After roughly nine hours to play, Day 1 of the €350 NLH 6-Max Championship has come to an end.
The tournament was destined to attract a large player pool. Many poker players prefers to play Texas No Limit Hold ‘Em 6-Handed as it offers an opportunity to play more hands, and may also require some more frequent bluffing and creative moves.
Thus, it was no surprise that the tournament reached 801 entries. What was surprising though, is that it was more than double the amount of entries compared to last year’s edition. Day 1 would be played until the ITM stage was reached, or 13 30-minute levels, whichever came first.
Laurila Headlined as the Tournament Commenced
From the get-go there were many experienced names in the mix, for example, the 2024 Irish Poker Open Main Event champion Tero Laurila, PokerStars ambassador Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, Irish poker legend Dara O’Kearney, and many more. Also featured was last year’s sixth-place finisher and overall good guy, Jim Reid.
After late registration closed after Level 8, the number of entries was confirmed, and the floor calculated that the payouts would look like this:
| Position | Prize |
| 1 | €44,600 |
| 2 | €28,000 |
| 3 | €20,000 |
| 4 | €15,400 |
| 5 | €11,850 |
| 6 | €9,100 |
| 7 | €7,000 |
| 8 | €5,400 |
| 9 | €4,152 |
| 10-11 | €3,200 |
| 12-13 | €2,650 |
| 14-15 | €2,200 |
| 16-17 | €1,850 |
| 18-20 | €1,600 |
| 21-23 | €1,400 |
| 24-27 | €1,200 |
| 28-31 | €1,050 |
| 32-39 | € 900 |
| 40-55 | € 800 |
| 56-71 | € 700 |
| 72-95 | € 600 |
| 96-119 | € 550 |
Naturally, all competitors were eager to compete for Irish poker glory and the first-place payout of €44,600. Play commenced with some exciting plays, like Cummin’s limp with , and Kuechenhofen cracking aces.
Eventually, the bubble burst in dramatic fashion, and after that, people started busting left and right. Some big pots here, some big pots there, and also some controversial ones in the mix.
See you tomorrow
The 43 players still in the tournament now seek to get a good night’s sleep before returning tomorrow, Tuesday 15th, at 12:00, to fight it out for the title. The live coverage will start at 13:00; make sure you tune in frequently to follow along in all the action until a winner is crowned!
Watch the full chip counts here.
