Neill Kelly

by snoopy
Submitted by: snoopy on Mon, 27/08/2007 - 5:28pm
 
Irish Poker has seen a distinct rise in popularity of late. With the Irish Poker Open being Europe's oldest tournament, and players like Noel Furlong, Andy Black and Padraig Parkinson making their presence felt at WSOP, the green, white and orange of Ireland has always been an integral part of the game, but now poker is truly exploding.
 
One of the men looking to heighten the impact of that boom even further is Neill Kelly of Big Slick Events. Setting buy-ins at a more affordable price yet offering a structure that competes with the major events, Neill has dipped into a previously untouched market and lured new players onto the live scene as a result. I caught up with Neill to discuss his latest venture, the blondepoker Waterford Festival of Poker, and to pick his brains about the current state of Irish poker.
 
Snoopy: How and why did Big Slick Events form and who are the people involved?

Neill Kelly: There are 3 Directors involved: myself, Richard Frisby and Keith Murphy. We originally organised a tournament for a local club, Waterford United, about 3 years ago and from there we took it a further step each time thinking we could make some more money. This culminated in a tour that can seat 500+ and two card clubs in Clonmel and Carlow in Ireland

Snoopy: Recently Big Slick Events struck a bond with blonde poker for the blonde poker Winter Festival of Poker in Waterford. Can you explain how that relationship came about?

NK: I had met Dennis O’Mahoney at two Big Slick events and we got chatting. At the time we were with Boylepoker and had a good relationship but Dennis was on the poker players’ level and I felt going forward we both could bring a lot to each other’s companies. blonde poker and Big Slick will both compliment each other.

Snoopy: Is there a specific reason why blonde poker and Big Slick Events formed this relationship? Do you share common goals or views on the game?


NK: I just felt that blonde poker had a great link with players through their site with live updates and felt that would be good for us as it would get us into the UK market and in turn bring blonde poker to Irish shores where we will hopefully see more players sign up and play on their network. Dennis O’Mahoney played an integral part though. He had the same views as me going forward: affordable buy-ins and decent games.

Snoopy: Waterford isn’t famed for its poker. Why was this location selected and what can you tell us about the town for those looking to add an extra day or two to their trip?

NK: Well, we are all from the area so cost wise and travel wise it is handier for us to set up. We also possess a great following down this way. Waterford is famous for its Waterford Glass, and is also in the sunny south east, only 7 miles away is Tramore with a 3 mile long beach. Waterford has plenty of nightlife and most of the pubs will allow a great weekend for all. I am sure that poker will be the main objective though.

Snoopy: Big Slick Productions seems focussed on providing players with deep structures for minimal investments. Is this something that was of particular importance to you and is it an untapped market in Ireland?


NK: Yes, as you can see, all the tournaments now are getting more and more expensive such as the EPT and the Irish Open, so I said why not do a lesser buy-in com with an equally great structure thereby giving the players the same experience as the major tournaments for just a snippet of the cost . I think you will see that this is one of the best value events in Europe at the moment and we have much more to follow in 2008 such as The I.S.O.P. (Irish Series of Poker) in September, a week long event with a €1,000 Main Event, 20k starting stack and 90 min clock. Now this will undoubtedly be good for the players to experience a W.S.O.P Style structure in Ireland for 1 tenth of the buy in.

Snoopy: Irish Poker has always been big with acclaimed events such as the Irish Poker Open, but recent times have seen the game explode with numerous festivals rearing their heads. Why has this happened over the last year or two?

NK: I think TV coverage has played a massive part in this. You can switch on most channels any time of the day and watch poker. The big names and prizepools make people want to try out the game, most start small and eventually go on to play these major events. We have a lot of famous players here who people idolise such as Andy Black, Padraig Parkinson, Roy Brindley, Scott Gray, all of whom can compete at the highest levels. When you see these players at the festivals we are running it gives people a special buzz to be participating in an event with these big name pro’s seated at the same tables.

Snoopy: What is the current standard of play in Ireland? Who do you believe are today’s strongest Irish players?

NK: The Irish poker scene is very good at the moment. The older players such as Padriag Parkinson, Scott Gray, Donnacha O’Dea, Paul Lecky can still play at the highest level and experience counts heavily in my opinion in this game. I think the standard with Irish players is very good with the amount of decent games that can be found in this country. Again, Andy Black always comes to the front and still heads the all time Ireland money list and has done wonders to put Ireland on the poker map

Snoopy: Which young Irish players do you predict could become future stars?


