Marty Smyth
Encyclopedia
Marty Smyth is a professional poker
player from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
with a track record including wins in the 2007 Irish Poker Open
Championship and the 2008 Poker Million
. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship.
and Texas hold'em on a weekend trip to a Dublin casino at the age of 22. 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 and has since been nominated for two European Poker Awards, Player of the Year 2008 and Best Tournament Performance 2008.
, Europe's oldest and largest poker tournament, 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. The event was televised in Ireland on RTE Two
and internationally on Challenge.
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.
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. Marty considers his bracelet win to be his biggest achievement, but highlights the Irish Open title as his most "life-changing".
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000. His two cashes at the WSOP account for $863,382 of those winnings.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
with a track record including wins in the 2007 Irish Poker Open
Irish Poker Open
The paddypowerpoker.com Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas hold 'em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker....
Championship and the 2008 Poker Million
Poker Million
The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
. 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 OmahaOmaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
and Texas hold'em on a weekend trip to a Dublin casino at the age of 22. 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
Boylesports
Boylesports is the largest independent bookmaker in Ireland. Headquartered in Dundalk, County Louth, Boylesports has 161 retail branches throughout the country. In addition to their retail stores, Boylesports operates a telephone betting service, "Fon-A-Bet", and Internet-based betting and gaming...
. Marty was the highest earning European player in 2007 and has since been nominated for two European Poker Awards, Player of the Year 2008 and Best Tournament Performance 2008.
Irish Poker Open
Smyth has placed in the Irish Poker OpenIrish Poker Open
The paddypowerpoker.com Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas hold 'em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker....
, Europe's oldest and largest poker tournament, 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
Roland De Wolfe
Roland De Wolfe is an English professional poker player and a former writer for the poker magazine Inside Edge.After winning first prize in an event at the 2004 Gutshot Poker Festival, he went on to make a money finish in the $1,000 No Limit event of the 2005 World Series of Poker.In July 2005, he...
in a heads-up encounter Terry Rogers
Terry Rogers
Terry "Red Menace" Rogers was an Irish bookmaker, credited with introducing hold'em poker to Europe, alongside "Gentleman" Liam Flood. He earned his nickname from his bright red hair....
Memorial Trophy and earning €650,000. The event was televised in Ireland on RTE Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
and internationally on Challenge.
Poker Million
Smyth competed in the Ladbrokes sponsored Poker MillionPoker Million
The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
V event in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 2006
He placed 6th on the final table, winning $100,000 in prize money. The event was broadcast on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. He also made the final table the following year, finishing 2nd to Joe Beevers
Joe Beevers
Joseph "Joe" Charles Beevers is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob....
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
Marty 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 JettenPeter Jetten
Peter Jetten is a Canadian professional poker player. Jetten is known for playing online poker under the screen name "Apathy". He has over $2,000,000 in live poker tournament winnings, and in early 2011 signed a sponsorship deal with Full Tilt Poker.-Personal life:Jetten was born in Toronto,...
re-raised pot, Smyth then re-raised all-in and was call by Jetten who was holding for the same king-high straight, however Smyth was freerolling
Freeroll (poker)
In poker, a freeroll has two distinct meanings. One applies to the play of a single hand, and the other describes an entire poker tournament.-Freeroll hand:...
on the re-draw to a flush as well as an open-ended straight flush draw, both the King high and the Royal Flush, the turn was a blank, the , but the river brought the giving Smyth the winning flush and the Championship. Marty considers his bracelet win to be his biggest achievement, but highlights the Irish Open title as his most "life-changing".
World Series of Poker Bracelet
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
$10,000 Pot-Limit Betting (poker) In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing... Omaha Omaha hold 'em Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards... World Championship |
$859,532 |
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000. His two cashes at the WSOP account for $863,382 of those winnings.