Neil “Bad Beat” Channing is the new 2008 Irish Poker Open champion after convincingly defeating a talented final table with confidence and consummate skill this week to win the lion’s share of a record Euro 3 million prize-pool.
Entering final table play as the chip leader with $2.75 million of the $6.67 million in play, Channing quickly took charge of the final table and continued to dominate play throughout.
The poker professional and author from Sunderland, England took home the respect, the title and a Euro 801 400 prize purse for his contribution to the action at the Irish Poker Open. And it was against some formidable opposition – the starting field of 667 players included the likes of Doyle Brunson, Marty Smyth, Andy Black, Ciaran O’Leary, Rolande De Wolfe, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Padraig Parkinson and many more respected poker players
In the final table action Channing played his big stack perfectly, despatching Danilo Paulson, Tim Blake and Thomas Dunwoodie with aplomb and securing an advantage on Ireland’s Donal Norton as they entered heads-up play. Channing had a 2-1 chip lead but with the average stack at over 50 big blinds for each player it could have been a long drawn out affair….but it wasn’t, and the English player emerged truimphant.