Easter victory for Londoner James Mitchell as he claims victory at the PaddyPowerPoker.com

Easter victory for Londoner James Mitchell as he claims victory at the PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Poker Open final in one of the most eagerly anticipated tournaments in the European poker calendar

708 players took to the felt at Easter Weekend to fiercely contest the PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open. The Burlington Hotel in Dublin played host to stars including Neil Channing, Brian Townsend, Dan Harrington and last year's winner Christer Johansson, who were all fighting for the €600,000 first prize.

But it was 20 year old Londoner James Mitchell who secured victory after four days of high-octane poker action. He made the final nine alongside Rob Sherwood, Edmund Sweeney and Declan Connolly as well as notable cash game veteran player Ben Roberts. As the other players fell by the wayside, Mitchell, a protégé of former Irish Open Champion Neil Channing, coasted to the final heads-up battle with ease to commence battle with Irishman Paul Carr. Carr did his utmost to keep the Irish Poker crown on home soil and initially gained the upper hand in what was a thrilling battle between the two. But Mitchell's fortunes changed with an Ace on the river and he never looked back, building an unstoppable momentum that saw him eventually catch out Carr's bluff, scooping the title and the first place cash prize of €600,000. Second place Carr bagged a cool €312,600 for being runner up.

Fourth place finisher Rob Sherwood collected €163,000 for his final position and added an incredible €100,000 extra bonus to his winnings after becoming the PaddyPowerPoker's Sole Survivor – the last standing online qualifier. Ben Roberts finished in fifth place earning €130,000 and Edmund Sweeny ended the competition in sixth with €100,000. The remaining positions in the final nine were Declan Connolly, Peter Murphy and Yann Dion.