Simon O’Hare Wins Irish Amateur Title

Over the weekend of 25th-26th September 2010 APAT held the latest event in it’s fourth season, sponsored by Betfair, with the Irish Amateur Poker Championships held at the Fitzwilliam Card Club in Dublin.

Courtesy of Betfair the winner of the Championship wins an entry to a GUKPT main event as part of an overall sponsorship package where APAT members have the chance to win thirty three seats to GUKPT main events and twenty three seats to APAT Professional League tournaments. In addition, each of the season’s seventy five amateur, professional and online tournaments are run completely registration free for players.

In addition, the winners of the Online and National Amateur Rankings will join the 17 Amateur Champions from season four and the player with the most points finishes across Amateur and Online events, to compete in the APAT Champions Final, to play for a second APAT £20,000 sponsorship package in 2011.

APAT Wales 2010 winner Gareth Jones was early chip leader, doubling up with Aces whilsgt one of the most active players in the tournament Chen Tam was running very well, winning his fair share of races and knocking out Richard Iwaniak with eight-nine suited against Aces. Steve Roderick’s progression was more measured but he chipped up steadily through the day.

Amongst the local players Ray Duffy, Joe Ruddy and Brian Napier progressed well as well as runner up in this event oin 2008 Bobby Murphy. Napier had a key confrontation with Paul Turnstill. Turnstill flopped top set with a pair of eights against Napier’s Kings. Napier was behind when the chips went in on the turn but he rivered a king to knock Turnstill out.

Gareth Johns was to bubble the final table, running a short-stacked Pocket fours into Anthony Williams Aces.

The final table line up was as follows:

Seat 1 Joe Ruddy from Dublin 134,500
Seat 2 Brian Napier from Dublin 97,200
Seat 3 Ant Williams from Birmingham 38,300
Seat 4 Steven Roderick from Swansea 93,300
Seat 5 Chen Tam from Bristol 129,000
Seat 6 Bobby Murphy from Dublin 99,700
Seat 7 Simon O’Hare from Dublin 46,100
Seat 8 Stephen Byrne from Dublin 95,400
Seat 9 Tim Magnus from London 42,100

Blinds on the final began at 1500-3000/200 with an Average stack of 89,000. APAT WCOAP Runner Up Steve Roderick was already guaranteed moving into the lead in the 2010 APAT National Rankings by virtue of his second successive final table, whilst Tim Magnus was attempting to become the first dual APAT National Champion, having won in Wales in 2008.

Final table action was aggressive, with big confrontations right from the off. One of these saw Simon O’Hare’s Ace- Queen beaten by Tim Magnus’s Ace-three to leave O’Hare with 10,000 chips, the equivalent of two big blinds with nine left. First exit was Joe Ruddy in ninth, Ace-Queen losing to Chen Tam’s pocket fours. Brian Napier had lost a big hand to Steve Roderick and then was eliminated in eighth pocket two’s falling to Byrne’s pocket sevens.

Tam then knocked out Byrne in seventh, Ace-Queen versus fours, Ace on the river. Ant Williams had played patiently and then found the spot he required to double up. Queens, all in pre-flopa gainst Roderick’s Pocket Fives. However Roderick turned Quads to knock Williams out in 6th. Murphy lost a big pot with the recovering O’Hare Ace-King against Pocket Fives before departing in 5th, losing to O’Hare’s rivered flush.

Former APAT Champion Tim Magnus had been short-stacked throughout, but eventually perished in fourth. He found Queens, Tam took him on with Ace-Ten and turned an Ace. Tam was a big chip leader with three remaining.

However this was to change in the key pot of the tournament, Tam found Kings against O’Hare’s Aces to pass the chip lead over to the Irishman. A short time later the by now unlucky Tam had Jacks against O’Hare’s Ace-Eight, and an Ace on the river took us to heads up. Roderick against O’Hare.

O’Hare had a commanding chip lead, this approached parity when Roderick turned trip sevens to defeat O’Hare’s flopped top pair. The end though was in unfortunate circumstances for Roderick.He slow played Aces in the big blind and saw then beaten by Queen-Six on a Six-Six-Five flop. Roderick thus finished runner up for the second successive APAT National Tourmanent.

So Dublin’s Simon O’Hare became the APAT Irish Amateur Poker Champion 2010 winning €2,600 and a GUKPT Main Event seat. APAT now moves to the English Amateur Poker Championship at the G Casino Luton at the end of October. Details of this event and free membership of APAT can be found at www.apat.com.