Rory Rees Brennan Crowned Irish Poker Championship Winner, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 7th January 2009
There were 255 players in the 2009 PartyPoker Irish Poker Championship, which was held recently at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway. At the end of the day, Dublin native Rory Rees Brennan collected €160,000 for winning the tournament, which boasted a €2,000 buy-in. The 23 year-old is good friends with Poker Million runner up Eoghan O’Dea.
In a press release distributed by parent company Party Gaming, Brennan commented, “It’s unbelievable to take down this tournament. I went to the final table as chip leader, but at times I thought I was down and out. I am proud of how I played and, in particular, how I changed gears at key times.” The tournament paid out to the top 26 finishers and attracted such notable names as Poker News Daily columnist and World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton, Boyle Poker pro Marty Smyth, “Cowboy” Kenna James, and its 2008 winner, Jude Ainsworth.
The money bubble burst at the very end of Day 2, meaning that everyone who returned for the third day of play would take home a little extra cash. David Curtis and Derek Murray represented the hometown crowd of Galway at the final table and pacing the field was chip leader Ben Vinson. At the end of the day, Chris Dowling committed all of his chips with 6-9 offsuit and found himself dominated by Brennan’s A-10. Although a nine came off on the flop, Brennan spiked an ace on the turn, sealing the victory for the young gun. Here were the top ten finishers in the PartyPoker Irish Poker Championship along with their payouts:
1st Place: Rory Rees Brennan, €160,000
2nd Place: Chris Dowling, €90,000
3rd Place: Ben Vinson, €55,000
4th Place: David Poole, €30,000
5th Place: David Curtis, €20,000
6th Place: Krzysztof Gwvszko, €15,000
7th Place: Peter Murphy, €12,500
8th Place: Derek Murray, €10,000
9th Place: Rory Liffey, €8,000
10th Place: Rory Brown, €7,000
In addition to the Main Event, a €750 buy-in side tournament was also held. Its final table included David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Surinder Sunar, and Ainsworth. When the smoke cleared in this highly publicized “bust out” event, Ulliott ran away with the field and pocketed €33,000. In a press release distributed by Devilfish Gaming, which operates Devilfish Poker, Ulliott stated, “I got a lot of chips early in the tournament, which meant players were moving in with all sorts of marginal hands. I got lucky once against Paul Jackson with A-J against his queens and when I got heads-up against Surindar Sunar, I don’t think he won a hand.” One of the original “Bad Boys of Poker,” Ulliott won a $2,000 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em tournament during the 1997 World Series of Poker. Sunar recently took down a Pot Limit Omaha event at the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam.
Also held as part of the festivities was the Poker for the Homeless charity tournament. The event raised €40,000 for the Capuchin Day Center. For the second year, a player from Waterford took down the title. This time around, it was Nicky Power. Last year, Noel Furlong emerged victorious in the event, which gave €100 of its €330 buy-in directly to the charity. Irish poker pro Padraig Parkinson, who was one of the main faces behind the benefit, said after the event, “We’d like to thank everyone who played and all of the companies who contributed financially to the success of the event. Without them, it wouldn’t exist and we’re deeply grateful.”
The Irish Poker Championship Tour traveled to numerous casinos between August and December, including the Red Cow Hotel in Dublin and Park Hotel in Kiltimagh. Perched atop its leader board when the season concluded was Jaye Renehan, who grabbed €11,400 in total winnings.
One day after busting out of the Main Event, Sexton told tournament officials about the atmosphere in the European country: “When you come to Ireland to play these poker tournaments, it’s as much about the social aspects as it is the poker. You spend a lot of time in the pub and it’s a lot of fun.” (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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