Tuesday, 7 December 2010

IRISH POKER AWARDS

IRISH POKER AWARDS
By Mick McCloskey

Having recently initiated the British Poker Awards, Bluff Europe Magazine obviously thought it would be a good idea to have an Irish version. So it came to be at a ceremony held during the Boylepoker International Poker Open in Dublin in October. Proceedings were kicked of by warm up act, “Mad” Marty Wilson who then handed over to magazine chief, Michael Caselli and guest presenter Neil Channing. Three Englishmen presenting the Irish Poker Awards? Happily the rest of the proceedings were dominated by the home grown talent, although I’m not quite sure that Paul Marrow, nominated for Poker personality of the year, could, strictly speaking, be regarded as Irish. But, what the hell, if Tony Cascarino can play football for Ireland......

The nominees were chosen by a committee comprising representatives from Bluff Europe, Boylepoker.com, Poker News.com, pokerireland.ie, and d4events.com. The process then went to a public online vote to determine the winners of each category.
On the night there were four double winners. Padraig Parkinson picked up the award for Poker Personality of the year as well as the award for Best Poker Blogger. John O’Shea won the award for Best Tournament Player and the award for the Best All Round Player. Owen Robinson won the award for Break Out Year as well as the award for Player of the Year. The other double winner was J.P. McCann who picked up the Best Tournament Director award as well as the award for running the Best Poker League.

Other winners were:-

Best Cash Player – Andy Black

Best Online Player – Jude Duffy

Best Irish Card Room - The Fitzwilliam Casino

Best Irish Poker Forum – Irish Poker Boards

Best Poker Festival – Boylepoker IPO

Congratulations to all the winners.

This may not be the end of the awards for Ireland this year as Irishpokerrankings.com held their own version of the Irish Poker Awards for 2009 and will probably do the same for 2010. There are also, of course, the 2010 Poker Europa European Poker Awards, scheduled to be held in Paris in February. It would not be the first time that a few Irish players found their way into the nominations for these awards. Full details of the European awards can, I believe, be found in another page of this edition of Poker Europa.

DUBLIN WIT

Many Dubliners are known for their quick wit and off the cuff remarks. Among the older poker players in this category would be Padraig Parkinson and Alan Betson. A mutual friend of ours turned up at the Regency Hotel for the Boylepoker IPO. The man in question was American John “Schof” Sheffield. Schof has lived and worked in Las Vegas since the late sixties and was for many years involved in running the WSOP at Binion’s Horseshoe. He always worked the day shift and was well known to most of the Irish and European players who would stop off for a drink at the poker bar at night. Schof would generally join the players after work and was in a position to look after the drinks tab for the players. He also had a rich supply of jokes and stories to help keep the company entertained. The craic was so good most of the time that the session carried on well into the small hours, there being no closing time for the bars in Las Vegas. This wasn’t too bad for the players who could get some sleep afterwards. For Schof it was quite often a very short sleep, a change of clothes and back to work in the morning. This sort of schedule went on for days on end for Schof and he never seemed to show any signs of slowing down. We were sitting in the bar in The Regency Hotel one night and Schof was talking about how many hours he had been drinking since arriving in Ireland. Quick as a flash, Alan Betson came out with the comment “So you’re drinking in hours now when it used to be in days.”

NEWS

IRISH CHRISTMAS POKER FESTIVAL

Due to local demand, The Macau Club in Cork has decided to run another Christmas festival this year. It will kick off on Thursday 9th December with a €50, one rebuy, one add on, super satellite for seats in the main event. The €500 + 50 main event starts on Friday 10th at 8pm and runs for three days. Players will start with 20,000 chips. Saturday has a €180 + 20 + 20 scalp side event. Sunday sees an unusual event where you can choose your own buy in level. For €50 you will start with 7,000 chips. For €100 you will start with 10,000 chips and, if you want to start with 15,000 chips, it will cost you €150 + 15 to enter.

