Noel Furlong

Noel Furlong
Furlong in the World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic event
Nickname(s)	Noel
Born	J.J. Furlong December 25, 1937 (1937-12-25) (age 79) Dublin, Ireland
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)	1
Money finish(es)	3
Highest ITM Main Event finish	Winner, 1999
Information accurate as of 26 August 2009.

J. J. Furlong (born December 25, 1937 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish businessman and recreational poker player who won the 1999 World Series of Poker main event.

Furlong was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. He originally became a millionaire from his carpet manufacturing business.

He was given the nickname "Noel" because he was born on Christmas Day.

Furlong began playing poker in 1984, and in his first trip to the World Series of Poker in 1989, he placed 6th in the main event. That final table was won by Phil Hellmuth, and also included two time world champion, Johnny Chan, and business executive and professional poker player, Lyle Berman.

Ten years later, Furlong's biggest win came in the 1999 WSOP main event, in which he won $1 million. He defeated a final table that included professional poker players, Padraig Parkinson, Erik Seidel, Chris Bigler, 1996 WSOP Main Event Champion Huck Seed, and Alan Goehring, whom Furlong defeated in heads-up play to win the title.

Until Andy Black's 5th-place finish at the 2005 World Series of Poker main event, he was the top money-winning Irish poker player in the world. He is currently 6th on the Irish poker tournament money-winning list.

Furlong also won the Irish Poker Open, the longest running tournament in Europe (and now one of the largest), in 1987 and again in 1989. This tournament began in 1980, and has been held nearly every year since that time. Furlong is one of only five players in Irish Poker Open history to have won the tournament twice.