PartyPoker.com European Open V

Tuesday February 9

After the Asian Poker Tour Philippines, it is straight back into the action. I ponder going straight to the PartyPoker.com European Open V from the airport but I get a mail from my fellow Card Player columnist Padraig Parkinson. It simply reads: “Bar line-up: John Magill, Surinder Sunar, Kevin O’Connell, and me! Fuck!”

Wise in the knowledge, for once I decide to do the right thing and catch an early night. The problem is the flight from Hong Kong arrived at 8:30 p.m. and with such a long flight I had tried to sleep most of the way to alleviate the boredom. “Was this really the right thing?” I pondered as my mind raced and I thought about cooking a huge meal at 4:30 a.m.

Wednesday February 10

By mid-morning I was already on my way to the event. Reports were good. I met a guy called Paul Marrow at the Irish Poker Championship known as the “Diceman” and he’d made his debut in this format of tournament and won his heat. At the IPC he had given Kenna James the run around at the TV table. History repeated itself as apparently he’d played like a complete maniac and was tilting some of the other players. I thought this was amusing. He’s a character, good for TV, and has a unique sense of style.

Went out for a curry with Matchroom Sport’s Beiju, Spiva, Ozzy, and big John Snow tonight. Irish World Series of Poker bracelet winner Ciaran O’Leary joined us. A sense of perspective started to settle in as I realised it wasn’t possible to get some food after 10:30 p.m. in Waltham Abbey, the nearest town to the hotel. It was quite a contrast with my colourful trip around Asia but we eventually found a curry house that was able to give us a takeaway. I was ill the next morning but not as ill as a certain Mr. O’Leary. I knew the curry seemed a bit dodgy, I was just starving. I had just survived three weeks in Asia and had an exotic palate. Not exotic enough for a curry in Waltham Abbey though!

Thursday February 11

The semi-finals of the PartyPoker.com European Open V are set and they look strong. That man Neil Channing is there again and a lot of green room banter is the usual, “You run so good Neil, how can you possibly call yourself ‘Bad Beat’ anymore.” Also in the semi-finals is Essex player David Rudling. He was in Manila and also finished on the final table of one my most memorable tournaments in 2005, the PartyPoker.com St Petersburg Open.

The St Petersburg Open wasn’t memorable for its play or the result, but the fact that there was confusion and big misunderstandings about where the prize money was. All was well that ended well but when the casino owner said that the owed money was an issue between men (him and me), it became kind of hard to play the corporate line and blame the finance department. It got worse when one of his bodyguards decided to walk me back to my hotel. Hey, at least I have lived.

Anyway, I digress. Rudling is in semi-final one, as are the likes of Andy Ward, Marc Goodwin, and Karl Mahrenholz. I thought that Mahrenholz seemed like a good guy and was desperately unlucky, and it was nice to see that after cruel beats he came back to watch the final. Also in the first semi was veteran warhorse Bambos Charalambos, who was playing for the first time. You knew that because when he busted out he came into the green room and asked for cash. Andy Ward, Marc Goodwin, and runner-up in this event last year Craig Burgess made it through to the final.

Friday February 12

It was semi-final two and the final today. Channing was in the final and was joined by Roberto Romanello and Belfast civil servant William Taylor. Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott has been on the phone. Matt Broughton had created a video about his hair on the Internet and he was taking it in good spirit. He’s been on a good run recently with cashes in France but he still managed to put in a classic phone call while he was running hot. He didn’t go any further in the European Poker Tour Deauville apparently because a dealer that used to work for Matchroom Sport in six-seater format tournaments was brought to his table and started dealing him bad cards.

To the final. Marc Goodwin was determined to get revenge on Neil Channing who had busted his full house with quad tens at the business end of the World Open IV. Marc came close but the eventual winner was a very popular Welshman Roberto Romanello. The Swansea pro burst into tears after being crowned champion and scooping $200,000. Channing finished fifth, and Goodwin runner-up, but Mr. Cool couldn’t have failed to smile at the fact a friend of Romanello’s had a hefty wager with Channing on the Welshman that easily wiped out the $25,000 “Bad Beat” won.