05 Jan 12

WPT Ireland Starts Today

The World Poker Tour's first stop of 2012 begins today in Dublin, Ireland. Learn a little about the event, and check out a brief interview with PokerStrategist 'rrood' who won a package to participate.

Today marks the start of the inaugural WPT Ireland event, sponsored by PKR in a three-year deal between the World Poker Tour and the next-generation online poker room.

The event carries a €2,250 + €250 buy-in and will award the winner a seat to the $25,000 WPT Championship in Las Vegas as well as their cash prize. This is the first WPT event to take place in Ireland and will also incorporate the long-running €750 Irish Poker Championships.

You can follow the action live at the WPT Live Updates page, and we'll have our own daily summaries posted in the news section here at PokerStrategy.com.

PokerStrategist 'rrrood' wins WPT Ireland package

Dutch community member rrrood won a $5,000 package to play in the WPT Ireland through our PKR promotion. Right before his flight to Ireland, we had the opportunity to ask him some questions and wish him good luck.

PokerStrategy.com: Congratulations on winning the WPT Ireland package! Can you tell us a bit about yourself, including your poker experience and what you expect from this tournament? 

rrrood: My name is Rik, I'm 30 years old and I'm from the Netherlands. Currently I'm completing a degree in Sociology, and I play a lot poker on the side. I still consider myself a recreational player, though. In 2006 I started playing poker and I've played most variants. From No Limit Heads-Up and Full Ring, to Badugi and H.O.R.S.E. I used to focus on No Limit only, but right now I just try to enjoy whatever game I'm playing. 


 PokerStrategy.com: When did you start playing on PKR and how do you like playing there?

rrrood: Actually I just started playing at PKR before the promo started. I figured it would be a nice room with a lot of recreational players. That assumption turned out to be right. I made a couple of deep runs in tourneys, but the big results haven't come in yet. So far I really like playing there. 


 PokerStrategy.com: No big results so far, but you DID win a $5,000 package! How did you feel when you first heard you won?

rrrood: I couldn't believe it. I was so amazed. I called a friend of mine and asked him to come over. After he read everything and congratulated me, I finally started realizing it was true. That realisation was quite an emotional moment. A dream come true.


 PokerStrategy.com: What do you expect from the tourney and how did you prepare yourself?

rrrood: I'm going to take it easy at first. I want to settle in and maybe meet some people. The same goes for the tourney itself. I want to play a solid game. If there's a lot of bluffing I will adapt, and if the table is tight I will adapt my play for that as well.  

I've got some live experience. For years my friends and I have held a live poker game each Monday. Besides that, I've played a lot of pub tourneys and I've played some tourneys in the Holland Casino. Actually, I do think I play better live than online. 


 PokerStrategy.com: If you win a big prize, what will you do with the money?

rrrood: I haven't really thought about it yet. We'll see what happens. If I win something, taxes will be deducted. And we'll have to see how much of the money is left then. Either way, I consider this a holiday that I'm going to thoroughly enjoy. But obviously I will try my best to achieve a good result!


 PokerStrategy.com: Thanks for your time. We wish you all the best. We hope you enjoy your stay in Ireland and off course we hope to see you at the final table!

About Dublin

  

If you bust out on Day 1, you don't have to sulk in your hotel room. In Ireland's capital you can explore the sights and rich history. Despite being Ireland's largest and most populous city, it contains more parks and green spaces than any other city in Europe.

You won't be short of photo opportunities with monuments such as the Spire of Dublin and the 800-year-old Dublin Castle. The literary history of Dublin is fascinating with the city claiming such renowned authors as Dracula writer Bram Stoker, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and of course James Joyce.

You may have heard that the Irish enjoy a drink. The nightlife in Dublin is of course very active and you will, as the locals say, "enjoy the craic". If the wide selection of bars is a bit much for you, why not take the Backpacker Guided Pub Crawl?