When he arrived at this year’s Irish Open, German player Sascha Manns was determined to end a run of runner-up finishes and near-misses.
His dream came true in the €350 HORSE championship when, after a tough final table and a rollercoaster heads-up contest lasting over an hour, Manns finally beat American Keith McCormack.
Manns was thrilled to win the event, the €10,300 cash prize and his first-ever Irish Open trophy. But now, less than a month later, he has won another HORSE championship, this time at the Aussie Millions.
The German mixed-games regular topped a 64-entry field in Melbourne to win AUD$34,508 from a AUD$144,000 prize pool after making a three-way deal with top Aussie pro Gary Benson and Aussie Millions ambassador Van Marcus.
Manns’ victory marked another milestone for the jovial German – his first Australian flag on his Hendon Mob profile. The Aussie prize, equivalent to around $24,700, was also one of the biggest cashes of his live poker career and takes the Malta-based player up to the #3 spot on the island’s all-time money list. His total live tournament winnings are now close to $360,000.
Mann, who turned 50 just two weeks ago, told the Irish Open yesterday: “Well, if you run like this, you cannot complain; you just enjoy the ride as long as it lasts – before you go back to hating poker! But seriously, I am super happy. It had always been a dream of mine to come here and compete (at the Aussie Millions) and that’s what I did.”
When PokerNews asked Manns the secret to his success he said: “Well, I’m just running hot as s**t right now! I’m hitting everything. I mean, I know what I’m doing, but I run really hot at the moment. The first tournament I play here, I win.”
This year’s Irish Open HORSE championship drew 155 entries, generating a prize pool of €46,609 shared out among the top 23 finishers. Among those who cashed were Irish Open regular June Jenkins, who was third for €4,840, Big O champion Barry Grime, Mixed 8-Game winner Chris Bean and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Bill Chen.
Manns, who is based in Malta, dedicated his Aussie Millions victory to Antoine Degiorgio. Degiorgio, who recently suffered serious health complications following a heart attack, runs the long-established Malta Poker Fish community and is a very well-known figure in the Malta poker scene. He added: “Antoine has created a legacy there in Malta with taking care of players, telling them where tournaments are, where to go, where to eat. He’s a lovely soul.”
Irish Open heading down under
As luck would have it, the Irish Open will be heading down under this Autumn with our first-ever international stop. The 12-day festival is running September 3 to 14 at the Poker Palace in Sydney featuring numerous tournaments and an AUD$1 million guaranteed Main Event. The Irish Open will also be heading to Marrakech in November and the USA next year. More details are here.
