Steve Ruddock
There was quite a bit of tournament action over the past week in the United Kingdom, and in this installment of Around UK Poker we’ll do our best to get you caught up on all of the major action.
We’ll also take a look at a new fast-fold poker game at 888 Poker, dubbed Snap Poker, bring you the details on impending renovation at the Genting Club Blackpool, and continue our look at the 2013 British Poker Awards finalists.
Boyle Poker’s IPO Dublin draws over 1,300 players
One of the most popular annual tournaments in Ireland is the BoylePoker International Poker Open (IPO) Dublin.
What makes the IPO Dublin so popular among Irish poker players is the combination of the affordable buy-in (the BoylePoker IPO sports a €200 + €30 buy-in) and the huge exposure the event receives.
In all, 1,373 players registered for the tournament this time around, generating a prize-pool of €274,600.
This year it was postman Donie Lyons who captured the title, pocketing a very nice €39,485 after cutting a five-way deal at the final table that saw each player receive €25,000 with the remaining €14,485 left for the winner.
Here is a look at the final table payouts from the 2013 BoylePoker IPO Dublin event from the Boyle Poker blog:
1. Donie Lyons €39,485*
2. Andrew Hall €25,000*
3. Kenny Nyhus €25,000*
4. Alan McGinn €25,000*
5. Mustafa Gultekin €25,000*
6. Cathal Shine €10,300
7. Michael Murray €7,550
8. Alan Daly €5,490
9. Kevin Falk €3,985
*Denotes five-way deal
Sin Melin in contention at the GUKPT Luton Main Event
One of Full Tilt Poker’s UKIPT ambassadors has been having far more success on the GUKPT tour, as Sin Melin made her second GUKPT final table of the year, finishing in 7th place at the GUKPT Luton Main Event; two spots higher than her 9th place showing at the GUKPT London Main Event back in February.
After Melin’s elimination, two more players hit the rail before a deal was discussed between the final four players, with chip-leader Iqbal Ahmed pocketing £50k and the other three players receiving £35k; a further £15,500 was set aside for the winner, and that money was eventually chopped by the two remaining players during heads-up play –deals inside of deals in this event!
Here is a look at the final table payouts from the tournament courtesy of the GUKPT website:
1. Driton Haxhiak £42,750*
2. Caicai Huang £42,750*
3. Iqbal Ahmed £50,000*
4. Dean Clay £35,000*
5. Caro Citrone £14,150
6. Joe Laming £11,550
7. Sin Melin £8,900
8. Danny Toffel £7,200
9. Mitch Johnson £5,250
British Poker Awards: Best UK Tournament and Personality of the Year
This week we continue on with our look at the British Poker Awards categories, and this time around it will be the Best UK Tournament and Personality of the Year categories that are put under the microscope.
Readers’ Choice: Best UK Tournament
* ISPT Wembley
* EPT London
* UKIPT Nottingham
* GUKPT Goliath
* DTD Grand Prix
In this category, as long as the ISPT Wembley doesn’t win I’ll be a happy man. Frankly I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how the ISPT made the list of finalists at all (the local pub tournaments are probably better venues), considering the paltry turnout and huge overlay, not to mention the complete cluster**** the tournament was until the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Room stepped in and at least kept the event from being a complete laughingstock.
So my choice for this one is anyone but the ISPT.
Readers’ Choice: Poker Personality of the Year
* Jake Cody
* Sam Grafton
* Neil Channing
* Liv Boeree
* Sam Razavi
Grafton, Channing and Razavi are the clear-cut top three choices here, and in the end I have to go with Sam Grafton, he’s just too perfect in both interviews and on social media.
To vote for the 2013 British Poker Awards, or to find out more about the BPA’s, you can visit their website.
UK News Bites
Genting Blackpool gets a makeover
According to a report on UK.pokernews.com the Genting Poker Club in Blackpool will receive £500,000 to give the casino a much needed makeover. The funds will not only be pumped into the casino’s gambling offerings, but will also go towards bar and restaurant upgrades, as well as a new lobby according to the article.
888 Launches Snap Poker
Fast-fold poker enthusiasts will now have another option as 888 Poker has announced the addition of Snap Poker to their poker lineup. Snap Poker mirrors other fast-fold poker games like Rush Poker at Full Tilt and Zoom Poker at PokerStars, and is currently available at the $.01/$.02 to $.05/$.10 levels for No limit Holdem play.
Sign up for a new account today and you can grab a £12 no deposit bonus from 888 Poker.
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