FINALLY

By the time the print version of this magazine hits the card rooms the first tournament of Season 2 of the Poker Stars UKIPT should be done and dusted and a new Irish Poker Champion crowned in Galway. Let’s hope we have another Irish Champion this year, following Padraig Parkinson’s win last time round. There are no other major events planned for Ireland in December so players can have a little rest from the hectic tournament schedule we witnessed in Ireland in 2010.

It only remains for me to offer all Poker Europa readers best wishes for the Christmas holiday season and hope that you all have a peaceful and profitable poker new year.

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com.

Monday, 1 November 2010

TAXED TO DEATH?

TAXED TO DEATH?
By Mick McCloskey

It has recently come to light that the Irish Tax authorities have decided to impose VAT at a rate of 21% on the activities of private members clubs. The country is in dire financial straits and is obviously looking for revenue streams to boost its finances. Under legislation passed in 1956, certain gaming activities such as those carried out in casinos were classified as unlawful gaming. Casinos have been able to sidestep this legislation by operating as private members clubs. The taxman has now formed the view that these private members clubs are liable for VAT payments and, from what I understand, will be looking to backdate these liabilities. The Revenue Commissioners contend that VAT is payable on membership fees, entry fees, fees to take part in a game and the net receipts of gaming. As I understand it, this tax would apply to poker tournament entry fees as well as to the tournament registration fees. It would also apply to bets made on other casino games and to cash game rake or time charges.

If you are a regular reader, you will know that I am always banging on about how good Irish run poker tournaments generally are. A major industry has grown up out of all these Irish events regularly attracting visitors to Ireland from all over the world. The industry directly employs hundreds of people and provides a huge boost to the Irish tourism industry. All this could be ended if this tax is fully implemented. The VAT charge does not apply to other forms of gambling such as bookmaking, bingo or to the government run Tote and National Lottery so would not seem to be a fair tax. Any demands made so far are under appeal so it could be a while before this is all sorted out. An industry group, The Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, (GLAI), is actively lobbying the Irish government for an exemption from VAT. If the tax is eventually collected, it could decimate the Irish casino industry and it would make poker tournaments in Ireland totally unfeasible, in my view, as all the major tournaments are held under the auspices of various private members clubs. The timing of all this is a little baffling as the Irish government is currently carrying out a review of the gaming industry with a view to setting up a Gaming Commission, perhaps based on the UK model, which would oversee the legalisation of casino gaming in Ireland. Perhaps the best hope for tournament poker in this country is that this tax is not implemented before the gaming review is complete. Otherwise the whole industry could be killed off before a decision on its future is made and that won’t put much money into the Irish Exchequer. It would actually cost the state and the tourist industry money in the long term.

It might be a good idea for all casino operators and poker promoters in Ireland to support the efforts of the GLAI and be guided by their current experiences in this field. You can find out more about them by visiting their website at www.glai.ie

GRASSROOTS

Poker in the Pub has launched Season 3 of this small amateur series. When I say small, I mean the buy in, as over 800 players qualified for the Grand Final in 2009. Next February the league final will take place in the INEC in Killarney with an estimated prize pool of €100,000. For full details of where you can qualify check out www.pokerinthepub.ie

NEWS

POKER STARS UKIPT

Poker Stars have now announced the schedule for Season 2 of this highly successful poker tour. As previewed in my last column, Cork will be the location for a new stop on the tour. This tournament, with a main event buy in of €500 + 60 and a guarantee of €100,000 will be held at the Rochestown Park hotel from the 19th to 22nd May and replaces the Season 1 venue of Killarney. Cork’s Macau Casino will be involved in the running of this event and will be holding a number of live satellites.

