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.
Thanks to PokerNews for the cover pic.
