Must have got extremely interesting if noone had the chance to keep posting, 3rd flop dealt, Warrior bust up, or perhaps Eamonn is having an extended period in the tank similar to last time
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Eamonn's laptop wasn't working right I was reliably informed! Some of the highlights were:
Most of the early action was on table 1. Both tables were playing tight. On table 2 Enda got the pot against Clieve but that one was already posted.
Mark R and Eamonn limp and Ritchie raises from SB. Both call. Flop comes 10 J Q. Ritchie checks and Mark makes it 4,000 which Eamonn calls. Ritchie re-pops to 10,000 and Mark folds. Eamonn considers and decides that he is priced in. Turn comes another 10. Eamonn checks. Ritchie asks if he has something like K10 or Q10 before making it another 10,000 (I think). Eamonn again calls. River comes 10 again and Eamonn bets out and Ritchie disgustedly calls showing K9 for the flopped str8, Eamonn turns Q9 for rnr rnr Full House having had top pr and open ended on the flop. This more or less reversed the chip counts from before the hand.
I then went to play a side game (which I lasted about fifteen minutes in) when the first big news filtered through to the front bar. Action had folded to Danny on the SB who limped into Mark R with KK. Flop came 10 10 x. Mark had 10 2 in the hole and all the chips went in on the flop ending Danny's quest for another title.
I had just returned to watching when Eamonn and Daryl were playing a flop of AAQ. Daryl was relatively shortstacked and when Eamonn checked into the sizeable pot, Daryl pushed with KQ. Eamonn insta calls and Daryl dejectedly states that he must have an A. Eamonn indeed turns over AK and hits the unneccessary case A for the poker on the river!
Final Table, Eamonn has huge stack (circa 110,000) and installed as massive fav. Enda has been dominating the other table taking down mostly small to mid size pots. Martin R has stayed out of trouble and has still pretty much the big stack he started with. Ritchie has taken a couple of big hits but still sits on 35,000 plus, Joe sits on much the same and Mark R was about 65,000. Derek H, Mulla and Brian F were short on under 22,000 apiece.
Muscles announces break after the next hand about ten mins in and Joe wished he said break before the next hand! Joe raises from mid pos and Enda pushes. Brian F lets 66 go on the BB. Joe calls with QQ and Enda shows KK. I casually observe a master of the game show me how to play the Cowboys and win!
First hand after the break and Brian F has had enough, he pushes from early pos with AJ for about 15,000. Ritchie calls with AK. Flops hits J hi with another on the turn. Brian doubles and Ritchie's misery continues.
Enda limps from the small blind and Derek H on the shortstack pushes from SB. Ritchie on the BB now has even slightly less than Derek and agonises before deciding to gamble and calls. There was another limper but they fold and Enda puts the brain into gear. Believing Der and Ritch to be on similar overcard hands Enda calls with 44. Derek shows AK and Ritchie is in trouble with KJ. Flop is blank but A on the turn holds for Derek with a nice treble up. League winner Ritchie caught no luck all night and heads for the cash table.
Coming back from another Bobby smoke break, I'm just in time to see Eamonn push his monster stack into Martin R on an A9x flop. Martin who has been rock solid all night makes the call with AK and Eamonn shows A9 top 2 pr. Turn comes a 10 and irony of ironies so does the river. Eamonn has been caught by the same rnr rnr that chipped him up earlier as AA1010 K kicker gives this huge pot to Martin on the river. Eamonn down to mid 30k's.
Eamonnn gets ultra aggressive and pushes three of the next four hands preflop without resistance. On the final one Enda mucks pocket 3's from the BB showing the table.
Eamonn pushes again but Martin Mulla decides to test the agressor out with AJ. Martin hits and had only a few thousand less than Eamonn crippling the two time champion. Mulla doubles and Eamonn goes out with an anti climatic whimper a couple of hands later having only the price of the BB at that stage.
Whilst smoking (again) Mark R joins me. Not out? I ask. Mark had pushed for double Derek H SB raise with 1010 which Derek had to call with KJ. Derek hit and Mark goes to the rail.
Brian F went out around the same time but I missed the hand.
So four were left, Martin R on the huge stack, Mulla the shortest but not by any means under pressure Enda going well and Derek H around the same.
Enda limps utg and Derek makes it 4x the BB 16,000 to go. Mulla calls from the BB and Enda pushes. Derek announces he thought Enda had an absolute monster. Derek counts his chips, rough counts Enda's looks at his cards again and tanks it, Walshy style! He eventually lets go and Mulla gets out of the way in rapid succession. Enda shows KK for the third time. Man that guy can play Kings, Niall! Incidentally Derek shows JJ for the foldof the night four handed.
Martin R limps, Mulla makes up the blind and Enda pushes again from the BB. Martin looks again and I get a glimpse of the cards from my position on the rail just behind him. Call, Wow and Mulla again gets out. Enda shows AQ and Martin, the only player to have him covered shows KK. Kings hold and the Red Warrior fails in his quest to match Eamonn's tally of two titles.
Bob Flatley wonders how these people can all win with KK!!! (OK, granted there was Danny)
Martin R does Mulla soon after. Can't recall the hand specifically but seem to remember it being a race scenario. The qualifier has made it to an impressive third place from the second shortest starting stack.
And then there were two! Martin R had about a 4or5/1 chip lead and Derek H had to get active. Derek pushed with A9 and Martin called with KJ. Derek's A held and the unlikely was beginning to seem possible. One more double through and anything could happen.
It wasn't long before they went at it again and the hands were similar but in reverse. This time Martin held the A and Derek gambled on the strong K. Martin wasn't to be denied a second time though and powered home to victory.
A new name on the cup and a Kilti takes down the coveted title of Claremorris Poker League Champion.