The tour returns to Dublin’s Burlinton Hotel for season 2 from the 8th to 11th September and carries a guarantee of €250,000 for a buy in of €500 + 60

First up though will be the return of the Irish Poker Championship to Galway’s Radisson Hotel. The big change this season is the reduction of the buy in for this major Irish event from €2,000 (reg. included) to €1,000 + 100. A prize pool of €250,000 is guaranteed and the tournament will run from the 2nd to 5th of December. As usual, satellites for all events will be available on PokerStars.com. Full details of the Season 2 schedule can be found at www.ukipt.com

WEXFORD

The Quay Casino in Wexford has announced details of a poker festival scheduled to run from 3rd to 5th of December. The main event will have a buy in of €500 + 50 with a guaranteed €25,000 prize pool. I’m not sure that clashing with the UKIPT event in Galway is a real good idea but, no doubt, the Quay Casino came up with these dates before Poker Stars had announced theirs. It would not surprise me if the Wexford event were to be rescheduled. I would advise anyone interested in the Wexford tournament to check with the Quay Casino before they make concrete plans.

If you have any news, views or events you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com

Friday, 1 October 2010

LOOSE END

LOOSE END
By Mick McCloskey

I must start with an apology. As the title indicates, I am at a bit of a loose end this month. It’s a mixture of writers block and disappointment that some much anticipated news failed to materialise, at the very last minute, as my deadline approaches. I had been hoping to announce details of the Irish dates of Season 2 of Poker Stars very successful UK and Ireland poker tour. However, the people at Poker Stars decided not to let me have advance notice of the dates even though the full details should be widely available by the time you read my sad excuses for lack of content this month. I did however manage to pick up a couple of snippets of news regarding the UKIPT which I will share with you. First snippet is that the Irish Poker Championship will return to Galway at the start of December and second, that a leg of the tour will be held in a Cork hotel, probably in May next year. By the very nature of instant communications these days, you will probably know more than me about these things by the time this article is available in print. Ce la vie.

NEWS

Boylepoker IPO

The Boylepoker International Poker Open takes place in the Regency Hotel, Dublin, from 15th to 17th October. There are two starting days and anyone wanting to play must register online at Boylepoker.com. For a modest €200 you will get to take part in a professionally run major event and test your skills against lots of high profile pros and celebrities from Ireland and the UK. This event had a massive 1,440 entries last year with a top prize of $62,250 going to Germany’s Markus Sippe. Boylepoker.com are adding €20,000 to the prize pool. Not too shabby for a €200 event.

Irish Winter Festival

The Irish Winter Festival moves to Dublin’s Burlington Hotel this year and takes place from 22nd to 25th October. The weekend kicks off with a €150 + 15 super satellite on Friday the 22nd for seats in the main event. The main event is a three day affair running from Saturday to Monday, a Bank Holiday in Ireland. The buy in for the main event is €1,500 + 150. Also scheduled for Saturday is a €200 + 20 NLH side event. On Sunday there is a €500 + 50 two day side event as well as something completely different, a €100 + 10 Blind Mans Bluff Championship. Card holding hats will be supplied, I believe. Getting back to semi normality, Monday’s events include a €300 + 30 round of each freezeout as well as the Irish Mythical Championship for a buy in of €100 + 10. For full details check out paddypowerpoker.com

MINI WSOP FESTIVAL

If you have never been to Vegas for the WSOP, or even if you have, here is a chance to play WSOP type events for a fraction of the cost of the real thing. All the events use the same structure as the corresponding WSOP tournaments but with shorter levels. This is the second year of this festival, organised by J.P. McCann and his team, and is scheduled to run from 4th to 7th November at the Maldron Hotel, Tallaght, Dublin. The hotel has a reduced room rate of €79 per night using the promo code “poker 2010”. Last year’s festival had 325 runners for the €350 main event, generating a prize pool of over €100,000. The action starts on Thursday night with a €150 short handed event and this is followed by a €80 super satellite for seats in the main event. You will have another chance to win a main event seat in a €80 turbo satellite on Friday afternoon. The €350 three day main event kicks off at 8pm with players starting with 30,000 chips, playing 45 minute levels. On Saturday there is a €250 side event, also with a 30,000 starting stack and 30 minute levels. There is also a €80 turbo side event with 4,500 chips and 20 minute levels on Saturday night. Sunday is going to be all action with four events planned on top of the conclusion of the main event itself. In short, there is a €250 HORSE event at 3pm, a €150 triple shootout at 5pm, a €250 heads up event at 7pm and another €80 turbo event at 9pm. Phew, my head’s spinning already but I’m sure J.P. and his team can handle it all with ease.
J.P.’s events are among the best structured tournaments to be found anywhere. To ensure that this continues he has stated that “If the average stack, in the main event and the 250 event, drops below 25 big blinds, we will rerun levels to a maximum of three times to help ensure the game doesn’t become a crap-shoot.”
J.P. does have his own website at www.jppoker.ie but, unfortunately, the site is not updated as often as it should be. However, he is fairly good at getting his events onto other websites. Full details of the festival can be found on the Hendon Mob poker forum and on irishpokerboards.com, among others.

