AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker
TITLE: Celtic Poker Tour Winner Hauls in ?35,000 and a Trip to Singapore
DATE: 11:17 AM
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BODY:
<p class="mobile-post">Mark Flanagan, 40 from co. Wexford in Ireland, saw off 216 players to win
the Celtic Poker Tour (CPT) Grand Final in Athlone. Normally he's busy
running a road haulage business or looking after his five children but he
finds time to play poker once a week. He has only been playing Texas Hold'em
for a year. In the final showdown, second placed Maurice McNamara raised
Flanagan's big blind. The response from Flanagan was a well considered
'all-in' holding JQ. It was enough to beat McNamara's J10. McNamara made
?15,000 in second place. From a tournament prize pool of ?100,000, Flanagan
netted ?35,000 and a package to the Betfair Asian Poker Tour (BAPT), the
first ever poker event in Singapore. "I thought I had no chance," he said,
"I just wanted to make it through to the second day. "I'm looking forward to
seeing how I get on with the big fish in Singapore. If I can last an hour 
I'll
be pleased because I like to play an aggressive game."</p>
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