IRISH EYES SMILING AS MAGILL ROARS THROUGH - 13/09/2006

Some great talent round the table in our fifth heat, it was going to be a tough battle for that one semi final seat, and guaranteed piece of the prize pool. It was a short experience for the German Dominic Kofert in the most unluckiest of hands. Set on Set against Irishman John Magill in the eighth hand, saw him walking out the door. Trip Queens for Magill better than Dominic’s trip four, gave him a massive chip lead early doors.

IRISH EYES SMILING AS MAGILL ROARS THROUGH

But with quality players like Ken Lennaard and Ian Frazer on the table, there was no chance of Magill walking away with it. But sometimes it’s just not your day, and that couldn’t have been more true for Ian Frazer. His pocket rockets got cracked by a straight on the river for Antony Nicholls, and after that bad bead, Frazer lost his head and started to make mistakes, including putting down his AQ to an all-in re-raise from Dave Finney who was holding AJ. Magill took the rest of his chips to hands later and the European and UK Champion was out, and his trilogy dream was over.

Ken Lennaard played a patient game, but Magill caught him out for a big pot, and then Nicholls sent him packing, hitting trip nines despite being behind preflop – that’s just the way cards go sometimes!

John Magill kept up the strong play, never backing down and pulling off bluffs, and it took the chips off Antony Nicholls to send him out. A ten on the turn gave Nicholls the edge with a pair of tens against Magill’s pocket eights, but with the luck of the Irish, an eight came on the river leaving us heads up.

A classic heads up encounter followed between Magill and Dave Finney. Finney drove John to distraction with his calm demeanour, slowing the game down to his pace and sending Magill into agitation despite him having the chip lead. Magill seems keen to get into pots and get it done with but Finney refused to let himself be rushed into a wrong move, making plays at the right time and letting hands go as though he had second sight into John’s cards. Incredible heads up play from Finney saw him pull himself right back into this one, nearly level with Magill. But with the Irishman a whisker ahead he hit pocket rockets and trapped Finney into going all in with J,10. The Aces held up and John Magill earnt his seat in the semi final, and gave us all a great game of poker to enjoy.