Galway Poker Player Wins Big

September 24, 2008

Fintan Gavin, 40, from Galway, put his town on the map. Gavin was playing in the European Poker Tour event, and he took second place. Out of 620 poker players, Gavin managed to beat out all but one – a German professional poker player by the name of Sebastian Ruthenberg.

Gavin came home with €900,000 from the poker game, which was held in Barcelona. All the way from Claregalway to Spain to play in the poker game, hoping to win something but really going for the love of the game – this is the man who almost won.

He had a head to head battle with Ruthenberg which eventually did him in. The two players negotiated a deal where Gavin took home the €900,000, and Ruthenberg took home the EPT trophy and €1,361,000 in prize money.

Gavin is already in the poker business – he runs poker events at the Eglinton Casino in Galway and the areas around it. He had won a small online satellite tournament which got him into the poker game.

Winning the tournament gave him the €12,000 prize package which covered his entry fee and the cost to travel to the event in Spain. He says that he never thought he would get as far as he did, but that it was an honor to even play at all – nevermind coming in second place.