Marty Smyth

Marty Smyth has played poker since his early teens. He first discovered Omaha and Texas hold'em on a weekend trip to a Dublin casino at the age of 22.^[2] 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^{[better source needed]} and has since been nominated for two European Poker Awards, Player of the Year 2008 and Best Tournament Performance 2008.^{[3][self-published source?]}

Smyth has placed in the Irish Poker Open, Europe's oldest and largest poker tournament,^[4] 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.^[1] The event was televised in Ireland on RTÉ Two and internationally on Challenge.

Smyth competed in the Ladbrokes sponsored Poker Million 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.

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 Q♣ 9♥ 10♣, Smyth made a pot-size bet of 600,000 holding K♣ J♣ J♠ Q♦ holding a made king-high straight, his opponent Peter Jetten re-raised pot, Smyth then re-raised all-in and was call by Jetten who was holding K♠ J♦ 3♦ 2♣ 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 7♦, but the river brought the 6♣ giving Smyth the winning flush and the Championship.^[5] Marty considers his bracelet win to be his biggest achievement, but highlights the Irish Open title as his most "life-changing".^[6]

As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000.^[1] His two cashes at the WSOP account for $863,382 of those winnings.^[7]

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• Hendon Mob profile
• WPT profile
• WSOP profile