Irish Poker

In a county traditionally renowned for GAA, a new sport has emerged that has taken Kerry by storm. More commonly associated with America, poker is one of the fastest growing sports in the world at the moment and Kerry has been gripped by the poker fever. And while some may argue that poker is not even a sport, there is no denying that it has grabbed the attention of the county. So much so that a host of Kerry poker players will be heading north to Dublin on Friday, January 6 to take part in one of the largest poker tournaments ever staged in Europe. And one Killarney man, in articular, will carry the hopes of the county as he competes in the Boylepoker.com online casinos Irish Poker Championships in the Citywest Hotel in the capital.

Connie O’Sullivan has been earmarked by tournament organ-isers as one of the top seeds for this international poker extravaganza as he has been placed in the top 15 seeds for the event. O’Sullivan, who owns the popular Cue Club in Killarney, a renowned snooker haunt, is heading to Dublin with a realistic chance of being in the winners enclosure when the †500,000 prize fund is being divided on the final day of the three day event. And, as O’Sullivan explains the format of the tournament, he remains cautious on his own chances - the art of bluffing in action perhaps. "It’s a Texas Hold ’Em poker format and they are expecting around 400 people there for the weekend. There will be poker players travelling from all over Europe to take part and it promises to be a very exciting weekend," O’Sullivan said. "The fact that it’s one of the biggest tournaments ever to be held in Europe has added to the hype.