Day 1 chip leader Ian Simpson falls as 2013 EPT Grand Final winner takes control
Day 2 of the €3,200 + €300 Paddy Power Poker Irish Open Main Event is in the bag. 56 players remain and there’s a player at the top who’s well versed in holding onto his stack and converting it into the win. Steve O’Dwyer might not be the biggest household name in the game, but that’s his choice. He’s an EPT Grand Final winner with over $9m in winnings and although there’s a way to go he’s got a commanding chip lead as the Irish Open approaches the business end.
To bag the €250,000 first prize, however, he needs to outlast the other 55 Day 2 survivors. Most of the rest will have their minds set on making the money first. 36 players will get at least a min-cash of €6,250.
Other players well-positioned for a deep run include Pavel Chalupka (390,000), Feargal Nealon (381,500 – also a Sole Survivor candidate), Kevin Killeen (366,500), and Simon Deadman (278,000). Tomorrow’s field will also be enlivened by the Day 2 survival of Rupert Elder (102,500), Donnacha O’Dea (77,500), Jude Ainsworth (262,000) and Dave Masters (111,000), although it will lack Day 2 bustees such as Jake Cody, Andy Black and Dale Philip. Day 1 chip leader Ian Simpson also bust out yesterday after threatening a third deep Irish Open run after his fourth-place-finish in 2012 and his win in 2013.
And there are other dynamics in play today with 14 Paddy Power Poker online qualifiers left in the field – outlasting the others brings a bonus €50,000 on top of any tournament winnings in the Sole Survivor promotion.
Exclusive freeroll!
Yesterday also saw the start of the €1,000 + €125 Liam Flood Memorial tournament, which is still ongoing with 18 out of 94 players remaining, as is the €200 + €25 Turbo Win the Button event. Today sees the start of the two-day Irish Open Mini, which at €300 + €35 does exactly what it promises, bringing 30 minute levels and a 15,000 starting stack to ex-Main Event players and newcomers alike.
You can catch all the action from the Main Event as the players surf the bubble today. The exclusive PokerPlayer365 stream kicks off at noon today. Paddy Power Poker are also laying on an exclusive freeroll this weekend with $1,000 in the prizepool for those who tune in – listen out for the secret code to be in with a shot in the Streamroller.
