So, what of the PokerStars qualifiers? Simple answer: pretty good.

As usual, the site is exceptionally well represented here in Dublin with 45 satellite winners, cash qualifiers and FPP heroes proving once again - does this still need proving? - that those who cut their teeth in cyberspace can be pretty sharp in the real world as well.

Among them in the Emerald Isle this time is a certain gem named Ahmet Melin, who entered the Talksport freeroll, a tournament announced on the radio and hosted on PokerStars. Cost? Do you know what "freeroll" means?

By virtue of the fact that I have just been chatting with Ahmet during a recent players' break - in the "real world" - you can deduce that the freeroll went quite well.

Two beautiful daughters and a huge stack of chips: Ahmet Melin has it all

With the chip leaders sitting with about 50,000, Ahmet's 42,000 puts him right up there. He's getting some help with the deck - trip queens, nut flush, that kind of thing - but is making all the right decisions at all the right time. Nothing wrong with that.

But it's been even better for the Londoner in the past few days, especially when one particular tricky decision was made for him. The birth of Ahmet's second child was expected round about the precise time he was due to be getting on a plane to Ireland. Did he stay or did he go? As it happened, Tuesday's early arrival of Sienna was all the more joyous.

So, dad says hello to all the ladies in his life. Tonia, his wife, Chanel, his five-year-old daughter, as well as the latest Miss Melin.

€400,000 buys a lot of diapers.