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com

Thursday, 2 September 2010

VEGAS PART 2

VEGAS PART 2
By Mick McCloskey

While in Las Vegas during the WSOP I played a media only free roll event at the Rio Casino. I happened to be drawn at the same table as the head of casino security at the Rio. On the very first hand of the tournament all hell broke loose on our table with four people going all in. The hands were pocket AA, pocket KK, for the head of security, pocket 10, 10 and pocket 3, 3. The flop was A, K, 10, giving three people a set. The turn was a 3, giving a fourth set and, wait for it, the river was also a 3 giving one player four of a kind and the other three full houses! Bad beat city! With press cameras rolling and flashing all around the table, it was announced that it had all been a set up and that everyone was to start again with their original chip stacks. The one thing I don’t understand was how they knew that I was going to pass my pocket JJ in this hand. Go figure that one out!

On my way home I was booked on the Virgin direct flight from Vegas to London. On the same flight I spotted recent WSOP bracelet winners Mike Ellis and Steve Jelinek. I sort of assumed that the pair would be travelling in upper class or even first after their success. I was surprised therefore to see both guys seated a couple of rows behind me in economy class. Joint winnings at the 2010 WSOP, $827,722. Good to see the lads watching the pennies and being careful not to squander their winnings! After all, everyone on the flight gets from Vegas to London no matter where they sit, right!

Another Vegas wedding to report. Julian Gardner, runner up in the WSOP main event in 2002 for $1.1 million, tied the knot with his long time partner Kerry. My reaction, like many others, on hearing the news was, “Damn, I thought they got married years ago!”
Best wishes for the future to Julian and Kerry and the family from myself and all here at Poker Europa.

Finally, to round off my Vegas report, congratulations to Dublin’s James Fennell, top Irish finisher in this years main event. James picked up $168,556 for his 48th place finish along with his first ever entry in The Hendon Mob database. Nice start sir.

NEWS

POKERSTARS UKIPT
September sees the start of a busy period for poker tournaments in Ireland. First up is the Dublin leg of the Poker Stars UK and Ireland poker tour, running from 9th to 12th September at the Burlington Hotel. Following a player survey, the buy in has been reduced from €1,000 to €500 + 60 but the €250,000 guarantee remains in place, meaning that the organisers are expecting a 500+ field. Following the success of the UKIPT in other venues, I doubt they will have any problem meeting the guarantee. The event will be recorded for broadcast on Channel 4 early in the new year. For further details log onto www.ukipt.com

WINAMAX EUROPEAN SHORT HANDED POKER CHAMPIONSHIP

This event takes place in the Ballsbridge Inn, Dublin from 15th to 19th September. The buy in is €500 + 50 for the six handed three day event, which will have two starting days. The capacity is set at 600 but, if the demand is there, this may be increased. Side events will be played as normal 9 or 10 handed tournaments in the initial stages before becoming 6 handed. For full details see www.d4events.com

LADBROKES POKER FESTIVAL

This event kicks off with a super satellite on 30th September with the €500 + 50 three day main event starting on 1st October in the INEC complex at the Gleneagles Hotel in Killarney. The tournament has a €250,000 guarantee and has proved to very popular with players over the last two years since its first running. Part of the attraction is the Ladbrokes player lounge where people can chill out or have a meal or a drink as well as having a little pool or darts action on the side. Satellites and direct buy ins are currently available on Ladbrokes poker site.

