Galway's Fintan Gavin secured his biggest score since becoming UKIPT Edinburgh champion in 2011 when he won the Macau Sporting Club's Irish Poker Classic in Cork from 12-14 September.
Gavin entered the final table as one of the short stacks on 133,500 of the nine competing for the top prize of €20,000. Ronan Gilligan was the chip leader on 565,500, followed by Diarmuid Ryan on 345,500, Peter Searle on 257,000 and Nicky Power with 243,500.
Derek Murray brought 206,000 to the table, while Tony Cooney had 166,500, followed by Gavin, Tim Farrelly on 119,500 and Sean O' Riordan with 99,500.
At the start of the final-table action Gavin was more than 100k below the average stack of 236,000 but that soon changed after the exit of Searle, who got involved in a blind-on-blind confrontation with Murray.
Searle limped into Murray on the big blind and he raised it to 10,000, which Searle called with his Q-J, which turned into two pair on the Q-J-2 flop. Searle bet 12,000, with Murray three-betting to 29,000 and Searle coming over the top to 67,000. Murray then shoved all-in and Searle called with his opponent turning over pocket kings. The 9C on the turn made no difference, but the 2H on the river changed everything, with Murray counterfeiting Searle's two pair.
That left Murray second in chips at well over 400k but that soon changed when he raised with pocket eights and was re-raised by Gavin with tens, Murray making the call. The 5-6-7 flop saw all the chips go into the middle and Gavin doubled up when the turn and river drew blanks for both players leaving him in a strong position with 400k now in his stack.
Next to exit was O'Riordan who shoved with 70k holding A-J and was called by Gavin with AK. A king on the flop sealed O'Riordan's fate and took Gavin close to the chip lead and he never looked back.
Gilligan was the next to exit in seventh place, with Farrelly busting out in sixth, Power fifth and Murray fourth. Cooney was the man to miss out on the heads-up action, with Gavin triumphing against Ryan after entering the final duel with a slight chip lead.
Irish Poker Classic
1st Fintan Gavin
2nd Diarmuid Ryan
3rd Tony Cooney
4th Derek Murray
5th Nicky Power
6th Tim Farrelly
7th Ronan Gilligan
8th Sean O'Riordan
9th Peter Searle