NK: In my opinion, there are a few depending on the game. In No Limit Hold’Em there is Dave O’Callaghan from Dublin who made the final table of the Dublin EPT a few years ago – he’s a genuinely tough player to sit down against. Also, Nicky Power from Waterford, a finalist at this year’s Irish Open is one to watch. He’s only been playing for 2 years but really has the 'A' game whether it be a €10 or €3,000 buy-in. Brian O Keefe, Dave Maters, Rob Taylor, Eoin Tobin and Kieron ‘Flipper’ Walsh would also be in my top picks for No Limit. For cash play, the best player I have seen to date has to be Dave Callaghan (right) - superb player with no fear whatsoever on an Omaha table, sees the value of hands amazingly well .

NK: Which players in Ireland do people respect or admire as legends of the game? Is there anyone in particular who is at the forefront of that list?

Noel Furlong, Frank Callaghan, Roy Brindley,  Bob Battersby, Padraig Parkinson, Scott Gray and Donnacha O’Dea are all legends of the game this side of the ocean and I suppose Dan Harrington could be taken as Irish too. But, in my own opinion, Andy Black always leads the way with huge results at most events he is at. He would be well recognised at any event he plays now in the world

Snoopy: Are there any noticeable differences between the style of Irish players and the rest of Europe?

NK: Irish players are more aggressive and willing to gamble and bluff more times than European players. They also drink more.

Snoopy: Are there any legal problems with playing the game in Ireland? Has the government ever made it difficult for people to play poker?

NK: At the moment there is no legislation to hold poker tournaments in Ireland but in the next two years I reckon we will see a change in this so that the government can take their cuts from all the games going on throughout the country. We will also see the licensing of all clubs and casinos in Ireland. Hopefully the government will not ruin the game that we have going here in Ireland at the moment.

Snoopy: What do you think of the future of poker in Ireland?

NK: It all depends on what the government does, but, at the moment, it has exploded. You can go to any small or rural town in Ireland and find a game of poker no problem. Hopefully this will never change. Poker in Ireland looks very healthy at the moment

Snoopy: This isn’t the first festival Big Slick Events have hosted. How successful was your last outing and what issues are you looking to iron out for the blonde poker Winter Festival?


NK: Our last festival was the Waterford Open in May with 195 runners over 3 days. Overall we did not have any problems, the tourney started 1 minute late and all players were still seating, I always start on time, no matter what. We did encounter some issues with the food but this will be rectified this time around. Other than that, you can see photgrapghs of the last event and see what u think at http://neilltest.slide.com/ - just click on Waterford open. All-in-all, we received great feedback from this event and received no complaints from the players. Things ran smoothly from Day 1 and continued perfectly until the last day .

Snoopy: What are current numbers for this event and what ‘name’ players have been pencilled in?


NK: Current numbers for the Festival are 208 provisionally and we can seat 300 excluding alternates if needed. Players such as Roy Brindley, Padraig Parkinson, Dave O’Callaghan, Nicky Power, Dave Masters and Flipper Walsh have all provisionally reserved their seats, so it all looks good with many other professional players waiting to see if they are free for the event. Ireland’s Sideshow Bob, a great character of the Irish poker scene, will also be in our presence and for those who have not come across this guy, it’s an experience you will remember.

Snoopy: Can players still enter for this competition, and if so, how should they go about doing so?

NK: Here are contact details for the event, hopefully we will still have seats available on the day. Keep an eye on our website www.bigslickevents.net and the blonde poker forum for updates on the event.

For The blondepoker Waterford Winter Festival Nov 15th-18th, Please note your seat will be held up until 2 hours before the Main Event if you have registered through www.bigslickevents.net (please click the registration button on the page at no cost to hold a seat). If you wish to pay for the event before this date, I will let you know how to do this through www.blondepoker.com. We will also be holding online satellites for this event to be found also on www.blondepoker.com.

On November 15th, there will be a super satellite the night before the Main Event. We have guaranteed 20 tickets for this but expect to do 40+ Main Event tickets as we are giving away 10 super satellite tickets per week at events in the south east from July. If you require accommodation, the hotel is now full. I am arranging special prices at the Ramada Viking Hotel in Waterford which is 5 minutes away from the Main Event hotel. Hopefully the price will be €55 or €110 for a twin room. Please say you are playing the poker in the Woodlands Hotel to utilise the special rate.

If you require any info on the event or travel then please feel free to call me day or night at anytime on 00353872828744. Us poker players do not sleep.