Ioannis Triantafyllakis Wins the 2015 Irish Poker Open

Greg Shaun

6 years ago

Ioannis Triantafyllakis secures career defining win. (Image: Paddy Power)

The 2015 Irish Poker Open, Europe’s longest running live poker event, reached its final table on Sunday night after welcoming 321 players over the Easter weekend.

Generating a prizepool in excess of â‚¬1,000,000 ($1,092,826), the â‚¬3,500 ($3,822) Main Event welcomed a slew of seasoned pros, including: Mike Sexton, Jake Cody and Steve O’Dwyer.

However, when the chips had fallen at the end of Day 3, it was local legend Donnacha O’Dea leading the way with just over 2 million chips.

The veteran pro comfortably cruised past his closest rival, Ioannis Triantafyllakis, at the close of the session; however, it was Triantafyllakis who would ultimately walk away with the title.

Luck of the Irish on Full Display

Despite being a relative novice in live events (he’d only won $3,821 prior to the event), Triantafyllakis managed to keep his composure throughout the finale and secure the biggest win of his career.

However, before the Greek grinder could enjoy his moment in the spotlight, the local crowd was buoyed by a display of Irish good fortune.

As evidenced by a video clip from Paddy Power, an epic slowroll by German pro Andreas Gann was followed by an equally epic river card that turned the hand back in favor of the eventual winner of the pot, O’Dea.

Although that pot led to the demise of Gann, it wasn’t enough to spur O’Dea to victory and after watching Baard Dahl and Fergal Cawley hit the rail, the veteran grinder bowed out of his first Irish Poker Open final table in fifth place with a â‚¬61,850 ($67,931) bankroll boost.

O’Dea’s Fall Leads to Victory for Triantafyllakis

O’Dea’s fall left the road to victory clear for Triantafyllakis, only once he’d overcome Ireland’s Kevin Killeen.

The UKIPT Dublin winner has amassed more than $500,000 in live winnings since 2010 and proved to be a tough test for Triantafyllakis.

However, with the chip lead in his possession and a bit of luck mixed in for good measure, the Greek amateur was able to secure the win after an hour of back-and-forth action.

A big raise by Triantafyllakis on the final hand with Qs Td prompted a call from Killeen with As 2c. Despite being ahead before the flop, Triantafyllakis clinched the final pot after the board ran out: 7c 4c Qd 7h 3h.

As the pot was pushed his way, a jubilant Triantafyllakis was handed a winner’s check for â‚¬197,500 ($215,852) plus a further check for â‚¬50,000 ($54,918) courtesy of Paddy Power.

The Greek player managed to qualify online via the Irish site which meant he pocketed the Sole Survivor bonus and the biggest win of his career.