By Kevin Felix | December 30, 2008

Party Poker has announced that they will be adding a singing competition to the 2009 Irish Poker Championship which runs from January 2nd to January 5th. The organizers of the event have already confirmed that professional poker players Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot, Kenna James, and Jon “Skalie” Kalmar will be taking part in the singing contest.

A spokesperson for Party Poker assured that these three players are no strangers to singing by saying,

“The Radisson SAS Hotel on Galway Bay is soundproofed and ready to go; we’re just surprised that there is no sign of Marcel Luske yet. In all seriousness, however, this promises to be a fun spectacle. Skalie used to be the lead singer of a punk band, the Devilfish is well known for his excellence in tinkling the ivories, while Kenna James has recorded his own material and received great reviews.”

There is no information on the songs these players will be singing or who will judge them as the spokesperson stated,

“We suspect that no matter how good they are though, that whoever steps up to sing the first Irish song is likely to get the best reception! The identity of the judging panel is currently a closely guarded secret.”

The main event of the festivities will be the Irish Poker Championship which is the first major European poker tournament of 2009 and it will be held in the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway. Devilfish, Skalie, James, Mike Sexton, Padraig Parkinson, Andy Black, Noel Furlong, and last year’s IPC champion Jude Ainsworth will all be in attendance. Jude Ainsworth was able to defeat a field of 298 players last year with his poker hands and earn the largest share (€180,000) of the €542,500 prize pool.

Party Poker has promised that the 2009 Irish Poker Championship will be new and improved since the spokesperson said,

“One of the major problems of last year’s event has been completely ironed out after the near revolution in 2008. The staff at the Radisson SAS Hotel will not try and shut the bar too early on the night of the final table and have to have a change of heart.”

Another change in this year’s IPC is that there will be a charity tournament called “Poker for the Homeless”. In addition to giving out money to fund homeless shelters, this event will also provide money to other worthy charities in Galway and Dublin.

Here are the results from last year’s Irish Poker Championship:

1. Jude Ainsworth €180,000
2. Michael McCool €100,000
3. Tommy Watson €60,000
4. Trevor Dineen €35,000
5. Michael Moran €25,000
6. Keith McFadden €18,000
7. Glen McCabe €15,000
8. Bernard Brady €12,000

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