January 07 2012, PokerNews Staff

The festive period is well and truly over and it is time for poker players around the world to get back to business - the business of building bankrolls and winning huge sums of money! One way to ensure 2012 kicks off in the best possible way is to download PokerStars and take part in the amazing PokerNews PokerStars $20,000 Freeroll.

Win A Share of $20,000

We are very excited to be able to reward our players with a share of $20,000. This exclusive freeroll is only open to new and existing PokerNews players.

This is a PokerNews exclusive promotion which means you will only be playing against opponents who have downloaded PokerStars through PokerNews, limiting the field and increasing the chances of you walking away with the lion’s share of the spoils.

New Players Automatically Receive A Seat!

New PokerNews players have the easiest route to the $20,000 freeroll because all they need to do is sign up for a PokerStars account through PokerNews and make their first deposit. It is as simple as that. No VPP requirements - nothing!

Remember to use the marketing code POKERNEWS.COM and the bonus code STARS600 when creating your account and making your first bonus because doing so means you will be eligible for a 100% up to $600 first deposit bonus too!

Existing PokerNews Players Can Play Too!

Qualification for this fantastic $20,000 freeroll is extremely easy and even players who frequent the micro-stakes games should be able to earn enough VPPs during the qualification period, which ends on Jan. 27.

Entry to the tournament on Jan. 31 at 1400 EST (1900 GMT) will be granted to anyone who earns just 45VPPs before midnight on Jan. 27 and with such a small requirement there really is no excuse not to hit the tables and earn your seat in this brilliant promotion.

Don’t Miss Out

The PokerNews $20,000 PokerStars Freeroll is going to award free money, and everyone loves free money so there are no excuses for missing this great event.

PokerNews $20,000 PokerStars Freeroll

• Date: Jan. 31
• Time: 1400 EST (1900 GMT)
• Qualification Period: Dec. 20 – Jan. 27
• Existing PokerNews Players: Earn 45 VPPs to qualify
• New PokerNews Players: Make a first deposit to qualify
• Prize Pool: $20,000

Becoming a PokerNews player on PokerStars not only allows you to participate in the $20,000 Freeroll but you will also be eligible for the aforementioned 100% up to $600 first deposit bonus and be able to take part in any future promotions between PokerStars and ourselves in the coming months.

If you experience any problems with this or any of our promotions, please contact our Ticketed Promo Support System.

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

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January 06 2012, Brett Collson

Day 2 of the inaugural World Poker Tour stop in Ireland began with 195 of the original 338 players taking their seats at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin. The day began with several notables still in contention for the “202,680 top prize, but only a handful managed to reach the money when play came to a close.

Thirty-six players secured a minimum payday of $7,217 after fireworks erupted on the money bubble late Friday night. According to the World Poker Tour Live Updates team, Oliver Nilsson and Franck Boyer saw a flop of which ultimately generated one of the largest pots of the tournament. Both players ended up all-in, Boyer with for middle set and Nilsson with for a flopped straight. The on the turn changed nothing, but another deuce on the river gave Boyer a full house. The massive pot shot Boyer up the leaderboard and sent Nilsson to the rail as the bubble boy.

Others who fell short of the money Friday were Day 1 chip leader Dave Callaghan, Andy Black, Jon Kalmar, Sam El Sayed, Sam Holden, Tatjana Pasalic, McLean Karr, Toby Lewis, Kara Scott, Leo Margets and former WPT champs James Dempsey and Jake Cody.

Dempsey entered the day as the shortest stack and his bid for a second WPT title of Season X ended when his couldn’t improve against Jim O’Neill’s pocket queens.

Dempsey’s elimination came shortly after his friend, Triple Crown winner Jake Cody, was sent packing. Cody three-bet shoved preflop for about 20 big blinds with pocket sixes but Andrew Wayman’s finished best, sending Cody out the door empty-handed. Cody’s lone WPT victory came in London in September 2010.

Englishman Dave Shallow leads the way going into Day 3 with 951,000 chips. He may be an unknown on the live tournament circuit, but Shallow has crushed online poker for years under the moniker “CrabMaki” on PokerStars. He won the $10,000 High Roller event at the 2010 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) for more than $600,000, and is also a feared cash game player.

Among the big stacks chasing Shallow when Day 3 begins will be Boyer (873,000), Steve Watts (628,000), and William Dorey (576,000). Ross Boatman, one of the few notables remaining, is 11th in chips with 298,000, and Dublin pro Dermot Blain is slightly below average with 215,000.

Day 3 gets under way at 1400 GMT (0900 EST) on Saturday. Here’s a look at the top ten chip counts when play resumes:

World Poker Tour Ireland Top 10 Chip Counts

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*Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.

Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson