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Poker Justice: The Irish Open Slowroll Heard Around the World
The Don
When the final table of the 2015 Irish Open Main Event reached its climax in Dublin, it carried the weight of decades of European poker history. The second oldest poker tournament in the world had seen legends like Colette Doherty, Noel Furlong, Liam Flood, Joe Beevers and Neil Channing etch their names into its storybook. Among the final nine was another old-school icon and giant of the Irish poker scene. In every alcove, snug, nook and cranny of the crowded bar of the Burlington Hotel, there was only one question on everyone’s lips: “Will The Don win the Irish Open?”
Donnacha O’Dea was born in Dublin on August 30th 1948. His parents, Siobhán McKenna and Denis O’Dea, were famous stage and screen actors. A competitor on and off the felt, he was the first Irishman to swim 100 metres in under one minute and he proudly represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. His poker career began in the early 1980s and he quickly made a name for himself as a high level strategic thinker. He cashed the WSOP Main Event six times, coming sixth in 1983 and ninth in 1991. He defeated Johnny Chan heads-up for a Pot Limit Omaha bracelet in 1998. He was the first ever inductee into the European Poker Players Hall of Fame.
Modest and self-effacing by nature, he played down his chances on the morning of the final table, complimenting his table-mates and saying how he just hoped he would make a few hands. I took my spot in the commentary booth, tasked with building the hype, but it was the rambunctious rail who created the real atmosphere. An occasion steeped in tradition on a carpet soaked in spilled pints, the stories of past champions were shared by onlookers with equal measures of reverence and irreverence. Cards were sent flying into the air and little did we know the unlikely piece of poker history that we were all about to witness.
The Slowroll
There were still eight players left when O’Dea raised in the Hijack with A♣6♣ . In the small blind, the short stack Andreas Gann, playing just 5 big blinds, called with K♦Q♦. The two players went to a flop of 8♦A♦6♦, Gann checked and O’Dea quickly put his opponent in for his remaining 3 big blinds. What happened next sent a shockwave through the poker world.
There was no insta-call from Gann and his flopped nuts. In fact, quite the contrary. He huffed and puffed. He looked back at his cards. He sunk his head into his folded arms. A full minute passed while he fiddled with his chips, winced, stared up at the lights and eventually shrugged before grudgingly announcing ‘call’.
My co-commentators, Emmet Kennedy and Feargal Nealon were colourful as they read Gann the riot act. O’Dea’s status as a local hero and gentleman of the game was underscored. The gravity of the occasion was emphasised. The wrongness of a slowroll, especially in this moment, was accentuated. I suggested that Gann might be taken “on a trip up the mountains” when all was said and done.
Famous Slowrolls
Though Gann’s slowroll of O’Dea is iconic within the genre, it is far from alone. Poker has witnessed other similar moments that sparked conversation about unwritten rules, competitive edges and the spirit of poker. One famous example came from a 2013 televised $25/$50 cash game hosted by Poker Night In America. On that occasion, Shaun Deeb was the villain of the piece while a beleaguered Mike Matusow was the victim.
Matusow had pocket jacks while Deeb held fives. The flop gave Deeb quads but, when Matusow shoved his short stack on the turn, Deeb asked for a count. A minute of fake-tanking ensued, with Deeb cheekily signalling what was afoot to the other players at the table. When he finally made the call, an oblivious Matusow turned over his hand, expecting it to be good. When Deeb’s cards were eventually turned over, the rest of the table erupted in laughter.
A more recent and more high profile slowroll occurred in December on the WSOP Paradise final table bubble. With huge money on the line, Eric Wasserson delayed a call versus British pro Benny Glaser, shocking viewers and commentators alike. Glaser had cold 4-bet shoved A♦Q♥ over the top of Wasserson’s 3-bet with A♥A♣. Far from snap-calling the bet, the American asked for a chip count, double checked his cards and then tanked for a full minute before committing the chips. On seeing what he had, Glaser could only shoot his opponent a baneful stare and ask “really?”
Incidents like this have added to the debate over poker shot clocks and how much thinking time players should receive.
Poker Justice
What unites these moments are not just the slowrolls themselves but the conversation that they generate. Poker thrives on analysis, storytelling and a communal reaction to shared moments. What has made the Irish Open slowroll linger in memory isn’t just Gann’s behaviour but how O’Dea responded. His unflustered and dignified demeanor belied his wisdom and experience, standing in stark contrast to the abuse that the rest of table were rightly dishing upon Gann.
Of course, the outcome is also what separates this slowroll from most others. When the 6♥ hit the river, giving O’Dea a full house and eliminating Gann in eighth place, the entire building
erupted. Despite the pandemonium kicking off around him, O’Dea was once again unfazed, watching it all unfold with a calm that came to define the moment. It was more than a hand; it was a collision between culture and competition, between era-spanning tradition and a breach of etiquette. The Irish Open is a serious contest but it is also a tournament played in the spirit of fun and camaraderie. A slowroll in that context felt particularly discordant.
The inexperienced Gann would later claim that he meant no disrespect and that he was just trying to add to the drama and excitement for his family watching at home. Regardless, as the roars of approval broke out on the table, on the rail and in the commentary booth, O’Dea afforded himself a cheeky smile whilst pulling in the pot. Though he would only go on to finish sixth, that hand is still part of Irish poker folklore, burned into the collective memory of fans and players alike. For a brief moment, we all witnessed a rare thing in poker. Justice had been served.
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