The 22-year-old from Nottingham navigated his way through a field of over 750-runners before beating local player Emmet Gough heads up. He needed a slice of luck to complete the victory though. Rolfe, holding AQ outdrew the Irishman’s dominating AK to seal the win. A disappointed Gough earned €65,000 for his runner up finish.


Rolfe, who qualified via a rake race on Ladbrokes Poker said, "I'm really pleased to have won this event. It's a big stepping stone and a chance to invest in a new house." The east midlander has also qualified for the Ladbrokes Poker Cruise, which sets sail in January 2011.


Richard Sinclair won the €300 side event for a score of €18,000


Kate McLennan, Head of Poker at Ladbrokes, said, "This tournament has once again been a huge success and is a fitting place to launch the poker cruise. It's nice to see familiar faces and also welcome some first-timers. We're already planning next year's Irish event, though I think it's going to take 12 months to recover from the weekend's festival!” TAGS: Poker News, Thomas, Rolfe, wins, Irish, Poker, Festival