Poker News

Donnacha O’Dea In, Dave ‘The Devilfish’ Ulliott Out

Fans of ‘The Devilfish’ might be sad to hear that poker pro Dave Ulliott will no longer be attending the Dublin stage of the Poker Academy on May 16th. But do not fret my teary-eyed friends! For those who plan on attending the fixture, a more than suitable replacement has been called upon in the form of Irish poker legend Donnacha O’Dea.

PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open, Final Table: Johansson Upends Scott, Pantling

After three long days of tournament poker, the PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open concluded in a rapid-fire final table that saw Andrew Pantling come into Day 4 with a massive chip lead but bust in third place as EPT Live...

Christer Johansson wins the 2009 Irish Poker Open

39-year-old Swedish professional Christer Johansson outlasted a field of 700 runners to claim the 2009 Irish Poker Open Main Event. Johansson, whose previous biggest win was the €500,000 WPT Paris event in 2003 took home a first prize of €600,000.

PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open, Final Table: Johansson Upends Scott, Pantling

After three long days of tournament poker, the PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open concluded in a rapid-fire final table that saw Andrew Pantling come into Day 4 with a massive chip lead but bust in third place as EPT Live...

Irish Open Final table

We're just 15 minutes into a dframatic the Irish Open final table

PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open, Day 3: Andrew Pantling Heads Final

With 64 players returning for Day 3 of the PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open, a long day's work awaited to determine the eight-handed final table. The day featured bad beats, outdraws, a 'Sole Survivor' crowned and Andrew Pantling...

PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open, Day 2: Bradshaw, Brooke-Pearce Share Lead

Day 2 of the PaddyPower.com Irish Poker Open kicked off with 287 survivors of the original 700 entrants returning. That field thinned even more on Day 2, with only 64 survivors dodging the minefield to make it through...

PaddyPower Irish Open Day 1: Verburg Tops Opening Session

The Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Ireland played host to Day 1 of the PaddyPower.com Irish Open yesterday, with a whopping 700 players posting the €3,500 buy-in for a shot at Irish poker history. The players...

PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open Begins Friday

One of the largest European Poker Tournaments of the year begins today in Dublin, Ireland at the Citywest Hotel when cards get into the air at the 2009 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open. Many players are expected at this €3,500 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament, and the field is expected...

Imper1um Hosts Stem Cell Research Fundraiser on Betfair

Tonight on Betfair, Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi will host a charity fundraiser benefiting stem cell research. The tournament kicks off at 20:00 U.K. time on one of the world’s largest online poker sites.

Mizzi, together with Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, John “kunku wap” Tabatabai, and Peter “Zupp” Jepsen, make up Team Betfair. The site dubs these up and coming poker players the “New Breed.” In celebration of Good Friday, Betfair will offer a $10 buy-in tournament that kicks off at 20:00 U.K. time with proceeds funding stem cell research. The winner receives a once-in-a-lifetime coaching session with one of the four Betfair pros. The tournament does not have a house fee.

The winner will be able to claim their prize at a live event, which consists of a three hour coaching session by the pro of their choice along with travel and accommodation if required. The member of the New Breed will also review a hand history prior to the coaching session. The runner up and third place finisher in the charity poker tournament will receive a hand reviewed by a Betfair pro.

Mizzi commented in a press release distributed by the independent online poker site, “It is with great pleasure that I announce my chosen charity for the Betfair Charity Tournament. There are so many worthy causes in the world like Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. Donating money to any of these charities would help find a cure for it, but funding Stem Cell Research could help find a cure for all of these devastating diseases.”

The tournament has its own Facebook page. At the time of writing, 124 members say they will be attending the stem cell research fundraiser, 385 are not attending, and 1,307 have not yet weighed in. Mizzi commented on the new Obama Administration in the United States: “I hope that with the actions taken recently by Barack Obama and his reversing the ban on Stem Cell Research, we will all see the unlimited potential for this research and the benefits it will bring to the world!”

Betfair is hard at work sending its members to the upcoming 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. A $550 buy-in tournament on April 19th will award two packages to the WSOP in Sin City; each is valued at $15,000. Satellites begin at $2.20 and run daily Monday through Saturday. The 2009 WSOP kicks off on May 27th with a $500 buy-in Casino Employees event. The next day marks the start of the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. The final table of the prestigious Main Event will once again be pushed back until November, continuing a tradition that began last year.

Mizzi grabbed second in a £5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha tournament held during the 2008 WSOP Europe festivities in London, banking £132,000 for his efforts. The tournament marked the first bracelet win for Theo Jorgensen, who defeated Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen in a boxing match in London a few months later. The Pot Limit Omaha tournament’s final table also included Erik Friberg, Max Pescatori, and Chris Ferguson, who took fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively. Mizzi took 208th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, which ended with Jerry Yang defeating Tuan Lam heads-up, and also chopped the Irish Poker Open. Online, Mizzi won the $100 rebuy on PokerStars in February for $34,000. Two weeks earlier, he grabbed third in the site’s $200 rebuy for $23,000.

Mizzi holds two victories in Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) tournaments. He took down a $216 No Limit Hold’em Rebuy contest during FTOPS III for $90,000 and also won a $216 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event during FTOPS IV for $40,000.

Last chance to qualify for this year’s Irish Open

There may only be days to go until the start of the 2009 Irish Poker Festival but it’s still not too late to qualify for this year’s Main Event.

Action Dan heads to Ireland

Former World Series Of Poker Main Event winner Dan Harrington is the latest top pro to confirm he’ll be playing at the 2009 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open. Harrington, who won the big one in 1995 will join fellow WSOP Main Event winners Noel Furlong and Jamie Gold in Dublin over the Easter weekend.

Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival announced

The 2009 Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival will take place in the beautiful city of Killarney from 2nd to 4th October. The €500+50 buy in Main Event, which attracted a massive field of 832 runners last year, will be held at the Irish National Events Centre with the prize pool guaranteed at €250,000. Stacks will be deep, starting at 15,000 chips with a one hour clock.