A young Irish poker player who qualified for this week's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas after spending just $16 (€12) to enter an online tournament has finished in the top 50 and won more than $160,000 (€124,000), writes Conor Pope.
Nearly 9,000 people sat down to play the mammoth Texas Hold 'Em tournament in Vegas, which started at the end of July with 21-year-old novice Dave Murray from Dublin among the least fancied.
However, Murray has walked away from the tables $164,932 richer after finishing 48th. A maths and computing science graduate, Murray had worked as a poker dealer in the Fitzwilliam Card Club.
The nine players left in the game, which finishes tomorrow, are vying for a pot of $12 million.