Neil Channing topped the tree and took the plaudits, but his was just the best of 72 great performances. Congratulations to all who cashed in the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open main event!

Results of the 2008 Irish Open

1 Neil Channing €801,400.00
2 Donal Norton €420,000.00
3 Thomas Dunwoodie €275,000.00
4 Tim Blake €220,000.00
5 Danilo Paulsen €175,000.00
6 Edwin Tournier €135,000.00
7 Carsten Joh €100,000.00
8 Eric Larcheveque €75,000.00
9 John Keown €50,000.00
10 Mark Spellman €32,500.00
11 Peter Linton €32,500.00
12 Hassan Mohammed €32,500.00
13 Andrew Grimason €24,000.00
14 William Martin €24,000.00
15 Thomas Dempsey €24,000.00
16 Thomas Finneran €24,000.00
17 Surinder Sunar €24,000.00
18 Philip Starrs €24,000.00
19 John Kabbaj €18,000.00
20 William Haughey €18,000.00
21 Frederic Levy €18,000.00
22 Tony Salmon €18,000.00
23 Thomas Fourgeron €18,000.00
24 Conor Tate €18,000.00
25 Anthony Fagan €18,000.00
26 Padraig Parkinson €18,000.00
27 Nick Goodall €18,000.00
28 Bill O'Keefe €13,000.00
29 Mazhar Nawab €13,000.00
30 Charlie Harvey €13,000.00
31 Iam Van Trinh €13,000.00
32 Knut Rysstad €13,000.00
33 Julian Thew €13,000.00
34 Sorel Mizzi €13,000.00
35 Lars Hougaard €13,000.00
36 John Moran €13,000.00
37 Kiko Lacasa €9,000.00
38 Belkacem Laouar €9,000.00
39 Kristoffer Nyberg €9,000.00
40 Tominari Kobayashi €9,000.00
41 Kenneth Greaney €9,000.00
42 Emmett Davis €9,000.00
43 Nariman Faramarzi-Rad €9,000.00
44 Kieran Small €9,000.00
45 James Daly €9,000.00
46 John Conroy €6,500.00
47 David Dean €6,500.00
48 Willie Clynes €6,500.00
49 Jaka Faraz Quddus €6,500.00
50 Brian Antoniotti €6,500.00
51 Sebastien Caleechurn €6,500.00
52 Dominic Heaver €6,500.00
53 Alexander Fitzgerald €6,500.00
54 Magnus Hulden €6,500.00
55 John Paul Fox €5,500.00
56 Simon Hennessey €5,500.00
57 Dave Masters €5,500.00
58 Rumit Somaiya €5,500.00
59 Michael Finn €5,500.00
60 Andrew Cowan €5,500.00
61 Timothy Barany €5,500.00
62 Keith Littlewood €5,500.00
63 Daniel Walley €5,500.00
64 James Honeybone €4,500.00
65 Annette O'Carroll €4,500.00
66 Colin King €4,500.00
67 Abel Meijberg €4,500.00
68 Thomas Nyberg €4,500.00
69 David Albertsson €4,500.00
70 Gavin Moir €4,500.00
71 Michael Nolan €4,500.00
72 Anthony Wetherall €4,500.00

Congratulations to Neil on a fantastic performance against a field of 667 players including many of the best players in the world. He will be a more than worthy champion!

Congratulations to Neil Channing who has won the 2008 Irish Open and a prize of €801,400. Donal Norton finishes runner-up for €420,000.

In the deciding hand Norton moved all-in from the small blind and Channing called. Channing turns over A9 and Norton flips 55. The flop was a decisive Q/A/10 giving Channing the lead in a tournament deciding pot. The turn K and river A means that Channing's A9 wins the race and makes Neil Channing the champion.

We're not many hands into our heads-up battle but Neil Channing has asserted his chip lead for those which have been played. Norton's raises are getting snapped off both pre/flop and on the flop by Channing. The one pot that went to show down saw Channing land a 1,200,000 pot with trip aces.

Thomas Dunwoodie has been eliminated from the tournament in 3rd place collecting €275,000. Neil Channing moved all-in with A7 and Thomas Dunwoodie called with A8. The board came a dramatic 4/Q/3/9/7 meaning Dunwoodie loses the lead on the river and has been knocked out.

Latest stacks:

Neil Channing 4,436,000

Donal Norton 2,234,000

Short-stacked Thomas Dunwoodie moved all-in and Donal Norton calls. Dunwoodie shows 9/7 and Norton flips 8/5. The board comes 2/Q/Q/6/4 meaning the nine high plays and Dunwodie wins an 800,000 pot.

Latest (estimate) counts from the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open.

Neil Channing 3,800,000

Donal Norton 2,100,00

Thomas Dunwoodie 850,000