Success in the 2008 Irish Open Deaf Poker Championship!

Irish Deaf Poker group held the first ever Irish Open for Deaf poker players, on 3rd May, with Paddy Power Poker sponsoring the event. There were 46 runners from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Lithuania and Australia! While the latter two countries representatives are currently residing in Ireland/Northern Ireland, it still added a nice international feel to the event!

Since I was playing bad of late, I went in with mixed feelings and no aspirations of winning. The TD - the wonderful Derek AKA the Clamper on boards.ie - texted me the night before to ask if I would deal for him; I replied I was playing but if I got knocked out early I will deal no problem. He replied laughing that he doubted it. On the day, he coolly informed me he had predicted that I would be in the top 5% ... I laughed him off! Then thought, feck it I got this ticket practically free - lets just play the game and enjoy it!

I felt the starting stack of 5k with 20 minute blinds was too low, they either should increase the blind times or increase the stack sizes... Ben Palmer the UK Deaf Open winner was first out as a result of two bad beats in a row! He quickly established himself as chipleader on my table, but bet heavily holding full-house against an all-in holding 4 of a kind... twice! Ouch!

By end of level two I was playing card-dead and had dropped down to 3k. Awful! Then came these lovely hands:

Blinds were 75/150; I was UTG with pocket 8s. BB had approx 8k. I raised to 450, got two callers: button and BB. Flop came out 89J. BB bet 1k, I thought for a moment and shoved all-in with rest of my stack. Button folded and BB called with AJ. My 88s held and my pot doubled to 6.5k. Next hand I was BB with K9 hearts; I checked to see the flop with 3 callers. Flop came out 9x9xQh. SB bet 1k, I called, rest folded. Both SB and myself called. Turn was low heart, SB shoved all-in with his remaining 2k, I thought for a moment then called. SB showed AQ and my set of 9s held up on the river! I had 12k at first break (Average was 7k) the chipleader (UK's Henry McD) at that stage had 17k.

After the break, we were re-seated, there were 3 tables left. I don't remember any specific hands, but I had beeee-ooooot-iful hands (AA, KK, straights, full houses etc) got involved in several pots against short stacks; eliminated them and increased my stack to a cool 53k by dinner break (average was 10k). Good going... good going!

We were down to the final 18 players after dinner; as the playing got tight, I got very loose and started stealing the blinds and re-raising players and limpers. By the time I sat down at the final table, I realised I was the last woman in the game (and chipleader with 95k) I moved into ultra-tight playing mode.

But I played soooooo tight it cost me nearly half my stack(!) At one stage I had 120k (my highest), blinds was 1k/2k, I raised to 8k with KQ suited, got called by David Bowers, BB raised with 25k. I folded, crediting both players with Aces; David called. Flop was KQJxx. Both players checked to the river. David won the pot with 10J and BB showed 99. With 6 players left, I was down to 75k, I looked down to see QQ. Blinds was 1.5/3k; I was CO-1 and raised to 12k. Nick O'Halloran was in BB shoved all-in with 15.5k, David Bowers, who had just limped in UTG, called and I threw in the remaining 3.5k. Flop came down K95 and David insta-shoved with 26k. I thought for a moment.... then folded my Queens. BB showed J10 and David showed AJ. (Foooooooo!!!) The turn and river yielded nothing to help Nick who bubbled in 6th place (only 5 places paying out) UL Nick. I was furious with myself for laying down those queens!!!!! This is my only regret of the day - apart from this hand; I was really happy with how I played!

I went back into loose playing mode raising and re-raising bets; and quickly brought my stack back up to 90k. When this hand happened:

Keenan 'Keeno' Byrne was shortstacked for most of the final table, had started going all-in and stealing the blinds for the last three/four hands with no callers. I looked down to see KQ suited, and limped in on the button. Keenan was in SB and went all-in with 48k, I insta-called him. Keeno showed pocket 6s and the board showed A953x to uphold his pair and push him into 2nd highest stack behind the new chipleader David Bowers.

Liam Moloney was kicked out in 5th place; David Mulligan exited in 4th place. We were down to 3, Keeno and David had 90/95k I was sitting on 50k... I went completely hand dead from this point, folded my cards to raises. David wrangled in a couple of huge pots with Keeno and grew very short stacked, before exiting in 3rd place.

Going into heads-up I had 58k to Keeno's 180k pot, with blinds at 8k/15k... a huge disadvantage, I knew I was finished. My Heads-Up playing is always weak... I went down to 38k when my exit hand happened. I shoved with K10 off into Keeno's A6 and the board gave him the 6 to win 1st place and €920. I exited in a very respectable 2nd place with €552!

Very good game from Keeno who started the final table with 2nd smallest stack - a well deserved win.

The top 3 winners (from left): David Bowers, myself & Keeno Byrne

Well done to Ciarán and the IDP for a well organised tournament, the TD & dealers were well able to handle communication with the deaf players mastering the basic playing signs well... Thumbs Up all around!

Good game and great day! ...And before you ask - yes I'm back in BLACK!