A round-up of news from the PokerStars Festival in Dublin including wins for Gary McGinty and Max Silver, and Fintan Hand wants to be the Connor McGregor of poker.
Terrence Chan, no chance.
Olivier Busquet, too dandy.
ElkY, too pasty.
Nope, none of these kick-ass poker stars is going to be the next big thing. It’s Fintan Hand.
That’s the view of the Irish Sun after the online tabloid ran a special on the young man ahead of his appearance at the PokerStars Festival in Dublin where they pitched the possibility that Hand could be the Connor McGregor of poker.
The Dubliner, currently based in Malta, told the rag that he loved the way McGregor was never afraid to show his Irish roots, and how he would follow suit (literally) by wearing a Shamrock suit and tie each time he makes a final table.
The 27-year-old went on to say that his mother taught him how to play five card draw when he was five, how he dropped out of college to turn pro six-years ago, and how nobody took him seriously until signing for PokerStars.
Hand, who plays under the moniker “EasyWithAces” joined PokerStars at the same time Ben “Spraggy” Spraggons in mid-July. Since then the pair has been streaming live on Twitch five days a week, including covering the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event Final Table that saw Steven van Zadelhoff net a $1.6m windfall.
According to the article, Hand vowed to put Ireland on the map. I’m confident Bono, Bob Geldof, and Andy Black put the pin in before him.
PokerStars Festival Dublin News
We never did get to see Hand wearing that fancy Shamrock suit. A field of 544 players entered the €1,100 buy-in PokerStars Festival Dublin Main Event, and Gary McGinty walked away with the €91,808 first prize. Hand failed to finish in one of the 79 spots reserved for those walking away with a profit. The event fell short of its €700k Guarantee by €21k.
It’s the second biggest win of McGinty’s career, and they have both arrived in 2017. In April, he took down the €1,040 High Roller Turbo at the Irish Open for €26,625.
This one ended with a four-way split.
The 2017 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Championship runner-up Deborah Worley-Roberts finished 19th, the 2016 WSOP Casino Employees event runner-up Kerryjane Craigie finished 30th, and seven-time World Snooker Champion, Stephen Hendry finished 56th.
Here are the final table results:
1. Gary McGinty – €91,808*
2. James O’Callaghan – €74,797*
3. Antonio Merone – €78,554*
4. Sean Prendiville – €71,161*
5. Ivan Tononi – €35,780
6. Declan Connolly – €28,110
7. Michael Graydon – €20,980
8. Alexander Bretherton – €14,530
9. Noel McMahon – €11,480
*Indicates a four-way deal
The Irish dominated the final table of the Main Event filling eight of the final nine berths, but they were as prevalent as a typewriter in an Apple store when it came to the High Roller.
The €2,200 buy-in event attracted 85 entrants, and it was the recent WSOP bracelet winner, and father-to-be, Max Silver who netted the €45,350 first prize after a heads-up battle with the owner of MainEventTravel (MET), Fraser McIntyre.
It was a sentimental victory for Silver for many reasons.
Dublin was the scene of his first live victory when he took down the €560 buy-in United Kingdom Poker Tour (UKIPT) Main Event in 2010, and his pregnant wife Lisa was on the rail watching him compete in his final event before his mind focuses on more important matters.
Final Table Results
1. Max Silver – €45,350
2. Fraser McIntyre – €32,240
3. Peter Eichhardt – €21,110
4. David Borkowski – €16,240
5. Helio Bandeira Neves – €12,860
6. Fabian Gumz – €10,060
7. Thomas Dunwoodie – €7,920
8. Zikai Li – €6,180
9. Hans Tangermann – €4,410
