Galway action heats up

Galway action heats up

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

One of the most entertaining events being held as part of this year’s Galway Festival stop of the annual UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT), a heads-up match between England and Ireland, got underway yesterday.

The Galway Festival started on Saturday with the first of its scheduled 60 tournaments while Monday saw 32 players sign up for a special battle with national pride at stake.

Lining up behind their respective captains, Jake Cody for England and Irishman Fintan Gavin, the likes of Martins Adeniya, Andy Black, Matt Perrins, Donnacha O’Dea and JP Kelly were all a part of the action.

After a day of play, the points tally stands at 43 to five in favour of England thanks in large part to strong performances from Cody, Max Silver and Dave Nicholson.

Away from the team tournaments, the Galway Cup came to a conclusion in the early hours of this morning and saw Diarmaid Kennedy walk away as the winner. After grinding his way past 462 players, the Cork native was able to best fellow Irishman Breandan Reaney heads-up to claim the €12,388 top prize.

The final hand of this event saw Kennedy move all-in with Ah 9h against a short-stacked Reaney. After his opponent called with Ac 6s, Kennedy was able to scoop the pot after the Qs 9s 5d 5h Jd board gifted him the Galway Cup title.

As the action inside the specially constructed poker village continues to rumble on, players in attendance will gradually be shifting their attention towards the €1,100 buy-in main event. Kicking off on August 8, the €1 million guarantee is one of the largest on offer across the UKIPT this season and organisers are expecting a large turnout.

Indeed, with Ireland’s finest keen to prove their mettle against a contingent of international stars such as Gus Hansen and Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom, the action will likely deliver something special.



Tags: UKIPT, Galway Festival, Jake Cody, Fintan Gavin, Galway, Martins Adeniya, Andy Black, Matt Perrins, Donnacha O’Dea, JP Kelly, Max Silver, Dave Nicholson, Galway Cup, Diarmaid Kennedy, Breandan Reaney, Gus Hansen, Viktor Blom