Ryan Barnes made a bet with some mates that the first hand of the Irish Open 2022 Main Event would see his stack in the middle preflop, no matter what. The mates were on hand behind his seat to check that he followed through…
As luck would have it, his first hand happened to be pocket aces and he got action from a now-eliminated tablemate; he’s starting his Day 1c with 60,000 chips and whatever money his friends wagered.
Aces Elsewhere: Neil O’Reilly has knocked out Joe Baker with Ah Ac vs. As Kh all-in preflop and now has roughly 75,000 chips. When the floorperson came to collect the ticket of the busted Baker (now standing behind his chair) and said “Joe Baker?” he replied, “That’s him. Nice lad.”