocked out Eamon Connelly when he managed to flop a set versus the veterans top pair.
01:38 Location, location, location
Paul Smallwood just found himself facing an 11k raise from early position. It took a while for action to get to him as he was seated in the BB. He asked the raiser where he was from to which he was told "France". Paul then shoved all-in. The Frenchman folded and Paul got the last word with the needle "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd do". Paul still has a below average stack but he's certainly well able to change gears and run over tables when he wants to.
01:16 Quick Chip Count
(230,000 - Richard Ashby - Table 36)(210,000 - Rupinder Bedi - Table 36)(200,000 - Table 39 - Shane Dempsey)(93,000 - Dara O' Kearney)(70,000 - Scott Gray)(50,000 - Spiral - Table 39)
01:13 A quick update!
We've broken the century mark! 720 players sat down this afternoon but now a mere 90 remain. We still look set to play until just gone half two so we could very well stand to lose another chunk before the night is out! Average stack is hovering around the 72,000 mark. Once players return from their break I'll go pick out those who might just be able to sleep well tonight! Blinds are now: 2k/4k with a running ante of 200.
00:29 Setting the bar!
There are numerous well known faces drowning their sorrows at the bar. You would never know the likes of Fintan Gavin,Keith McFadden,Peter Murphy and Donal O'Connor were knocked out such is the level of banter coming from their corner of the bar. Padraig Parkinson may well be on his way to join them becoming our latest faller as we creep down to our last one hundred players!
00:22 Smallwood becomes a forest!
Paul Smallwood looked dead and buried an hour ago have fallen under 12k. Monster hands like the 8 2 and 5 4 off have seen him get back in the mix with just over 60k. "I can't beat the French! Give me Chris Dowling and Dara O'Kearney any day!",just a couple of his victims!
00:05 Side Event Update
We are down to our last ten in the Side Event. (Pichou Romain 62k) (Noel Rounty 52k) (Breifne Earley 116k) (Peter Coralan 38k) (Philip Hochhuth 39k) (Lee Crane 71k) (Andy Helwood 161k) (Mark Briers 70k) (Dermot Sullivan 178k)
23:44 A mountain out of a molehill!
Paul Hill,who assures me his only connection to William is doing the proverbial tonsils in his bookies from time to time is looking unstoppable at the moment. Under an hours ago he was back in the middle of the pack with just over 30k,he now has over 130k. A serious rush of cards but a word of caution from the English man shows his head is very much in the game "I need them all for Day Two!"
23:30 Vive la France
There are still plenty of French accents echoing around the poker room here in the Regency. Matthieu Coiuicleau looks to be the leading French player at the moment with almost 180k . So much so in fact that he needed help stacking his chips from one of his enthusiastic rail buddies! I'm not a betting man but if I was I would perhaps wager a bet that his helpful friend has a small percentage of his action!
23:13 What a read!
I mentioned in a previous post that we could have a clear chip leader if Shane Dempsey and Cos Paparestsis clashed. The two must have overheard me as within half an hour they had played the 200k pot. Shane,holding As 5c must be credidited with a huge call on a dangerous looking 5d 7d 9d Ah 8s board. Cos mucked his hand when called but given the pre-flop action it is safe to assume he had a genuine starting hand. Shane followed that up the very next hand managing to catch a jack to knock out a shortstacks queens. What a rush! He is no longer in his seat perhaps deciding its safer to head to bed huge stack locked up for tomorrow.
23:09 Movin' on up
With the blinds 800-1500, Eoin O'Mara pushed all-in on small blind with just under 24,000. He had suited queens and came up against one of the bounty players. His queens held up and he moves on with 50,000 in chips.
