Galway Poker Festival – Day 4 Wrap
In Ireland, we know all too well that it’s not a question of if it’s going to rain, but rather when. After blue skies and a vibrant winter sun lit up Galway Bay over the past few days, Saturday brought a cold and wet change. Thankfully, the weather did nothing to dampen spirits inside The Galmont Hotel.
The day kicked off with the Galway Poker Festival Main Event Day 1F, which attracted 136 entries. Eager to secure a stack for the Main Event, players wasted no time getting to work. Sean Murtagh, Killian Farrell, and Dara O’Kearney were all in the mix but unfortunately failed to progress. From this flight, 34 players advanced, with the largest stacks belonging to Aidan Hynes (301,000), Mark Buckley (355,000), and Yu Geng, who topped the flight with a commanding 820,000.
Next on the schedule was The Claddagh Cup Day 1B, drawing 122 entries and once again smashing the guarantee. The prize pool climbed to €46,180, with 22 players making it through to the next stage. Leading the way were Dave Kingston (289,000), Denis Fitzpatrick (315,000), and Paudie Cusack (320,000).
The final opportunity to qualify for the Main Event came in the form of Main Event Day 1G Hyper. A further 76 entries brought the total field to an impressive 706 players, creating a staggering prize pool of €420,213. From the hyper turbo flight, the biggest stacks were bagged by Zheng Weijie (172,000), James Walsh (222,000), and Mark Muldoon (390,000).
With all flights complete, Main Event Day 2 got underway with 143 players returning to the felt. Tension filled the room as players edged closer to the money. After a series of all-ins and double-ups, it was Mark Buckley who unfortunately bubbled the event, allowing the remaining players to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Play continued, eventually narrowing the field to 24 players who will return for the final day. The top three stacks heading into the finale are Barry Devlin (2,525,000), Niall K Campbell (2,310,000), and Damien Collins (2,205,000). With very little separating them, an exciting conclusion is guaranteed.
A new addition to the schedule, the Omaha Progressive Bounty, proved extremely popular, attracting 95 entries. Each player began with a €100 bounty, with half of any eliminated player’s bounty paid out immediately and the remaining half added to the victor’s own bounty. Players busting from other events gathered eagerly to watch how the format unfolded. In the end, James Gethins finished 3rd for €1,550 (€150 in bounties), while Adam Neal took 2nd for €2,370 (€325 in bounties). Adam, Head of Sponsorship for ACR Poker, previously enjoyed the Killarney Poker Festival so much that he decided to sample Galway as well. Playing his first-ever Omaha event, a runner-up finish was an impressive result. However, the night belonged to Galway local Vincent “Longlad” O’Toole, who was relentless in collecting bounties and ultimately lifted the trophy along with €7,875 (€4,575 in bounties).
The Dan Sheridan Poker Cup followed, an event created to honour Dan “The Man” Sheridan — a much-loved Boyle man, proud Rossie, husband, father, and friend. Dan was remembered for his humour, charisma, and zest for life and he is deeply missed on the Irish poker scene. The tournament saw a fantastic turnout, with 293 entries generating a prize pool of €48,308. Play continued well into Sunday morning, deals were discussed but one man wouldn’t budge. When there were 4 players left a deal was agreed upon which meant Paudie Jankunas earned €5,953 for 4th, James Walsh, and dear friend of Dan Sheridan took €5,953 for 3rd, Donald O’Kelly received €5,954 for 2nd, and Gilbert Black took home the trophy and €9,000. Gilly who is from Liverpool travels all over the globe to compete in poker events, although he had to catch a flight back home around noon on Sunday he did not let that faze him until he got a deal he was happy with.
Rounding off the day was the Claddagh Cup Final, which attracted 185 entries and once again exceeded its guarantee, creating a €46,180 prize pool. Players battled hard to reach the money, with Dave Kingston falling as the unfortunate bubble boy. Once the bubble burst, eliminations came thick and fast. Paudie Cusack secured €5,500 for 3rd place, after which a deal was agreed. Ektor Strumi collected €8,200 for 2nd, while Dylan Sweeney claimed the trophy and the top prize of €10,000. Dylan who has had some great runs was delighted to be taking his first live trophy home to Donegal.
As the Galway Poker Festival nears its conclusion, poker fans need not fret as we still have one massive day of action to look forward to.
As always, stay tuned to livepokerupdates for all the action from the final day.