Irish poker player Vincent Mellin was the lucky winner of the € 1 million guaranteed paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open 2006. He decided to share his luck with one of his opponents, Rumit Somaiya, after a crucial hand in which Rumit was knocked out by Melinn.

Mr. Melinn, who is 54 years old and a chartered accountant, said that he felt sorry for Rumit’s bad luck and decided to offer him a share of his bet in return for coaching through the late stages of the tournament.

"Winning for me was definitely not about the money – I wanted the title and Rumit's advice helped see me through. I wrote him a cheque for €18,000 the day after the tournament ended" Melinn said.

Melinn had only played in one live tournament before, the World Series of Poker main event and lost in the very first hand.