BOYLEPOKER IPO

One of the year’s most fun events is the record breaking International Poker Open, scheduled to run from 15th to 17th October at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. For a buy in of €200, players of all abilities can experience a professionally run major event and rub shoulders with celebrities and well known poker pros from the UK and Ireland. As if that wasn’t enough, Boyles are adding a juicy €20,000 to the prize pool. The only way to register for this tournament is to win a seat on Boylepoker.com or to buy in direct through the poker site. You can get extra starting chips for the tournament by registering early and earning player points on Boylepoker.com. Check out the online poker site for full details.

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com

Thursday, 5 August 2010

REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS

REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS
CARD PLAYER COMES TO THE RESCUE OF POKER EUROPA

No, it was not a hostile business takeover. What happened was the rescue of yours truly from a very confined space. Let’s start at the beginning. Paul Lucey, from the Atlantis Casino in Carlow had very kindly issued an open invitation to all the Irish players in Vegas to a party at a very nice villa at the Mirage Casino. The villa had three bedrooms, a lounge and a bar/entertainment area as well as an outdoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and putting green. As the party got into full swing, I made a visit to one of the many bathrooms in the property. As I went to leave, the door handle came off the inside of the door and I was trapped. I began banging on the door until I heard a voice outside asking if I was all right. It belonged to none other than the lovely Rebecca McAdam, Card Player Europe’s roving reporter. I explained my predicament and Rebecca was able to open the door from the outside to complete my rescue. It’s always good that poker magazine reporters can help each other out when they are on the job, so to speak. So, if Rebecca ever finds herself in the same predicament, I will be only too happy to return the favour.

As I write, all the WSOP side events have been completed and the main event is underway. Numbers are up this year, despite business being well down in Vegas overall, due to the recession in the USA. Congratulations have to go to the Brits who are taking home five WSOP bracelets and a lot of money for runner up and final table appearances. Very well done to Praz Bansi, James Dempsey, Richard Ashby, Mike Ellis and Steve Jelineck. Actually leading the UK money list is Sam Trickett, who took over half a million dollars for a runner up spot as well as another five cashes.
Topping the Irish money list is Denis Murphy, closely followed by Nick Heather who I hear has landed himself a sponsorship deal with Paddy Power Poker on the back of this and other results. Sean Prendiville has continued to show form in Vegas following a good run back home. He cashed twice here in Vegas. Of course the main event has yet to be completed, so let’s hope for a few more Irish results.

Las Vegas itself sees a lot of changes this year. There are a few abandoned building sites around town but, at the same time, the impressive new City Centre project is pretty much completed, virtually dwarfing the nearby Bellagio property. A brand new casino, the Aria, has opened in the City Centre. It has a poker room and a high roller room named after Phil Ivey. Rumour has it that The Big Game may move from its home at the Bellagio to the brand new property
At the other end of town, Binion’s casino is sadly almost derelict. The hotel rooms are all closed down as well as the famous Coffee Shop. They have had a series of poker tournaments during the WSOP but the cash action, compared to last year, is almost nonexistent. It makes me sad to see the decline of such a historic casino, the original home of the World Series.

NEWS

IRISH CLASSIC POKER FESTIVAL

Ireland’s biggest week long festival kicks off in the Macau Club in Cork on Monday 16th August. The varied schedule includes a Triple Shootout event, a shorthanded event and a Pot Limit Omaha freezeout as well as the €1,000 + 100 main event. The three day main event has a €100,000 guarantee and has two starting days on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th August. The starting stack is set at 20,000 chips with 75 minute levels. The award winning Macau Club is renowned for its hospitality and the nightly hot food buffet is undoubtedly the best I have personally experienced anywhere in the UK or Ireland.
Look out for live satellites in clubs around Ireland. Online satellites for seats are also available on Stan James Poker, Betpackpoker.com, Boylepoker.com, Betfair.com and Paddy Power Poker.
For further details log onto www.macausportingclub.com

