Rok Rotar wins Paddy Power Irish Winter Festival main event

DUBLIN, Ireland -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Rok Rotar, a 30-year-old professional sports bettor and handball player from Ljubljana, Slovenia, is the new Paddy Power Poker Irish Winter Festival main event champion after battling through the 341-strong field at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Dublin to lift the €85,000 top prize.

The three-day long poker tournament reached a conclusion just before midnight this bank holiday Monday when Rotar finally claimed the title, having battled through a field of some of poker’s finest. Those who fell by the wayside over the course of the long weekend included WSOP champion Noel Furlong, Irish Open winner Ian Simpson, Irish poker legend Andy Black and sporting greats Reggie Corrigan and Ken Doherty.

This is Rotar's first major win -- in fact, it is his first live poker event cash, and only his fifth or sixth live tournament ever played. However, we are certain that we will be seeing a lot more of Mr. Rotar –- not least in next year's Irish Open, where he is now fully expected to do great things with the free seat he’s won for winning the paddypowerpoker.com Six Survivor promotion.

The IWF main event final table payouts were:

1. Rok Rotar – €85,000
2. Samuel Welbourne – €51,500
3. Paul Kristoffersson – €37,000
4. Joe O Donaill – €27,500
5. Mathias Puzich – €20,500
6. Oliver Boyce – €15,500
7. Bartosz Ciesla – €11,700
8. Philip Gildea – €8,900
9. Jimmy Wan – €6,900