Rory Rees Brennan wins the 2009 Irish Poker Championship

The IPC was the first major Poker Tournament on the hectic 2009 calendar and the recent doom and gloom in the news did nothing to stop 255 people entering the €2000 buyin Main Event which was held in the Radisson Hotel in Galway which generated a total prizepool of €464,000 and a top prize of €160,000 – a nice New Years bonus for one lucky person.

It was a star-studded event with big names such as Mike Sexton, Kenna James, Marty Smyth and of course last years winner, Jude Ainsworth who was determined to defend his title and start 2009 on a high!

131 players failed to survive Day 1, meaning 124 players returned on Day 2, one step closer to the money. David Poole emerged as the runaway chipleader during the day, but it was the young Englishman, Ben Vinson, who was to emerge as the chipleader going into the third and final day with Chris Dowling within arms reach of him.

26 players were to make the money and it was 26 who returned on Day 3. The shortstacked players were quick to fall by the wayside and others, like the ever-determined Rory Brown, just couldn’t catch a break and often fell at the hands of the extremely active Ben Vinson who seemingly could do no wrong. Once we reached the final table however, the momentum looked set to change.

The final table consisted of an interesting bunch. Peter Murphy continued his recent good form in what was to be another final table for him. Derek Murray and David Curtis were the local Galway representation while Krzysztof Gwvszko was the sole Pole remaining in the event. The well known Rory Liffey found himself sat beside his namesake, Rory Brennan while David Poole and Chris Dowling had no intention of sitting back and letting themselves blind out! Chipleader Ben Vinson intended on continuing the dominance he had enjoyed since the beginning of the day.

It wasn’t to be Ben Vinson’s name engraved on the crystal trophy, however, after he was eliminated in 3rd place for €55,000. So it was left to Rory Rees Brennan and Chris Dowling to go head to head in an epic two and a half hour battle for the top prize of €160,000. Both players made few mistakes, but Rory finally forced Chris into making a small error when he went all-in with nine-six off-suit. Rory showed Ace-Ten and despite getting help in the form of a nine, Rory hit an ace to bury Chris and be crowned the 2009 IPC Champion, taking home the massive first prize of €160,000.

DevilFish takes down €750 Support Event

One hundred and twenty seven players gathered to contest the ninety five thousand euro up for grabs in the IPC 750 Freezeout.
The Main Event saw a high quality field and this tournament was no different. The professionals managed to battle their way through the field and avoid the extra difficulties that come with being a "name" player. The final table was littered with some of the biggest and best players in the business and the action did not disappoint.

 Dave DevilFish Ulliott was the chip leader from a long way out and the pressure he applied was relentless. There were few easy chips in play with Surindar Sunar, Donal Norton, Paul "Action Jackson", Mark Goodwin, as well as Galway man and former IPC main event winner Jude Ainsworth, certainly not in the habit of giving up chips easily.

You could not have scripted the heads up battle as Dave Ulliott and Surinder battled it out for the €33,000 first prize. It is not the first time these two greats have cashed but when the dust settled The DevilFish came out on top and started 09 with a bang! 

Daniel Vorbeck wins €500 Support Event

An epic heads up battle marked the end of the €500 Freezeout where 81 players contested a prizepool of €41,500.
This event saw a Danish winner as Daniel Vorbeck eventually overcame the formidable challenge of Richard Trench. It was a hugely entertaining heads up battle with the lead switching on numerous occasions.

English pro Paul Parker was also among another strong final table but was unable to turn his early chiplead to his advantage. Galway players were well represented by Mark Thornton who finished in 3rd place and Frank Dunleavy who finished 5th, collecting €5,250 and €2,500 respectively. "Big Al" Alan Kelleher also hit another final table finishing in 7th place.

Nicky Power scores for Charity

 Congratulations to Nicky Power who took down the hotly contested €300 Charity event in his usual inimitable style. 127 players contested this event and the action was thick and fast from the start. All the travelling players, professional and amateur alike, madeit their business to support this worthwhile cause.

In the end, a final table was made in the early hours of Monday morning and included some well known faces such as Anto O'Callaghan, Trevor McGoona and Nicky Power. After a fiercesome heads-up battle between Nicky and Anto, Nicky was to eventually emerge the victor and claim the €7,500 first prize.

It was the second year a Waterford man triumphed in the event with Pat Storan having lifted the honours in 2008. Power also follows in the footsteps of former world champion Noel Furlong who won the event in 2007. The €330 event, of which €100 went directly to homeless charities in Ireland, raised €18,200 for Galway Simon and once all pledges are collected is expected to reach €40,000, with Dublin Simon and Brother Kevin of the Capuchin Day Centre the beneficiaries.

Padraig Parkinson, one of the organizers of the event, added, “We’d like to thank everyone who played and all the companies who contributed financially to the success of the event. Without them it wouldn’t exist and we’re deeply grateful.”