2011 Irish Open winner Niall Smyth has won the Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival in Killarney lifting €70,000 for his victory over 568 opponents in the €500 buy in event.
Smyth beat Eamon Doran heads up when his Jh 10h hit a jack on the flop while Doran’s 7h 5h hit a five and both players moved all in. The 6d on the turn and 3s on the river were good for the local Kerry player and with his top pair he scooped the top prize in Killarney to add to the €650,000 he won earlier this year at the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open.
Smyth, who started the final table third last in chips, knocked out Matz Lindman in ninth place and never looked back after he doubled up to over 2 million in chips against Chris Paulsen with K-K vs A-K.
He was understandable ecstatic with his win saying, “It’s epic. Just brilliant to win another big event. When my kings held against the A-K I knew I had a real chance. Being the Paddy Power Sole Survivor means I’m freerolling these events and it just couldn’t be any better.”
Smyth also felt his victory vindicated his Irish Open win earlier this year “It means I don’t have anything to prove to anyone,” he said. “It just great.”
In April this year Smyth turned a €10 bet on Grand National winner Ballabriggs into €650,000 when he won one of Europe’s most prestigious poker tournaments, the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open. As part of his prize for being the last online qualifier standing in that event – the Sole Survivor – he won a €100,000 sponsorship package from paddypowerpoker.com which enabled him to play the tournament in Killarney at the weekend.
He will now play the €1,100 buy in paddypowerpoker.com Irish Winter Festival taking place at the Burlington Hotel from October 28 to 30, 2011
