09 Jan 12

Dave "Dubai" Shallow Wins the WPT Ireland

After leading the field for the vast majority of the tournament, Dave "Dubai" Shallow has sealed the deal and won the WPT Ireland.

Dave Shallow

The World Poker Tour was in Dublin, Ireland for the first time this week, and the inaugural WPT Ireland was a success by all accounts. 338 players spent €2,500 to participate, and after 4 days of play at the Citywest Hotel, Dave "Dubai" Shallow has claimed the title. For his accomplishment he'll take home €202,680 and a $25,000 seat in the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Shallow finished with the chip lead in each of the last 3 days of play, and faced very little adversity on his way to the victory. The poker world hasn't seen much of "Dubai" lately, but with a bankroll boost like this we won't be surprised if he starts showing up at tournaments more often.

What happened at the Final Table?

• 5-handed to Start - Thanks to two players being knocked out at the final table bubble, this table began with 5 rather than 6 players. Check out how that hand went down in our recap of Day 3.

• Dave Shallow's Massive Lead Dwindles - At the start of the final table, Dave Shallow held over 60% of the chips in play. His day didn't begin quite as smoothly as he had hoped for, and he started off by doubling up Patrik Vestlin and Ronan Gilligan. Shallow still held the lead after those hands, but it was much smaller.

• Chaz Chattha Catches Up - Ronan Gilligan was responsible for the first two busts of the day, taking out Steve Watts and later Patrik Vestlin. Chaz Chattha took the majority of these chips from Gilligan before Dave Shallow eventually knocked Gilligan out.

• Dave Shallow vs. Chaz Chattha Heads-Up - Heads-up play was the only time that Dave Shallow briefly lost his chip lead. He did so by doubling up Chattha on a 5-bet preflop shove with  into Chattha's . A few hands later, Shallow regained a very small lead.

The final hand was a cooler in which both players got all of their chips in preflop. Shallow showed and Chattha had . The board ran , and Shallow's hand was still best.

Congratulations to Dave "Dubai" Shallow, the first-ever WPT Ireland champion!

WPT Ireland Final Table Payouts
Place	Name	Prize
1st	David Shallow	€202,680 + $25K Seat
2nd	Charles Chattha	€111,130
3rd	Ronan Gilligan	€74,090
4th	Patrik Vestlin	€52,600
5th	Steve Watts	€39,270
Players:  1 (338)   |   Prize pool: €760,500

Here are some videos from the final day of the WPT Ireland, starting with the player introductions:







by Matt Kaufman