In Killarney, Ireland, one man rose above the rest in the Main Event of the Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival over the weekend. Jimmy McSweeney pocketed €100,000 for the win, besting a tournament field of 832 players. The wildly successful Festival saw its Main Event completely sell out, manifesting the popularity of poker across Ireland and across Europe.
In the week before the tournament began, festival organizers increased the capacity of the Main Event from 625 to 750. However, poker players turned out in droves, selling it out just moments after 125 more people were allowed to register. When the smoke cleared in the Irish Poker Festival’s Main Event, 832 players had entered, generating a prize pool of €416,000, which shattered the €250,000 guarantee. Here were the final payouts:
1st Place: Jimmy McSweeney, €100,000
2nd Place: Andrew Roberts, – €65,000
3rd Place: Bo Ericshen, €35,000
4th Place: Hugh Whelan, €25,000
5th Place: Nick Heather, €20,000
6th Place: Ian Smith, €15,000
7th Place: Steve Johnson, €12,000
8th Place: Barry Hand, €10,000
Hand was eliminated holding A-K. He found himself in a classic race situation against McSweeney’s pocket tens. After an ace-high flop, Hand seemed to be in prime position to double up. However, McSweeney struck lightning in a bottle, hitting one of two remaining tens in the deck on the river, sending Hand packing in eighth place. Shortly after, Johnson hit the rails in seventh place after he pushed with three big blinds left in his stack and was called by two players who in turn checked the action down to the river.
Smith ran into Whelan’s 10-6 on a board of 10-6-3. Smith flipped over A-J for a bluff and needed running cards to make a better two pair, trips, or a straight. An ace on the turn meant that he would need to catch an ace or a jack on the river to stay alive. The river card was a brick, however, and he was sent home.
Heather was ousted in fifth place by McSweeney. Heather held Q-J and found himself dominated by McSweeney’s A-J, which ultimately held up. After Whelan was sent packing in fourth place, McSweeney eliminated Ericshen in a battle of pocket pairs. Ericshen held pocket eights and found that he was a 4:1 underdog against McSweeney’s pocket nines. The board was no help, sending Ericshen home in third place.
The final hand of the Irish Poker Festival pitted McSweeney against Roberts with €100,000 on the line. In the end, it was a €100,000 coin flip, with McSweeney holding pocket sixes against Roberts’ A-9. This time, the made hand held. McSweeney was a force at the final table, earning every bit of his final payday.
Ladbrokes Irish Territory Manager Bryan Coleman said, “We’re absolutely delighted with the turnout and would like to thank all the players who made this Festival such a success. Our heartiest congratulations go to Jimmy, who is a worthy champion and we’re sure we’ll be hearing more of him in the future.” The event will air in part on Irish television station TG4.
Meanwhile, the online poker site is gearing up for its LEOCOP IV Championship, which begins on Sunday, October 26th on Ladbrokes. There are 17 events in total, the last of which is the esteemed LEOCOP IV Masters Event, which takes place in November. The Main Event is a $1,100 buy-in tournament with a $250,000 guarantee. That tournament will kick off on Sunday, November 9th. Hold’em and Omaha events comprise the LEOCOP IV Championship. Both have freezeout and rebuy tournaments. Check Ladbrokes’ website or poker lobby for more information.