Skip to the main story
All The AcesAll The Aces

A British poker and gambling desk since 2005.

18+ only
  1. Front
  2. Legends
  3. Irish Win CelebPoker Classic

Legends

Irish Win CelebPoker Classic

All The Aces daily poker column: IRISH WIN CELEBPOKER CLASSIC. Irish celebrity businessman, Alan Smurfit, scoops top prize at £125,000 poker tournament. Plus, what's a leak?

The All The Aces deskLegends

18+ onlyWritten, edited and fact-checked by the All The Aces desk in Britain — how we work and how we correct mistakes. Some links out are paid placements; they are not reviews, and nobody pays for coverage. Gambling in the UK is licensed by the Gambling Commission, and nothing here is advice to bet.

Alan Smufit Scoops Top Prize At £125,000 Poker Tournament!

Alan Smurfit, celebrity Irish businessman, won the Palm Beach Celebpoker Classic No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Tournament last night (Sunday) at the Palm Beach Casino in London's Mayfair.

Smufit, who sold his Dublin-based packaging company for 3.9 billion euros two years ago, has renounced retirement in favour of playing the international poker circuit - with spectacular success. He beat roofing contractor David Clark in an exciting heads-up climax.

The pair had outplayed a strong field of 125 experts and online qualifiers, including snooker celebrities Jimmy White, Mark Williams and Ken Doherty, actor Michael Greco, actor Terrence Maynard, PGA golf pro Sam Torrance, and a host of poker professionals.

Smurfit's first prize was £51,700, presented by www.CelebPoker.com. Clark's second prize was £25,800 and the third prize of £14,000 went to Charalambos Xanthos, better known in the poker world as Bambos.

The key hand occurred when Smurfit was low on chips when the table was four-handed. He went all-in with 6-5 off-suit, and when the board gave him 7-9-8 for a straight, he was back in contention.

"It was a thrill to win, " he said afterwards. "Not so much for the money, but for the excitement of winning!"

Read next in Legends

All of Legends →