Hartigan Heroically Fires Two Bullets in Record-Breaking Day 1c
Day 1c has reached its conclusion in the �1,150 Main Event at the 2023 Irish Open and it was by far the largest starting flight, getting more players than the previous two combined. A total of 1,108 entries were recorded at the Royal Dublin Society with 447 players advancing to Day 2 on Saturday, April 8.
At the time of writing the late-night Day 1d has also just finished up, adding another 247 entries, of which 132 advanced. All four starting flights combined have generated an already record-breaking 2,323 entries, creating a prize pool of at least �2,264,925 and smashing the �1 million guarantee. At least 930 players will be present for Day 2, but late registration is still open until the start of the day, so it is only then that the final figures will be known.
When Day 1c ended, it was Germany��s Julian Bartholmes who ended up as the chip leader with a stack of 278,500 chips. Bartholmes has just over �10,000 in recorded live winnings so he has made a great start in what might become his break-out tournament.
Other players that bagged on Day 1c include PokerStars Ambassadors Benjamin Spragg (148,900) and Fintan Hand (67,200), 2022 Irish Open winner Steve O��Dwyer (106,000), and Benny Glaser (62,000), who won the Luxon Pay �5,000 High Roller earlier this week.
Top 10 Leaderboard from Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julian Bartholmes | Germany | 278,500 | 232 |
| 2 | Samuel Rosen | United States | 253,200 | 211 |
| 3 | Shota Matiashvili | Georgia | 235,400 | 196 |
| 4 | Ian Marmion | Ireland | 211,100 | 176 |
| 5 | David Costello | Ireland | 204,000 | 170 |
| 6 | Bostjan Mozic | Slovenia | 185,400 | 155 |
| 7 | Jevgenijs Sapronenko | Latvia | 183,000 | 153 |
| 8 | Rui Da Costa Dias | Luxembourg | 182,500 | 152 |
| 9 | Eftychios Georgiou | Cyprus | 181,000 | 151 |
| 10 | John Ward | Ireland | 179,400 | 150 |
Long-time commentator and multiple-time GPA winner James Hartigan was seen at the tables instead of in the booth today. Hartigan received a freeroll for the tournament but busted with trips against a full house. He enthusiastically reentered only to get his pocket aces cracked in a preflop all-in situation.
Day 1d saw 131 players advance, led by Greg King with 192,500 chips. Other notables who made it through the turbo flight include Griffin Benger (55,300) and Will Kassouf (33,000).
Top 10 Leaderboard from Day 1d
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg King | Ireland | 192,500 | 160 |
| 2 | Richard Berridge | United Kingdom | 165,200 | 138 |
| 3 | Andrei Perca | Romania | 140,000 | 117 |
| 4 | Carlos Dias | Portugal | 129,800 | 108 |
| 5 | Kully Sidhu | United Kingdom | 122,700 | 102 |
| 6 | Nikolai Mamut | United Kingdom | 120,600 | 101 |
| 7 | Barry Moore | Ireland | 120,000 | 100 |
| 8 | Kenneth Valentine | Ireland | 119,100 | 99 |
| 9 | Rainer Ziermann | Germany | 117,000 | 98 |
| 10 | Guillaume Ferrer | France | 116,000 | 97 |
Players that did not make it through Day 1c or 1d include PokerStars Ambassadors Parker Talbot and Georgina James. They will have to make a new entry at the start of Day 2 if they still want to have a shot at the trophy and the bulk of the prize pool.
The cards will go back in the air Saturday, April 8th at noon local for Day 2. The blinds will be resuming on level 11 at 600/1,200 with a 1,200 big blind ante. The levels will be 60 minutes long throughout the day and 10 levels will be on the schedule for Day 2.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be with you throughout Day 2 and beyond to bring all of the action from the great Irish capital.