Killarney Poker Festival – Day 4 Wrap
The end of the working week means that those who have been watching from afar finally get their chance to join the fray.With the festival already beyond the halfway stage, the IPT have meticulously planned a schedule so that those coming, and those already here have a plethora of events to get involved in.
The day started with the Killarney Main Event Day 1D, which saw 224 entries ready to try their luck at snapping up the Main Event prize. Looking through the roster it is clear to see that the Killarney Poker Festival is a worldwide attraction, with players from all over the world bolstering the field. The highest stacks brought forward from this flight were with Roger Conroy who bagged 525,000, James J O’Brien secured 655,000, the highest stack of the flight was with Jamie Cusack who had 685,000.
Killarney Omaha Championship 7-Max Final got underway, with a prize pool of €54,720. Onlookers were watching with a keen eye as IPT regulars failed to make it into the money. Leaving the top places free, in 3rd place was Daryl McAleenan, who took home €9,720, in 2nd was Eemil Tuoominen who pocketed €15,000. The winner who took home the trophy and €24,000, was Mark Buckley.
Next up was €1k One Dayer which saw 59 entries bringing the prize pool to €50,975. With competitive play, the field dispersed. Which saw IPT ambassador Dara O’Kearney making it to the final table. Unfortunately, Doke bubbled out leaving the rest of the table to battle for the top spots. It ended in a 4-way ICM deal with players playing on for the trophy and €1000, in 4th was Ping Po, who banked €10,150, 3rd was Aleksander Golubevs, taking home €8,835, 2nd was Neil O’Reilly, who pocketed €10,540. The winner was Jamie Kelly who took home the trophy and €12,750.
One of the great elements of the IPT tour is its mission to make poker an inclusive setting. With that in mind, the Killarney Women’s Championship got underway. The atmosphere at these tournaments is always a joy — free-flowing prosecco, tasty treats to start, and then serious play.
As play progressed, the final table convened to determine the winner. Third place went to Mary Galvin, a familiar face at these festivals, who pocketed €1,800. After a heads-up deal, Colette Murphy came in second and took €3,100. The winner — Caroline McKeever — claimed the trophy and €3,485.
The event also carried extra meaning through a collaboration with Hearts of Queens, founded by Natalie Bromley. Together with IPT, the tournament raised a total of €1,320 in donations. Of this, €400 went to supporting the Fresh Start Boxes initiative, while the remaining €920 was directed to Safe Ireland and Aoibhneas Domestic Abuse Network. With €460 raised through the Last Longer competition and a further €460 matched by IPT, the effort was a resounding success — showing the positive impact the poker community can make beyond the felt.
The Killarney Main Event Day 1E saw a further 142 entries taking part in an attempt at making it through to the next stage of the event. With all the events going on around the floor the atmosphere was electric. The highest stacks brought forward from this flight was with David Daneshgar, who bagged up 374,000. Next was Ray Flynn, who had 376,000. The highest stack from this flight and by some margin was with Hannes Praks, who secured 687,000.
The Omaha 7 Max 4 Card had 40 entries which saw the prize pool reach €10,370. The play was competitive which resulted in yet again, IPT power houses such as Shane Keary and Andy Toole, failing to make it to the final table. The top spots for the tournament went to Darren Floyd, who came in 3rd and banked €2,000. In 2nd was Michael Fitzgerald, pocketing €2,770. The winner who had a late night the previous day had come fresh for battle, taking home the trophy and €4,100 was Luke Tatum.
The NLH €20k saw 215 entries resulting in a prize pool of €35,088. Which also meant that 22 places were paid. Those that lasted to the final table bolstered by their progress were ready to make their mark on the festival. In the end Jamie Howe finished 3rd taking home €3,900. In the heads up the players made a deal playing on for €1000 and the trophy. In 2nd was John Ward who banked €6,655 and the winner was Wang Kwan Chan, who took home the trophy and €7,655.
The Killarney Main Event Day 1F saw 82 entries adding their names to the roster. From this flight the highest stacks brought forward were with Charlie Porter, who had 280,000. Derrick Wall, bagged up 302,000 and Gerard Harraghy, had 305,000.
With Day 2 of the Main Event coming up along with many other opportunities for players to taste victory, the following days are sure to be unmissable, stay tuned to livepokerupdates for all the action…