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com

Thursday, 15 July 2010

BON VOYAGE

BON VOYAGE
By Mick McCloskey

I recently heard the news that Paul Spillane, head of poker at Boylepoker.com for about the last two and a half years, is to leave the company. He intends to spend the summer in Las Vegas and in Spain before making a decision on his future.
I first met Paul in the late nineties or possibly the year 2,000, playing with him in various poker tournaments, mostly in Birmingham. At that time the Rainbow Casino in the city was one of the very few places in the UK that ran poker tournaments on a fairly regular basis. The Rainbow was the home of the Great Britain Poker Championship, one of the most prestigious titles to be had at that time. If memory serves me correct, it was a Pot Limit Hold’em affair. The Rainbow closed its poker room just around the time that poker started to boom in the UK and Europe. Perhaps it was a good thing that they did close as the premises were pretty cramped even in those far off days and would not have been able to cope with many more players coming through the doors. Anyway, Paul served his time playing on the poker circuit and came to Boylespoker with all that valuable experience under his belt. He knew many of the top UK pros at the time and shared a house/flat with Neil Channing, among others, for a time. He was able to use this insight into the mindset of the journeyman poker pro, and the contacts he had built up, to help develop the business of Boylepoker in Ireland and further afield. Boylepoker.com had been involved in sponsoring some tournaments in Ireland before Paul joined them but, I think they would themselves admit that this sponsorship was not that successful. With Paul’s involvement in a new sponsorship venture, all that went before could be forgotten. Boylespoker took on an existing event, organised by Stephen McClean, and transformed it into one of the most popular tournaments in Europe. I refer of course to the International Poker Open, held in October each year in Dublin. From the outset, it set new records for attendances at European poker events but it was more than just a numbers thing. Paul used his contacts to persuade a good number of top UK and Irish poker pros to come and play in an event they would never otherwise have considered attending. It gave a lot of aspiring amateurs the chance to play against top pros in a pretty well structured and very well run two day event, for the price of a buy-in to their local monthly club special. In addition, all the pros and invited celebrities had a bounty on their heads and could be identified by the Sunderland football tops they all had to wear. It also gave the pros the chance to relax and mix with each other, and with all the players, at one of the most fun weekends of the year. The hotel bar always does brisk business over the weekend.
The other thing that was new to Boylespoker was the sponsorship deals given to a number of top Irish players, the first of which was Marty Smyth. Boyles made the inspired decision to sponsor Marty shortly after his win at the Irish Open. He managed to repay their faith in him by going on to win a WSOP title and the live televised Poker Million, wearing the Boylepoker logo. They also got involved in sponsorship of the Poker Show, featuring Jesse May and Padraig Parkinson, and in Irish Poker Rankings. With all this and player blogs and player videos on their website, it gives Boylepoker.com the feel of a poker community, giving users the chance to leave comments on the website.
In a way, I think Paul and his team have managed, in a pretty short space of time, to transform the Irish poker scene for the better and, to my mind, has brought Boylepoker.com to the forefront of Irish poker and left the company probably in a much healthier state than before he came along. I personally, and all here at Poker Europa, want to thank Paul for all his work in the past and to wish him well in the future in whatever he decides to do.

NEWS

IRISH SERIES OF POKER

With the main event of the WSOP kicking off on 5th July, those who can’t make it to Vegas can have a go instead in Waterford where the Irish Series of Poker gets underway on 6th July. The organisers are Big Slick Events and the venue is the Tower Hotel, where special room rates have been negotiated for players. The schedule includes a PLO event and a Ladies tournament. The main €500 (10% reg included) event starts on Friday 9th July and features a very good looking structure with a 20,000 starting stack and 60 minute levels, rising to 75 minute levels for day 2 and 90 minute levels for day 3. Full details can be found at www.bigslickevents.net

WATERFORD MASTERS

Another festival takes place in the seaside resort of Tramore, Co. Waterford from 22nd to 25th July. The event is sponsored by Brucepoker.com in association with The Olympus Casino and ProNutzPoker.com. The venue is the Grand Hotel, where a special deal has been negotiated for players. The main 3 day event has a buy in of €400 + 40 and features a 15,000 starting stack and 60 minute levels. Full details can be found in the Irish Festivals section of www.irishpokerboards.com.
For any queries, call Brian O’Keeffe on 086 103 5798 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 086 103 5798 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

OLD SCHOOL/NEW SCHOOL?

