Card Player Poker Tour: Irish Open Brings in €822,000 Prize PoolThe Winner of the 2014 Paddy Power Poker Irish Open Will Earn €200,000 |
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In just a few short days one lucky player will leave the Double Tree Hotel in Dublin, Ireland €200,000 richer.
The 2014 Card Player Poker Tour Paddy Power Poker Irish Open kicked of April 18 and 411 hopefuls showed up with the intent of adding their names to the storied tournament’s list of winners.
With more than 400 entrants the tournament amassed a prize pool of €822,000 but only the final 47 players will pocket a piece of the money. With 259 players left in the field, the money bubble is still far out on the horizon.
Jonathan Lundy was at the top of the chip counts after nine levels of play and bagged up 201,000. Behind Lunday, Gerard Harraghy put away 156,600 and Yoni Kissous will return to a stack of 154,800.
Defending champion Ian Simpson was the man to watch during day 1, engaging with friendly, competitive banter with his tablemates throughout the day. Simpson, who finished fourth in the 2012 Irish Open and won the Sole Survivor promotion which included an entry into the 2013 tournament – which he would go on to win – bagged 51,200 at the end of the day.
“It’s already pretty crazy how the stars aligned last year, but now with the chance to come back and defend my title, it’s awesome. I love the Irish Open,” Simpson said. “Realistically, I’m no more likely to win this than any other tournament. The mechanics are it’s just another tournament, but sentimentally it’s an awesome tournament for me.”
Simpson may be the defending champion, but he is not the only player in the field who has the potential to join the list of two-time winners. Belgian Kevin Vandersmissen, who took home the title in 2012, is still alive with 34,400 heading into day 2.
With a loyal following of players the field was awash with professionals, many who call Ireland home, including Andy Black, Padraig Parkinson and father-and-son duo Donnacha and Eoghan O’Dea.
Black, who holds the distinction of being number one on the Ireland all-time live earnings list with upwards of $4.4 million in winnings, finished the day with about 27,000.
The younger O’Dea, who is number three on that same list with $2.7 million in lifetime earnings, $1.7 million of it from his sixth place 2011 World Series of Poker main event finish, will return with 33,100.
The _Irish Open _has only one day 1 and there are no re-entries or re-buys, meaning when a player hits the rail they will have to wait another year for their chance at Irish poker glory.
Among those who will have to let another 12 months pass before they take a shot at being added to the winner’s list include Nick Abourisk, David Lappin, Daragh Davey, Surinder Sunar, Martin Staszko and Parkinson.
Day 2 will begin at 1 pm Irish Standard Time. Check back at cardplayer.com for live updates and video interviews.
For a live stream of the feature table each day, up to date chip counts and table draws, visit www.pokertube.com
Top Ten Chip Counts
1. Jonathan Lundy – 201,100
2. Gerard Harraghy – 156,600
3. Yoni Kissous – 154,800
4. Vincent McNamee – 129,300
5. David Masters – 119,600
6. Garrett Boyle – 118,200
7. Barry Donovan – 116,700
8. Liam Chavalier – 114,800
9. Chris Cooke – 110,600
10. Ambrose Travers – 105,000
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