Donegal Poker Festival – Day 1 Wrap
Sometimes referred to as the forgotten county, isolated in the northwestern corner of Ireland. Donegal has opened its doors to the Irish Poker Tour, for a weekend that everyone involved will be sure to remember. The Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny is the venue for this weekend’s shenanigans. With such a great location, the organisers at the IPT have structured an event that is sure to entice those eager to test their skills.
The day got underway with the commencement of the Donegal Main Event 1A. With 115 entries signing up to the initial flight, it is clear to see that people from near and far have come to fight for their spot on the podium. With last year’s Main Event winner Con Collins showing up to reclaim his title and hometown hero Sia Browne amongst those signing up. At the end of play it was Terence Ponsonby with 409,000, Brian Magee with 526,000 and Niall Grace with 615,000 who brought forward the highest stacks.
As the room was buzzing with the influx of players signing up for the Main Event, those unsuccessful and those just arriving had the Friday Night €5k to have a bash at. With 79 entries bringing the overall prize pool to €9,480 it was a hard-fought battle. The field whittled down to the final table then to the last few. In 3rd place was Pauric Redden taking home €1,330, in 2nd was Dominic McCloskey, banking €1,880 and the winner was Derry native Leon McDaid who pocketed €2,980.
Friday Night Omaha was up next, with 24 entries. Familiar faces lined the tables and as always, the laughs and craic was flowing with none other than Shane Keary making his debut in the festival. Tight tactics and some brave calls made for an entertaining tournament. As the players fell by the wayside it was left to Brendan Ruane who won €580 finishing 3rd. In 2nd place was Michael Sheerin, who banked €860. The winner of the Friday Night Omaha was local Aisling Strain, who lives close by in Burntfoot, taking home the trophy and €1,440.
With even more players expected tomorrow and a schedule filled with tournaments and more chances to bag up for the Main.
Make sure to stay tuned to livepokerupdates.com for all the action…