OLD SCHOOL/NEW SCHOOL?
By Mick McCloskey

I heard a story lately about a tournament play made by a well known player on the Irish poker scene. It relates to “Big Al” Kelleher from Cork. I have known Al for a good few years and, apart from being known on the Irish scene, Big Al has also been known to make his considerable presence felt on poker tables in many other far flung places across the globe. I’m not really sure if the story is true or not as I haven’t confirmed it with the man himself. However, I’m pretty sure there would be no harm in repeating the story here as it doesn’t reflect badly on Al. In fact I can totally relate to this story as I have played with Big Al in the past and can just imagine this situation and have witnessed similar outcomes involving Al.
Apparently Al was playing in a tournament somewhere and was involved in a pot with a young player. At some stage during the hand, Al asked for a count of his opponent’s chip stack. The guy counted his stack and informed Big Al that he had 6,700. Al immediately announced that he was betting 6,000 into the pot. His opponent announced “All in” and Big Al’s cards hit the muck before the guy got his chips into the middle!
Being aggressive in No Limit poker is a well known part of the game so Big Al was just doing what players do in playing NLH. It sometimes amuses me to hear young guys discuss poker strategy as if it was all something new. The game has been dissected to its bare components on various poker forums by new school experts. I was amused a few years back to see a guy discussing, on a poker forum, a hand I had been involved in with him. He made the comment that he had called off a chunk of his chips because it looked like I was making a squeeze play against him and another player. He then made the comment that he wasn’t quite sure if I actually knew what a squeeze play was. I don’t claim to be a great technical, or any sort of expert, on NLH, but I do know a little about the subject. I also know that guys like Doyle Brunson and many of his contemporaries were playing the ultra aggressive game way before many of the new school experts were born. The late great Stu Ungar, three time winner of the WSOP main event, was well known for his aggression and for the move that is now described as “floating”. It was all part of his stock in trade. Ungar died in 1998, before the advent of internet poker and all the theory about NLH which was to appear on internet forums since their inception. Most of the new school theory and strategy has been around for almost as long as the game of No Limit Hold’em has been around. So don’t write off the old school just yet.

NEWS

UKIPT

The only major event coming up in Ireland in June is the Poker Stars UKIPT event in Killarney, scheduled to run from 24th to 27th June in the INEC at the Gleneagles Hotel complex, which includes separate self catering apartment blocks and the five star Brehon Hotel. I can personally recommend the Brehon Hotel. It costs a bit more to stay there but is well worth it if you like a little bit of extra class and comfort. The main event has a buy-in of €1,000 + 100. Satellites for seats and packages are currently running on the Poker Stars online site. The event carries a €250,000 guaranteed prize pool. As I said in my last column, I would imagine that many of the top pros from the UK and Ireland will be in Las Vegas for the WSOP at this stage of the month so the tournament will probably be wide open for players not making, or delaying, the annual trip to Vegas. Unfortunately I am one of those travellers so will miss this much anticipated event. The fact is that, from where I live in Northern Ireland, it is almost easier for me to travel to Vegas than it is to get to Killarney! It’s not just Tipperary it’s a long way to. Best wishes to all the Irish players going to Killarney and also to those heading further afield in June.
Details of the Killarney event can be found at www.ukipt.com

SILKS

Former owner of Belfast’s Cavendish Poker Club, Sean Murphy, has been in touch to let me know that he has taken over Silks Casino Club in Dublin. He intends to run regular poker games at the plush club on Earlsfort Terrace, near St. Stephens Green. Further details of the casino can be found at www.silksclub.ie

If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com