22:43 Twin Towers
Table 47 is in danger of toppling over with all the chips finding their way to one side of the table. Both Cos Paparestis and Shane Dempsey,sat directly beside each other have over 100k in chips,not too shabby considering the average is just over 31k. If the two clash we could have a clear chip leader from Day Ones action!(by Sam Baneham)
22:39 Counts
Dara O'Kearney: 60k Paul Smallwood: 15k Chris Dowling: 50k
22:38 Marty Smyth
Wearing a bright red and white Sunderland jersey is bound to get you some unwanted attention by itself but when you add in a generous bounty then you have pure chaos. Marty Smyth has thus far weathered the storm and has just knocked out a player who tried to take him on. His AJ was dominating the A8 of his opponent and with both an Ace and Jack on the flop, he was guaranteed the pot by the turn! Marty is currently motoring! (by Adam Murphy)
22:13 Vodoo people
Willow Connolly,one the well respected members behind Dublin's newest and already popular poker room Voodoo just lost a 50k pot. Willow raised from button after a few limpers in early position. Only the big blind called. The flop brought the Kh 2h 4d.The big blind checked to Willow who bet 13k just under the size of the pot. Her opponent did not even blink calling for the rest of his chips. Willow flipped over the Qh Jh which needed to hit to overtake the Ks 9c. The turn helped Willows hand but not enough giving her a gutshot straight draw but a brick on the river sees Willow drop to under 25k.(by Sam Baneham)
22:00 War of attrition
Today has not been kind to those who like fold a lot. The average stack is 24,000 and blinds are at 500/1000 with a running ante of 75 also in play. The aggressive structure means that if you haven't been winning many hands then you're finding yourself in trouble now. We have 270 players left right now and we expect that figure to plummet even further by the end of the night (by Adam Murphy)!
21:12 Can I get a beat?
Well, I suppose he didn't say it out loud but I image it was what Glen Coroner, a.k.a. DJ Spiral was thinking when he found himself all-in with AQ vs 88 vs A5. It wasn't a crazy beat he longed for, just for the dealer to throw up a lady on the floor. And that he did. The board came down Q-4-5, a 4 came on the turn, and an innocent 9 fell on the river giving Glen the triple up! DJ Spiral now finds himself with just over 20k again and I get to save a great blog header for another day!(by Adam Murphy)
21:01 QQ holds for the 80k pot
James McManus,infamous for an unmentionable scandal which broke in Vegas last year is among our chip leaders with just under 90k. The bulk of his chip came courtesy of a solid hold with two queens against Ace King. James who is no stranger to deep runs in big field events will be looking to pound away at those locking up their chips intent on coming back for Day Two. (by Sam Baneham)
20:53 That Didn't Work Too Well
Those were the words out of Stephen Crossland's mouth when he tried bluff a river in a 3 way pot that had already seen one player all-in. He mucks his hand as soon as his bet of 3k is called on the river and so does the player that was already all-in! This means the pot is awarded to the only remaining player who only has to show his cards (5-5) before claiming a 20k pot uncontested! (by Adam Murphy)
20:30 Two Wee Ducks are Lucky for John
A desperate poker player has to ride the gauntlet sometimes and short stack John Gallagher is no different. He went all in with his pocket deuces and had one caller with AQ. John survived the hand and lives to tell another tale. He doubles up in the process, moving up to 7,850 chips.
20:26 Bounty hunting
Jack Dempsey pulls off a superb bluff, letting all the way and bung called on every street until the river when he overbet the pot and after 5 minutes his opponent folded. Jack didn't show his hand to the table but we got a sneak peek and might just guess at 2,2!
20:20 Back to Square One
Two players looking to get going at this year's IPO are Eoin O'Mara and Michael Joyce. Both were all in with their A 10, leading to a split pot. Neither man was too unhappy but Michael has a pretty short stack will need to get moving soon enough or the blinds will eat him alive.
19:50 Brown 'n' Out
Scotland's William Brown has bitten the dust at this year's IPO. His last hurrah was to pit his 
in pre-flop against an opponent's 
. His opponent hit an Ace on the flop and William was hung, drawn and quartered. Better luck next year.
19:30 Cattell Drive
Luke Cattell has doubled up with pocket aces. He was all in pre-flop against the cowboys. Neither player got any help from the board and Luke moves nicely up to 25000 chips.
