Irish News

PaddyPowerPoker Signs First Pro

PaddyPowerPoker.com has signed Irishman Ciarán "Big C" O'Leary as its brand ambassador. O'Leary, this month's Card Player cover star, is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and won the $1,500 no-limit hold'em event at the 2007 World Series of Poker.

The popular player, who has made several appearances in Europe since his WSOP victory, said, "I'm thrilled to have signed with PaddyPowerPoker.com and to have the opportunity to represent them live and online. To be honest, signing with [them] made the most sense to me; they're a company after my own heart. Not only is the poker software and range of games top notch, but they're known as the most fun and friendly room around; I wouldn't be involved with anything less!"

O'Leary will represent the Irish-based online poker room at this year's WSOP, as well as the Irish Winter Festival and next year's Irish Open.

Poker fans can visit the "Big C" section, at PaddyPowerPoker.com, which includes O'Leary's blog, as well as tutorial and strategy sections.

Las Vegas Poker Dealer in Irish Hitman Trial

A former Las Vegas poker dealer has gone on trial with a woman in Ireland for allegedly conspiring to kill her partner and members of his family.

Essam Eid, 52, with an address in Nevada, USA, pleaded not guilty along with Sharon Collins of conspiring to kill P.J. Howard and his sons Niall and Robert between August and September 2006. The prosecution claims Collins hired Eid to kill the men for €130,000, but in a double-cross, Eid went to the men and demanded €100,000 to cancel the hits.

Collins, who had been in a relationship with Howard, a successful local businessman, since 1998, obtained a fake Mexican marriage certificate over the Internet, then contacted Eid over the Web, where he offered his services under the name Tony Luciano.

The trial is expected to last four weeks.

Online Satellites for Irish Poker Classic

Online satellites are underway for the Macau Sporting Club's sixth annual Irish Poker Classic festival in Cork from Aug. 11 to 17, 2008. The main event is a €150,000-guaranteed €1,500 + €100 no-limit hold'em tournament taking place over three days from Aug. 15.

Sponsors of the event, Betfair, will host qualifiers starting in July, with an additional bonus for the winners. A spokesperson for the company said, "We are pleased to announce that once again Betfair Poker will be running a series of satellites starting in July. There will be a minimum of 10 seats up for grabs into this year's main event, and anybody who qualifies through Betfair and reaches the final table will gain entry for the next three years."

Players can also qualify for one of 13 €1600 main event packages at GreenJokerPoker.com, with weekly Sunday satellites for $109 running at 9.30 p.m. BST on Sunday nights.

The main event has a 15,000-chip starting stack with 75 minute blinds, and the Macau is guaranteeing eight tickets at the mega bonus satellite on Thursday, Aug. 14. Already confirmed for the event are Annette Obrestad, Rumit Somaiya, Dara Kearney, Roy "The Boy" Brindley, Mick McCloskey, Sylvester Geoghegan, Marty Smyth, Paul Lecky, Nicky Power, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Dolan, and John Keown.

Check www.macausportingclub.com/area-52 for full details of all the events at the festival and to register online.

Bodog Enters Live Arena

Bodog, the Antigua-based online gaming operator, sponsored its first poker tournament in Europe -- the Waterford Open -- from Jun. 12 to 15, 2008, in the Majestic Hotel, Tramore.

The main event was the €500 + €50 European ranking event, and the weekend attracted more than 300 players from around Ireland for this event and the €250 and €100 side events.

The final table payouts at the main event were as follows:


Emmet Gough topped the €250 event for a €4,000 payday, while Derek Cosgrove won the €100 event for €2,000.

The event featured a Bodog lounge in which players could relax with the infamous Bodog Girls.

Brendan Murray is the European bureau chief for Card Player.