Marty Smyth is a professional poker player from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a track record including wins in the 2007 Irish Poker Open Championship[1] and the 2008 Poker Million. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship.
Poker career
Marty Smyth has played poker since his early teens. He first discovered Omaha and Texas hold'em on a weekend trip to a Dublin casino at the age of 22.[2] He continued to play regularly, eventually becoming a successful professional player. In March 2008 Smyth signed a sponsorship deal with Irish-based company, Boylepoker.com. Marty was the highest earning European player in 2007[better source needed] and has since been nominated for two European Poker Awards, Player of the Year 2008 and Best Tournament Performance 2008.[3][self-published source?]
Irish Poker Open
Smyth has placed in the Irish Poker Open, Europe's oldest and largest poker tournament,[4] on four occasions. He placed 7th in 2002 and 6th in 2003. In the 2006 event, Smyth placed 15th. He defeated the largest field ever assembled for a European poker tournament when in 2007, he won the €3,300 buy-in event in Dublin. 708 players began the four-day event playing down to the final table. Smyth eventually defeated Roland De Wolfe in a heads-up encounter Terry Rogers Memorial Trophy and earning €650,000.[1] The event was televised in Ireland on RTÉ Two and internationally on Challenge.
Poker Million
Smyth competed in the Ladbrokes sponsored Poker Million V event in England in 2006. He placed 6th on the final table, winning $100,000 in prize money. The event was broadcast on Sky Sports. He also made the final table the following year, finishing 2nd to Joe Beevers for $500,000. In 2008, Smyth reached a record-breaking third consecutive final of the event, winning the $1,000,000 first prize.
World Series of Poker
Smyth won the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship on 2 July 2008 winning $859,532. On the final hand on a board of , Smyth made a pot-size bet of 600,000 holding holding a made king-high straight, his opponent Peter Jetten re-raised pot, Smyth then re-raised all-in and was call by Jetten who was holding for the same king-high straight, however Smyth was freerolling on the re-draw to a flush as well as an open-ended straight flush draw, both the King high and the Royal Flush, the turn was a blank, the , but the river brought the giving Smyth the winning flush and the Championship.[5] Marty considers his bracelet win to be his biggest achievement, but highlights the Irish Open title as his most "life-changing".[6]
World Series of Poker Bracelet
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship | $859,532 |
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000.[1] His two cashes at the WSOP account for $863,382 of those winnings.[7]
References
- ^ a b c "Marty Smyth's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Marty Smyth's - Biography". boylesports.com. Retrieved 19 November 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Marty Smyth Official Website". martysmyth.net. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
- ^ Murray, Brendan (1 April 2006). "How the Irish Changed the Face of Poker". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Calistri, Amy (2 July 2008). "2008 WSOP Event #50, $10,000 PLO Championship: Marty Smyth Wins Gold". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
- ^ "Marty Smyth Interview". blackbeltpoker.com. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ "Marty Smyth". WSOP.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.