Tero Laurila Beats Record Field In 2024 Irish Open Main Event

The 2024 Irish Open €1,150 buy-in no-limit maintain’em primary occasion drew a file discipline of three,233 entries, marking one other 12 months of large development for the historic poker event. The turnout was up almost 30 % over the 2023 discipline, which had notched a 22 % enhance over 2022. The €1 million assure was greater than tripled due to the spectacular numbers, with €3,152,175 ($3,382,914) in prize cash paid out among the many prime 480 finishers.

After 4 beginning flights and three extra days of motion contained in the historic Royal Dublin Society, the event concluded with Finland’s Tero Laurila hoisting the trophy. The 38-year-old former floorball coach from Kouvola earned $316,100 because the champion, by far the biggest rating on his event resume.

“I play often – as much as possible. Mostly live games and PLO cash game is my main game,” Laurila informed PokerStars reporters after popping out on prime.

Laurila additionally earned 1,200 Card Player Player of the Year factors for the win. He now sits in a three-way tie for 74th place within the 2024 POY standings offered by Global Poker.

The ultimate day of this occasion started with 14 contenders remaining and Laurila within the lead. By the time the sphere mixed onto a single desk, he had slid to seventh among the many ultimate 9. Hiep Ninh was tied with Stephen Groom for the lead at that time. He scored the primary knockout of the ultimate desk, busting David Tous in ninth place ($41,494).

Adrian Thorne (eighth – $53,957) quickly adopted when his A-5 suited bumped into the A-Ok of Georgios Tsouloftas. A traditional race (A-10 suited towards pocket nines) then despatched Vidmantas Beliauskas packing in seventh place ($70,157).

Laurila scored the following knockout, along with his pocket queens holding towards the pocket jacks of Groom, who was drawing lifeless by the flip due to Laurila bettering to prime set. Groom earned $91,238 because the sixth-place finisher.

Ninh’s prime pair held towards the open-ended straight draw and overcard of Oliver Boyce (fifth – $118,606) to slim the sphere to 4. An identical conflict additionally resulted within the subsequent elimination, with Ninh’s prime pair of aces with a king kicker besting the open-ended straight draw of Georgios Tsouloftas. Ninh made aces and kings by the river to ship Tsouloftas to the rail with $154,181.

The ultimate three gamers struck a deal to redistribute the remaining prize cash. The settlement put aside $64,800 for the winner and $27,710 for the runner up, whereas locking up the next payouts for the ultimate three:

Hiep Ninh – $334,777
Tero Laurila – $251,300
Mark Johnson – $251,300

Laurila doubled via Ninh to take the chip lead early within the three-handed motion. Ninh then received a giant coin flip with AJ towards the 99 of Johnson to maneuver again in entrance. The board got here down A4283 to ship Johnson dwelling with the payout he negotiated for.

Ninh held 58,000,000 to Laurila’s 39,000,000 when heads-up play started. Laurila picked off a giant bluff with queen excessive to show the tables on Ninh. In the ultimate hand, Ninh open-shoved his final ten massive blinds with 87 and Laurila known as with QJ. The board ran out Q92QQ to provide Laurila quads for the win. Ninh took dwelling $362,487 because the runner-up, which ended up being a bigger payout than Laurila earned because the champion due to the deal that was struck among the many ultimate three.

Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate desk:

Photo credit: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Danny Maxwell.

*Denotes payout ensuing from the three-way deal.