2014 Irish Open: Ville Sissonen Leads Final 59; Jesse May Chipped Up
Matthew Pitt
Finland’s Ville Sissonen is the man to catch as the 2014 Paddy Power Poker Irish Open progresses to its third day of play, where only 59 players remain in the hunt for the €200,000 first place prize.
A total of 253 returned to their seats for Saturday’s Day 2, among them some of the most recognisable poker talent from the United Kingdom and the Emerald Isle. Sadly, for them and the neutrals watching from the sidelines, scores of those big names were felted during various points of the afternoon, evening and night.
Stellar names such as Paul Foltyn, Andy Black, Eoghan O’Dea, his dad Donnacha O’Dea, recent BoylePoker IPO Dublin winner John O’Shea, defending champion Ian Simpson, Full Tilt Poker Ambassador Dermot Blain, Jeff Kimber, Jude Ainsworth, Steve Watts and Simon Deadman being so of those who fell on Day 2.
One man who soared up the chip counts instead of falling from them was the aforementioned Sissonen who ended Day 2 as the overall chip leader courtesy of his impressive 522,000 stack. Hot on the bespectacled Sisson’s heels is Belgium’s Yoni Kissous (477,500).
It is the man in third place, however, who is creating a buzz among the poker media and community. You see, starting Day 3 with 454,500 chips is “The Voice of Poker,” the legendary Jesse May. There will never be a more popular winner of the Irish Open should May, who recently became a father for the first time, go all the way and take down the first place prize.
Other names to look out for on Day 3 include Chris Dowling (420,500), Day 1 chip leader Jonathan Lundy (292,000), Steve Warburton (270,000), Tom Ambler (237,000), Samantha Cohen (129,500), and John Eames (126,000)
2014 Paddy Power Poker End-of-Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ville Sissonen | 522,000 |
| 2 | Yonu kissous | 477,500 |
| 3 | Jesse May | 454,500 |
| 4 | Dave Pollock | 454,000 |
| 5 | Patrick Clarke | 420,500 |
| 6 | Chris Dowling | 402,500 |
| 7 | Marco Sabatini | 393,000 |
| 8 | Colin Quarry | 381,000 |
| 9 | David Masters | 333,000 |
| 10 | Konstantinos Tsikopoulos | 332,500 |
Play resumes in the Main Event at 1:00pm and will first see play progress to the money places – 47 place are paid with money starting at €2,900 – and then attempts made to reach the nine-handed final table.
Good luck to all the British and Irish players still in contention, and of course to Mr May!
Lead image courtesy of the Paddy Power Poker blog.
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