Irish Win CelebPoker Classic

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!"