The Deepstack is back
Well, it’s that time of year again.
And what time is that exactly, I’m sure you’re wondering. It’s not Christmas, that much we know. Or even New Year. In poker terms, the World Series of POke is a long way off. It’s not Irish Open time. So what on earth is the old man talking about? Does he get more excited about Valentine’s Day at this point in his life than any other man who has been happily married for over three decades?
No, folks, I’m talking about the European Deepstack, which has a significant place in my poker story. I won the first one ever, which was also my first Hendon Mob entry, so this event has a very special place in my heart with its unique slow deepstacked structure. I’ve written here before about that win, so this year I’ll be different and give my biggest memories from the other years I played.
2009
I went into this as defending champion, having already turned pro. The venue moved from Drogheda to the Red Cow in Dublin, and the French arrived in force. The structure was still insanely deep at the beginning: we were 500 blinds deep at the start.
The previous year I had doubled up first level when someone tried to bluff me off top set, and I managed to repeat the same feat again this year, albeit in a very different situation. I made what my brother called a “fruity” under the gun raise with JTs, and got two callers, the very capable Benjamin Gallen and an unknown Czech guy apparently tilting from the previous hand.
being a colour blind fool I threw in a 10K chip instead of a 1K one
The KQ9 flop gave me the current nuts. I led for half pot, Benjamin flatted, and the Czech made it 1,600 (3x my bet). I decided to flat to keep Benjamin in but being a colour blind fool I threw in a 10K chip instead of a 1K one, effectively raising to 10,600. Benjamin folded (bottom set reportedly), and the Czech called. I led at the turn as there was a flush draw on board, the Czech shipped, and seemed genuinely surprised that his KQ wasn’t ahead when the hands flipped over. Five minutes in and I’m now sweating no King no Queen. None came and I doubled up.
I turned that good start into another deep run, ultimately busting on the second last table which Padraig Parkinson immediately described generously as a credible defence of the title. A young player I hadn’t seen before that impressed me greatly ended up chopping the event, and thus began one of my most enduring friendships in poker (that young player being Jason Tompkins).
2010
My major nemory from this year was a massive hand I played with 20 left when I was chipleader versus second in chips. I opened Aces under the gun, and got three bet large by second in chips, Ali Mazghi. I flatted to keep the bluffs in, and got it in on a safe looking flop against bottom pair bottom kicker. My opponent’s 72o turned into two pair on the river to cripple me. I managed to hang around long enough to become the joint first player to final table the event twice (Jason was there too, but I bust first and he was next).
2011
This was the first year I skipped. This was the year I switched to playing satellites predominantly online, qualifying for every EPT and UKIPT multiple times. The Deepstack clashed with an EPT so I had to skip it, missing out on the chance to cash the first four.
2012
No clash this year, so I was back at the event. I bust relatively quickly, and my major memories is I had a swap with Max Heinzelmann, the high flying wunderkind who would meet with a tragic end a few years later, and Lappin landing me in high water not for the first or last time. He pointed to a tall young guy and simply said: “Dick from Nottingham.” Finding myself standing beside him later as we filed out to a break, I asked: “How are you getting on Dick?” The reaction to this polite enquiry was somewhat unexpected. Mainly because his name wasn’t Dick. Turns out Lappin meant dick from Nottingham.
2013
Another clash with EPT Deauville meant I skipped again this year.
2014
No clash this year, and I was so eager I inadvertently turned up 22 hours early! As I walked around the empty poker room initially believing it must be a break, the lack of dealers or even chips on the table eventually made me realize I must have got the day wrong. So a quick text to Mrs Doke just in time before she made it back to the M50 and I was on my way back home, listening to her muttering under her breath. Couldn’t quite catch what she was saying, but pretty sure it wasn’t how wonderful it is to be married to me.
I had broken my golden rule of never trying to bluff someone with visible tattoos
Another pretty early bust meant I was free to play the main side event. First table in this was a dream, all foreign recreational players. Despite this I managed to lose about 75% of my stack in the first level, mostly the result of a failed bluff against a gentleman from the UK. I joked on Twitter that I had broken my golden rule of never trying to bluff someone with visible tattoos. There’s no real reasoning behind this: it’s purely based on experience as I don’t think I’ve ever successfully bluffed anyone with visible tattoos. My mood wasn’t improved by the table talk, centered around my new nemesis (who I mentally dubbed Coach, after he sought me out at a break to tell me how badly I played, and why I would never win anything in poker playing the way I do). He was holding a strategy symposium, dissecting every hand focusing in particular on how well he had played it (and he was playing every hand) and how badly everyone else had. I declined to engage, contenting myself to stay silent while I flicked about on Facebook and Twitter, but I won’t pretend I was unhappy when our table broke.
I picked up a few chips at my new table before the break. At the break, I had the aforementioned pep talk from “Coach,” explaining why I had to play more hands and be less ABC. Armed with my new found knowledge, I went on a tear from 10k to bag up nearly 200k, to be 4/44 overnight. Or maybe I just ignored everything Coach told me, sat there folding patiently for hours, and got it in 70/30 ahead 4 times (holding each time). I ended up coming 4th in the event. Sadly, Coach didn’t cash.
2015-2019
I missed the next five due to clashes with EPTs.
2020
My first outing in the event in over half a decade found me nursing a miniscule stack on the bubble. I managed to cash and made it to last three tables.
Stephen Kehoe went all the way to become the second Enniscorthy man to cash
My main memory is being very impressed by a new player from Enniscorthy, the town I grew up in. Stephen Kehoe went all the way to become the second Enniscorthy man to cash the event. I coached him for a while after the event during which time he developed into an online crusher, chopping the World Championship of Online Poker Main Event.
In addition to cashing the Main, I notched up a 2nd and a 3rd in two of the side events.
2023
We lost 2021 to lockdown, and I wasn’t there in 2022 due to another schedule clash. In 2023 I did not cash the Main, but cashed two of the sides. In the second of those, I lost a massive flip with 12 left against my friend Gareth James. I genuinely believed whoever won the flip was likely to win the whole thing, and I was right. It just wasn’t me.
2024
I went into this year’s festival on a bit of a streak, having started the year with my first live victory in over half a decade and then cashed six live tournaments in a row (which included final tables in London and Paris), I kept that streak going by cashing the first seven events I played at the festival, including the Main Event (I bubbled the final table).
2025
This year’s event (Feb 13 to Feb 23) includes the Amateur Championship of Poker (which despite the name is open to pros: Andy Black final tabled it a few years ago), a 2 day Irish Senior Championship (by far the best structured seniors event on the Irish calendar), the Main Event, and a 1k high roller. Unibet are running satellites every Sunday for ACOP and the Main Event, and will add more satellites on other days near the event.