The €1,100 buy-in Main Event of the PokerStars U.K. and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Killarney stop concluded over the weekend. PokerStars qualifier Femi Fakinle came out on top when the final cards were dealt, banking €63,000 and a £5,250 seat into the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Main Event in London.
A total of 253 players registered last Thursday and played seven one-hour levels on Day 1. Those in attendance included PokerStars pro Julian Thew, UKIPT Coventry winner Gilles Augustus, and UKIPT Nottingham winner Andrew Couldridge. On Friday, the money bubble burst just before Midnight local time when Dave McAndrews hit the skids at the hands of Vinny Gavin.
Fakinle qualified for the Killarney event after winning a €215 qualifier on PokerStars, which serves as the presenting sponsor of the UKIPT and is the world’s largest online poker site. He entered the eight-handed final table with a commanding chip lead and had nearly double the stack of his next closest competitor. UKIPT Manchester final table member Michael Hill was the first elimination from Killarney’s final table and was ousted within 15 minutes.
After five hours, heads-up play was set between two Irish poker enthusiasts: Fakinle and Aonghus Farrell. The latter held the chip lead initially, but in the final hand, Fakinle’s Q-J drew out on Farrell’s K-6. After Farrell flopped a king, Fakinle turned a queen and hit two pair on the river to claim the title and boost Ireland’s GDP by €63,000.
Besides the money, Fakinle was also looking forward to heading to Jolly Old England to compete in EPT London. He told PokerStars officials following the final cards being dealt, “I’m most excited about the fact I’ve won a seat to EPT London; the chance to play against some of the best players in the world is something I’m looking forward to.” The EPT London Main Event takes place from September 29th to October 4th. Last year’s Main Event in the British city marked the largest poker tournament ever held in the U.K. at 730 players.
Three countries were represented at the final table, which shook out as follows:
1. Femi Fakinle (Ireland) – €63,400
2. Aonghus Farrell (Ireland) – €39,200
3. Jens Schmukal (Germany) – €24,000
4. Peter Barrable (Ireland) – €17,700
5. Brian Downey (Ireland) – €14,600
6. David Rowley (United Kingdom) – €12,100
7. Philip Phu (United Kingdom) – €9,600
8. Michael Hill (United Kingdom) – €7,425
UKIPT officials will now take a two-week respite before heading to Brighton’s Rendezvous Casino on July 15th. The tournament also boasts an £1,100 buy-in and crowns a champion after five days of play. Stops in Edinburgh and Dublin will round out the current season of the UKIPT, which ends with the London event.
Killarney’s attendance of 253 marked the smallest turnout during the UKIPT’s first season thus far. The Galway event featured the second smallest turnout, attracting 259 players, and saw acclaimed pro Padraig Parkinson come out on top. The largest event held so far occurred in Nottingham, where 650 players bought in. In the end, Andrew Couldridge collected £80,000 for the win.
In addition to the UKIPT and EPT, PokerStars also sponsors the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), Italian Poker Tour (IPT), and North American Poker Tour (NAPT).
