Smyth Defeats Channing Heads-Up at PartyPoker World Open IV
The Party Poker World Open IV had a total of 72 players take to the felt. Neil Channing, winner of the 2008 Irish Poker Open , was a favorite to take down this event. He's been virtually unbeatable in '08 so far. Channing, fresh off an impressive defeat of Irish poker legend Donnacha O'Dea at the PartyPoker Nations Cup last month, played some rock solid poker.
Channing won his heat and made it to the final table. However, as heads-up play got underway, Channing found himself up against 2007 Irish Poker Open champion Marty Smyth. Smyth, 33 and a resident of Ulster in Northern Ireland, is one tough opponent. Despite being a two-to-one underdog, he battled back to take over the chip lead prior to the final hand of play. On that hand, Channing held pocket nines and Smyth was looking at a pair of ladies in the hole. The board didn't change either player's fate.
Smyth won the title and the $250,000 which he said would “come in handy for Vegas.” He and Channing are among the impressive UK-contigent that will descend upon the gambling capital of the US later this month for the World Series.
Perhaps more importantly for Smyth is that he stopped the juggernaut that Channing had become. As a PartyPoker spokesperson noted, “It would be fair to say that Marty was an extremely popular winner. He's done European poker a favour by derailing the Channing bandwagon, but make no mistake he is one of the finest players on the circuit at the moment.”
Win your way to the WSOP and play with the likes of Neil Channing and Marty Smyth. Party Poker is holding qualifiers right now that go as low as a $1. Click here to be transported over there now.