Qualifying from a small buy-in and then taking down a big event is a dream of every poker player, and David Docherty made those dreams a reality yes…
David Docherty Wins Record-Breaking 2023 Irish Open Main Event
Qualifying from a small buy-in and then taking down a big event is a dream of every poker player, and David Docherty made those dreams a reality yesterday, as the Scotsman went from winning a €109 satellite to a 2023 Irish Open Main Event win for €365,000!
With 2,491 entries, it was the biggest Irish Open Main Event ever and the largest poker tournament ever played in Ireland, something that we successfully predicted before the start of the festival, as the number of online qualifiers was rising day by day. The €1 million guarantee was crushed easily, and the bar stopped at €2,428,475, thus continuing a post-pandemic trend of record-breaking numbers at live poker stops worldwide.
A few months ago, we talked with David Docherty after the EPT London Main Event. He was holding the chip lead when 16 players were left but couldn’t close the deal and finished the event in 7th place for £103,700. This time, he entered the final day with just 15 big blinds, which was enough for 11th place out of 16; he managed to run it up, as everyone was on the shorter side chips-wise.
David was already 2nd in chips when the final table started, trailing just Ireland’s Declan Rice, whom he beat later in the heads-up for the win.
At that time, Docherty told us it would be hard to beat a feeling as good as winning the GUKPT Main Event, a feat that he managed in October 2019 in Luton, pocketing £138,000. But winning a record-breaking Irish Open is his best career result so far, pushing his live tournaments winnings over $1.1 million.
It was a colorful final table with many nationalities represented, as expected. Third-place finisher Panagiotis Mavritsakis recorded his first-ever live tournament cash, and it was a six-figure number out of the get-go. Former Group Head of partypoker Tom Waters pocketed €124,500 for 4th place, and Irish Poker legend Andy Black finished the tournament in 5th place.
2023 Irish Open Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Docherty | UK | €365,000 |
| 2 | Declan Rice | Ireland | €228,700 |
| 3 | Panagiotis Mavritsakis | Greece | €161,500 |
| 4 | Tom Waters | UK | €124,500 |
| 5 | Andy Black | Ireland | €95,500 |
| 6 | Eugeniu Barbaros | Moldova | €73,500 |
| 7 | Carl Shaw | UK | €56,500 |
| 8 | Henri Ojala | Finland | €43,500 |
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