Friday, Jan. 13, 2006

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Irish Poker Championships won by Irish business student

By Lianne Elias

Kieran Walsh, a young business student from the Irish county of Cork, took home €150,000 in a surprise win at the inaugural Irish Poker Championships held at the City West Hotel in Dublin, it was recently announced. The No-Limit Hold'em freeze-out event took place over the course of three days last weekend, and was one of the largest poker tournaments ever held in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Walsh's victory over the 500-player playing field was no small feat considering he was up against some of Europe's top players, including 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event final table finisher Andrew Black, members of the Hendon Mob, and Roy "The Boy" Brindley.

Hendon Mob member Barney Boatman was the only pro to make it to the final table, taking home fourth place and its prize of €18,000. The second place prize of €70,000 went to Dublin local Damian Kavanagh, while the €30,000 third place payout was awarded to Cork native Dave Masters.

The remainder of the final table was made up of British players. The event boasted a €1,000 buy-in and a total prize pool of €500,000.

The televised final table will broadcast on January 27 on RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster. It will also air on PokerZone on SKY TV in February.

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