06 Jan 12

WPT Ireland Day 1: Top Players in Dublin

The inaugural WPT Ireland has drawn 338 players to the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, and several of the world's best decided to make the trip. Andy Black, Jake Cody, Marvin Rettenmaier, and McLean Karr will all return today for Day 2.

Andy Black

For the first time, the World Poker Tour (WPT) has decided to host an event in Dublin, Ireland, and so far things have gone smoothly. 338 players paid €2,500 to take their seats, and 195 of them still have chips and will return today for Day 2.

Highlights from Day 1

• Andy Black Crushes at Home - The best-known player with a huge stack after Day 1 was Northern Irishman Andy Black. Black calls Dublin his home, and he certainly looked comfortable at the tables there all day. He'll enter Day 2 in 9th place overall with 104,000 chips.

• The Leaders - The overall chip leader heading into Day 2 is Dave Callaghan, with 186,900 chips. Callaghan is an Irish poker pro, although he rarely plays tournaments because he's a PLO specialist. Right behind him in 2nd place is German Johannes Meyer with 179,400 chips. Meyer's live tournament results include just 3 small cashes- all of them in Dublin.

• McLean Karr & Tatjana Pasalic Survive the Day- Perhaps poker's most well-liked couple, McLean Karr and Tatjana Pasalic are often spotted together at tournaments around the world. For higher buy-ins, McLean often plays the tournament alone, but Tatjana decided to join him on the felt for this event. Both will return for Day 2- Karr with 42,000 chips and Pasalic with 26,900.

Day 2 will begin today at 14:00 GMT.

World Poker Tour live ticker

WPT Ireland End of Day 1 Chip Counts
Place	Name	Chips
1st	Dave Callaghan	186,900
2nd	Johannes Meyer	179,400
3rd	Jacob Nielson	161,700
4th	Shaun Conning	143,300
5th	Sam MacDonald	122,000
6th	Francis 'Wally' McCormack	118,000
7th	Con Collins	115,700
8th	Evan Christ	105,700
9th	Andy Black	104,000
10th	Julien Dolay	98,200
Blinds: 400/800/100 \| Players: 195 (338) \| Prize pool: €438,750