A couple of days ago, the poker world received the tragic news that the Irish poker legend Colette Doherty had passed away. Collectively, we mourn the passing of Doherty, who will be missed by family, friends, and the global poker community.
Two-time Irish Poker Open Champion
Doherty made poker history when she won the first-ever Irish Poker Open in 1980. It remains unclear how many players participated in the event and what Doherty’s winnings actually were, but according to PokerPlayer magazine founder Dave Woods, she used half her winnings to buy into the $10,000 WSOP Main Event later the same year, meaning we can estimate her 1980 Irish Poker Open paycheck to roughly $20,000.
Doherty became the first Irish player to play the WSOP Main Event, and presumably, she had the adventure of a lifetime visiting the US to compete in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. In 1980, 73 players played the Main Event, and Doherty unfortunately didn’t cash (Stu Ungar won, defeating Doyle Brunson heads-up).
Doherty didn’t lose her poker skills in the following years, and in 1991, she cemented her already legendary status when she won the Irish Poker Open for the second time. Judging by her HendonMob profile, Doherty revisited the states more times in the following years; in 2000, she finished 12 in the $1,000 WSOP Women’s Limit Hold ‘Em/Seven-Card Stud Championship for $1,995.
Doherty’s Overall Poker Career
Although little to nothing is to be found about Doherty’s introduction to poker, fellow Irish poker player Padraig Parkinson reminisces about his good friend Doherty in a PartyPoker blog post that he posted in 2018:
“I got to know Colette well in the few years after I first met her. We both played a huge game in the Griffen Club that often ran for days, and we were usually the last two to leave. She told me how it all began. Colette being Colette, she jumped in at the deep end, joining the big private game Don O’Dea ran in the late 70s. She can’t tell the story without laughing. Some of the players thought the idea of a woman poker player highly amusing. To be fair, knowing Colette, she probably played the part to perfection. She won lots. Week after week. It took a while, but her opponents eventually figured it out. Beneath the classy feminine exterior beat the heart of a gladiator with the compassion of a contract killer.”
Parkinson also recalls witnessing Doherty win the 1991 Irish Poker Open title, defeating a player referred to as “Metal Micky” heads-up. “I can still remember the hangover from the celebration,” Parkinson says.
Doherty cashed in a £50 tournament in London in 2004; after that, it would be ten years until her next Hendon Mob score. Between 2014 and 2016, it seems like Doherty frequently played at the Fitzwilliam Card Club in Dublin. In Parkinson’s article, it’s revealed that Doherty was set to play in the 2018 Irish Poker Open €225 Ladies Championship Event.
Mourned by her Peers
Parkinson, of course, going way back with Doherty, expressed his grief over her passing through X. He ended his condolences with “May she rest in peace. Though I doubt it! She’ll find a game somewhere. Keep me a seat!”
Poker media profile Jesse May agrees Doherty will be truly missed, describing her as “A beautiful lady, a true champion, and as fierce a personality as I ever have met.” Naturally, the Irish Poker Open also paid great tribute to one of the tournament’s biggest icons of all time.
Again, Doherty will be missed by many, and the legacy she leaves after her will forever be remembered.
