Irishman wins Euro 35,000 prize in Celtic Poker Tournament

In Athlone Ireland this week, forty year old Mark Flanagan of County Wexford in Ireland, won the Celtic Poker Tour (CPT) Grand Final sponsored by Betfair, through winning out over a starting field of 216 other players.

The winner is company manager of a company that owns over the road hauling vehicles and is the father of five. Flanagan has only played Texas Hold 'Em a little over a year, but he makes it a point of playing at least weekly to make sure that his skills remain well honed. The money he collected at the Celtic Poker Tour came to Euro 35,000. He also received the promise of being able to continue competing in the Betfair Asian Poker Tour (BAPT), the first ever poker event in Singapore.

When interviewed following the win, Flanagan said that he felt that he really didn't have any chance of winning and just wanted to get through day two. He is now looking forward to the meet in Singapore where he hopes to once again prove himself. He says that he like to play aggressively so figures that he'll be doing well if he gets through the first day.
Flanagan’s big blind, in the final showdown, was raised by second placed Maurice McNamara. Flanagan, who was showing the jack and the queen, made a thoughtful response of ‘all-in’. Fortunately for him, it was all that he needed to win out over the jack and ten held by McNamara. Coming in in second place gave McNamara a prize of Euro 15,000.

The Celtic Poker Tour was sponsored by Betfair Poker. It was first created in 2005 by Mike Foley and Denis Alsybury, the Texas Hold’em enthusiasts. Through the end of August, 2006, the Celtic Poker Tour had completed in excess of 100 tournaments throughout the country. It had also paid out over Euro 1 million in prize money.

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