The finale of the Poker Million was played out last week in London and, needless to say, the Irish dominated. In fact, natives of the country went 1-2-3-4 in the event, with Boyle Poker pro Marty Smyth taking home $1 million for the win. Smyth was third in chips entering the six-handed final table. Ladbrokes dubbed the tournament as “Europe’s richest single table tournament.”
Smyth won the 2007 Irish Poker Open and burst onto the World Series of Poker (WSOP) scene in the United States in 2008 by winning the prestigious $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha tournament for $859,000. In order to claim victory, Smyth had to muscle through a 381 player field in Las Vegas as well as a final table that included Kido Pham and Michael Mizrachi (The Grinder). Smyth, who recently signed on to be a sponsored pro of rapidly-growing online poker room Boyle Poker, also took down the PartyPoker World Open IV in May, marking a landmark year.
Smyth’s incredible success has helped poker grow in Ireland. Andy Black, who finished fifth in the 2005 WSOP Main Event (which was ultimately won by Joe Hachem) helped put it on the poker map. Black emerged victorious from the field in the PartyPoker Premier League II, which also took place in London. He finished seventh in the European Poker Tour’s Monte Carlo Grand Final in 2007 for over $300,000.
Paddy Power’s Paul Burke told Poker News Daily, “The Irish were the first in Europe to embrace Hold’em. We consider Ireland to be the spiritual home of poker in Europe and, with the current crop of top professionals setting such an impressive example, there will be no shortage of new players over the next few years.” Burke added that he does not foresee the struggling worldwide economy limiting the poker market’s growth in Ireland.
Irishman Eoghan O’Dea finished second in the Poker Million, taking home $260,000. O’Dea is also a decorated player from the island and recently won the European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP) Main Event on Paddy Power. He also finished 26th in a $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event during the 2007 WSOP for $16,000.
In third place in the Poker Million in London was Ciaran O’Leary, who has one WSOP in the money finish to his name. Coincidentally, he also has one WSOP bracelet. In 2007, he outlasted a field of 2,998 entrants en route to a win in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament and pocketed $727,000. Poker pro Alex Jacob finished in third in that event and O’Leary defeated Paul Evans heads-up. Third place in the Poker Million was worth $175,000. O’Leary is a card carrying Paddy Power pro.
Finally, Liam Flood, who is more commonly known as “The Gentleman,” took fourth place for $130,000. He has two WSOP cashes during his poker career for a total of $13,380. Flood was the runner up in the 2005 PartyPoker World Open and won the PartyPoker European Open two years later. He finished fourth in the Poker Million VI last year for $175,000.
The Irish Open is the long-standing tournament series held in Ireland. It was most recently held in March, when Neil Channing won €800,000 for his victory. The 2009 installment is slated to occur over Easter Weekend, April 9th through 13th, and carries a €3,500 price tag. In 2008, Paddy Power kicked in an additional €200,000 to the prize pool. Burke added, “The Irish Festival of Poker main event in Killarney and the International Poker Open in Dublin both turned away players. The latter hosted more than 1,300 players, the biggest tournament ever held outside of the United States.”