If I’d been asked at the beginning of the week to pick one player as the most likely winner of the inaugural Irish Poker Festival MILLIONS main event, it would without a shadow of doubt have been young Dutch player Michel Molenaar. This not just convenient after-timing, Michel has been in sensational form in recent months, securing 2nd place in the Hydra High Roller and 3rd place in the Mystery Bounty event at the recent Party Poker MILLIONS Malta Festival. At the Irish Poker Festival he has continued this run of success, outlasting a quality field of 286 players to take down the MILLIONS title and a career best cash of €210,000!
Michel went into the final table 4th in chips, behind the Irish duo Glenn Keogh, Tomas MacNamara and Richard Kellett from England. The three shortest stacks were the first to be eliminated. Barry Carson, the winner of Thursday’s €250 Freezeout was the first to go, hitting the rail soon after the start, to take 9th place and €18,500. Padraig O’Neill was next to go in 8th for €22,840. Andy Black, one of the most celebrated players in Irish poker history, went into the final as the smallest stack, but held on for 7th place and €28,000.
Richard Kellett, then one of the larger stacks took 6th place and €35,000 after losing a massive pot to Tomas MacNamara, which Scotsman Andrew “Picasso” Hedley, who was super short at the time, to ladder up to 5th, with a €44,000 kerching.
By this time, Michel was beginning to dominate the proceedings. The fourth placed horseman of the apokerlypse was Liam Chevalier. The popular Irish player trotted off with €56,500 for his efforts.
Michel continued to press his advantage and when long-time chip leader Glenn Keogh had exited in 3rd place for €75,000, the Dutchman had a significant chip lead over Tomas MacNamara. But things were getting serious now and MacNamara put up a fight, reclaiming some chips but was not able to close the gap.
In the final hand Molenaar held 32 of spades v MacNamara’s 42 off suit on a 452 flop. Michel had flopped a straight flush draw and the 10 of spades on the river brought proceedings to a close.
As mentioned already, it’s been a remarkable few months for Molenaar, who surely has a glittering poker career ahead of him and we wish him, well, as the Party Poker MILLIONS man of the moment. A very worthy champion who takes the game very seriously, but smiles his way through it much of the time.
Here are the full payouts for the Party Poker MILLIONS Main Event. Congratulations to all who cashed!
Irish Poker Festival MILLIONS Main Event Result
Finishing Position
Player
Prize
1
Michel Molenaar
€210,000
3
Tomas McNamara
€120,000
4
Glenn Keogh
€75,000
5
Liam Chevalier
€56,500
6
Andrew Hedley
€44,000
7
Andy Black
€28,000
8
Barry Carson
€22,840
9
Padraig O’Neill
€18,500
10
Panagiotis Mavritskas
€15,000
11
Darren Harbinson
€12,000
12
Ankit Ahuja
€10,000
13
Ross Coveney
€9,000
14
Sebastian Proulx
€8,000
15
Conor Bergin
€8,000
16
Scott Margerson
€8,000
17
Seamus Cahill
€8,000
18
Tristan Bain
€7,000
19
Michael Dwyer
€7,000
20
Conal Prendergast
€7,000
21
Michal Plichta
€7,000
22
Ferran de Antonio Canela
€7,000
23
Valentyn Kazantsev
€7,000
24
Anon Ymous
€7,000
25
Gerard Harraghy
€6,000
26
Stephen Kavanagh
€6,000
27
Andrew Toole
€6,000
28
Sean Foley
€6,000
29
Marco Baldini
€6,000
Total Players
286
€766,840
Jonathan Raab
Irish Poker Festival Media Coordinator
The post Michel Molenaar wins Partypoker MILLIONS Irish Poker Festival appeared first on Online Poker News and Updates | partypoker Blog.
