While it is easy for critics of poker to focus on gambling and the problems they say it causes in the modern environment but there is a lot of good to be taken from poker too. It is clearly an activity that provides a great deal of social interaction for many people who may not have much social interaction otherwise. Whether you are playing online or in a poker club, the chance to meet likeminded people is definitely a bonus for many people. However, it is not the only benefit that can come from proper poker games.
This month has seen further great work carried out by the Poker for the Homeless organisation. The group has been working hard in recent years to provide support for a number of homeless charities around Ireland and their work is very much appreciated. Their most recent event was held at the Jackpot Club in the Irish capital of Dublin. The two day event was well received and there was a total of €14,755 raised for charity. The main beneficiary of the recent event was the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin which focuses on providing food for the poor and the homeless in the city.
The first event was a tournament with a buy-in of €100+€10. With all of the registration fees collected going to charity, there was a lot to be pleased about and 50 players were involved with the tournament. There was a €5,000 prize pool fund and €1,000 of that made its way to the fundraising apart of the event.
Double success for Nicky Power
The winner was someone who has enjoyed success at the Poker Homeless events before. Nicky Power was the big winner at the Poker For The Homeless III event and he is now the first poker player to be a double champion in this field. Nicky Power received €1,300 for his troubles. Other money finishes at the Friday night game included John McManamly, Eamonn Connolly and Robbie Harrison who all received €110 for finishing in 9th, 8th and 7th place. €240 went to Pat Storan for his 6th place while Kevin Hagerty received €320 for a 5th place finish. Graeme Milne received €440 for coming in fourth and Bridie Gribbin grabbed €600. Paul O’Reilly was second with €770.
The focus on the Saturday event was slightly different as it was a team event. There were 11 teams, all made up of 4 players, involved in the event and every team paid €400+€40 to get into the event. Of this amount, €80 went to the charity. PokerPalz was the top team receiving €1,000 for their troubles. In second place was Damo Donkeys who received €700 and in third place was Vegas Night who picked up €412.
There were also individual games on offer with the big winner being Derrick Wall, who received €634. In second place was Collette Murphy who picked up €352. Bops was third, receiving €253 and Bridie Gribbin was in amongst the money yet with again with a fourth placed finish and €169.
After the event, Padraig Parkinson, the ambassador the fundraising group, released a statement;
What a success! Despite being so close to the Irish Open and perhaps not as widely promoted as previous events we beat the 2010 total, purely by accident in the middle of the biggest recession we’ve ever seen. That says so much about the Irish poker community. Brother Kevin at the Capuchin Day Centre will use the money wisely to make sure those worse off than us don’t go hungry.
There are way too many people to thank individually. Everyone who gave of their time and money knows exactly who they are and they now we know. A special thanks to Paddy Power Poker for their continuing support in sponsoring the event and we can’t wait until we can do it all again.