19.21 Another break
The second half of the room have just gone on their break. We're down to 400 players and blinds are 300/600 with a running ante of 50. We'll see over the coming hours whether or not the injection of food and energy will help the players focus, or whether they'll continue to drop like flies. (Adam Murphy)
19.18 In the blink of an eye
I was carefully monitoring the progress of Noel Hayes who had started slowly,never breaching the 15k mark. Noel is a man who usually will either get a lot chips or bust out trying. Having raised from the hijack with Ad 2d Dara O'Kearney,not a man to throw away chips called in the cut off. The big blind who Noel explained had become hyper aggressive in the last few orbits three bet once again. Hayes,sensing an oppurtunity to pick up some chips without seeing the flop moved in for a further 9k. Dara passed two tens but the big blind was not so generous calling instantly with two nines. The board could not help Hayes catch up and he makes his way to the plo cash tables. (by Sam Baneham)
19.03 In the heat of the action
Urso Renato has grown very fond of accumulating chips. Every single all-in hand that I go to cover at Table 41 involves him. He had barely finished stacking the chips that formerly belonged to Keith McFadden before getting involved in another pot. This time it was Michael McGahon who was on the ropes with his pocket nines needing to fend off the incoming attacks of the KQ belonging to Urso. Once the pot was sorted, we saw a flop which was like a sharp slap in the face for Michael as it came Queen high (7d- Qh - Th). The turn was the 5c meaning Michael had only two cards of the remaining nines in the deck to help but arrived on the river which was the 6c sending Michael to the rails. Urso is now one of the chipleaders with over 60k! (by Adam Murphy
18.53 The talented Scott Gray
Scott Gray is another familiar face on the Irish poker circuit. For years Scott has been in the reckoning when it gets to the serious end of the bigger live events. I don't expect this years IPO to prove an exception and he is looking in good shape with over 25k in chips. Another man in the red and white of Sunderland Scott assured me was happy with his table redraw and just hoping his big hands can hold up.(by Sam Baneham)
18.46 All-in AGAIN
Chris Dowling has certainly made an impression in the Irish poker scene over the last 12 months,final tabling numerous big events in the process. He found himself short on chips an moved in under the gun with the powerhouse 6 3 off suit. He did not get called and that set off a remarkable sequence of hands where Chris found himself all-in six times in a row running his stack up to just under 20k in the process. He eventually found a call from AQ but this time he had a genuine hand in the form of AK which held up to put him right back in the game! (by Sam Baneham)
18:37 It's my turn
Oftentimes as poker players, if we don't hit our overcards on the flop, we give up on the hand, get our coat and begin shaking other players hands. Or maybe that's just me. Doug Murphy was no such man though. He was convinced he was going to hit the turn after his Ace-King missed on the flop versus the pocket jacks of Dambruch Phillipe. Like clockwork the Ace arrived on the turn giving Doug a vital double up to over 13k. Blinds are now 300/600 with an Ante of 50. Just under 450 players remaining now and it won't be long before we'll have lost over half of the field! (by Adam Murphy)
18:25 Ken Resorts to Safety Game
Ken Doherty raised to 1400 from middle position pre-flop with pocket 9's. He got reraised to 5,900 and, after a small delay, folded. It seemed to irk him somewhat as he asked his opponent if she had a pair; to which she replied 'No' and then if she had AK to which she also replied 'No'. I guess we'll never know. Ken is still looking relatively healthy on a mid-sized stack.
18:17 Lucky McFadden
Keith McFadden is lucky that he's been masquerading as a Frenchman all day as he just got the last 3.5k of his chips across the line with 99 only to find himself called from the blinds who had found the Cowboys! The flop is 4-6-7 which offers no help at all. The turn brings Keith a gutshot, falling a Ten. I don't think any of us were surprised when the river brought the lucky eight meaning Keith finds a double up.
18:05 Connolly is Rising
Aidan Connolly is hanging in there on table 19. He has just doubled up on a pre-flop all-in with pocket 10s. Aidan humbled his opponent's AK offsuit to keep his tournament hopes alive. He now has 10,500 chips.
18:00 Learning curve
Gareth Johnson just learned that you can't take a 9k pot with a bet of under 2k. We reach the river on the board of 8-T-8/K/4 and Gareth bets 1.8k into the pot of 8k. Matthew Gilmartin looks quite offended by this small bet and throws in a raise of 15k which more than covers Gareth. Gareth doesn't take too long before folding, but it was a big pot to let go of!
18:00 The State of play
We are edging toward our first dinner break of the tournament. We have already lost over 200 players. Blinds are now 200-400 with a 25 running ante and the average stack stands at 14k.
17:58 Surinder in neutral....
Surinder Sunar has had a tough start to Day One. He has dropped under 7k and the aggressive structure of this tournament will demand his chips start moving before too long. Surinder is familiar face on the Irish tournamnent circuit enjoying some success over the years. It is unusual not to see him make Day Two but he will need to find a hand sooner rather than later. (by Sam Baneham)
17:30 Drama for Ray Panthaki
Ray Panthaki, former Eastenders star, has just moved to 15k in chips. Ray was all-in pre-flop with
and was outkicked by his opponent on 
. A decisive 
on the flop was good enough for Ray who can count himself very lucky indeed.
Comments (26)
Why aren't all the pictures that have bin made on day 1a displayed? I only see 37 pictures while I know that there are far more cause i was there! This isn't fair, everybody is the same right