PokerWorks

For the second year in a row, Padraig Parkinson' s Simon Poker Tournament was held for the Simon Dublin homeless charity, and it was a huge success. On Saturday, November 3rd, 162 players attended Simon Poker Day, an event that coincided with the European Poker Tour (EPT) Dublin series of tournaments.

Thus far, the calculated donations total €39,016 from the poker tournament and other contributions from players, online gaming sites, and "Mad" Marty Wilson' s auctions. The final tally will not be noted until all outstanding pledges have been fulfilled, though it looks like the organizers may exceed last year's donation of €50,000.

All of the costs of running the day's events were absorbed by players and organizers, so no deductions were taken from the donations to pay for incidentals. In addition, some of the organizers, such as those from The Jackpot Club, donated their wages for the day.

Simon Poker Day was well-attended and the €300+30 buy-in freezeout included such names as Noel Furlong, who won the 2006 event but took an early exit from the tournament, and Ken Doherty and Tony Cascarino, both of whom finished in the money. The winner of the event was Pat Storan from Waterford, who was awarded €10,690 for his efforts.

All in all, the organizers were pleased with the turnout and the results. They intend to make this an annual event after the success of the first two years, and they hope that this type of publicity will bring greater awareness to the plight of the homeless.