CLAREMORRIS- MAN Danny McHugh took the poker world by storm this weekend, shocking the entire nation by making it to the final table of the Irish Poker Open in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel. The South Mayo businessman and Garry-more footballer travelled to Dublin to play in the prestigious international poker event, accompanied by three fellow Mayo players.
At the time of going to print, Danny was holding tight to 1,000,000 chips and with a calm and composed demeanour, looked as through he was in for the long haul.
The 26th Paddy Power Poker competition got underway in the Capital on Friday afternoon with a total of 708 players, but by the end of day one, Mayo’s Eamonn Walsh, Brian McHugh and Niall Higgins had been knocked out.
However, Danny wouldn’t be put off by the big boys and playing excellent poker, he breezed his way through Saturday and Sunday, to secure a place at the final table. Along the way, Danny bypassed some of the biggest names in online and television poker, parachuting his way into the top league of Europe’s biggest poker festival.
On the nightly competition highlights on RTE 2, television commentators were referring to the Claremorris man as ‘the young Danny McHugh’, but while the baby-faced player may have looked to be one of the younger lads at the tournament, Danny is in his early 30s and a well-established businessman in the South Mayo region.
An amateur poker player, Danny was faced with the tough opposition from the cream of the world’s poker pros, but the genial Claremorris man wasn’t a bit phased and calmly raised and re-raised, displaying wonderful sportsman-ship and a genuine talent at the popular Texas Holdem.
Coming into Monday’s final, just seven players remained and at the opening hand, Danny lay in fifth position, holding 803,000 chips and satisfied with his now guaranteed •75,000 prize money.
By 3pm yesterday (Monday), Danny had upped the ante somewhat and was sitting in second position, with 900,000 in chips, with professional online player Sorel Mizzi (Canada) well in front with 2,400,000 chips.
Throughout the final day, the Claremorris man was maintaining his lead above professional television poker legend Roland De Wolfe, proving that he certainly has what it takes to infiltrate the international poker circuit.
Unfortunately, the Western People couldn’t wait to see the final out-come of yesterday’s Poker Final due to printing deadliness, but by the looks of things, this is by no means the last we’ve seen of the formidable Danny McHugh.
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