Irish Poker Open 2026 Keeps Busy During the Weekend

The Main Event Keeps Getting Smaller

The Irish Open Main Event was the weekend’s biggest story.

After registering 5,003 entries and building a €4,852,910 prize pool, the Main slowly but surely whittled down to 122 players and then quickly cut to 82 as the weekend got going. At that point, Ukraine’s Ivan Chegusov led the way with 5,250,000, with Ireland’s Conor O’Driscoll, South Africa’s Gavin Sardini, and Italy’s Manuel Ferrari not that far behind.

Players from 60 countries entered the Main, and even by the weekend the remaining field still included former champions, established names, and a few players who had already been making noise elsewhere in the series. Steve O’Dwyer, Dan Wilson, Weijie Zheng, Ian Hamilton, Kevin Killeen, Rob Sherwood, Jamie Flynn, Gerard Carbo, and Raph Verdugo were all part of the picture at various stages.

There was also a quote from O’Dwyer that pretty neatly captured the Irish Open mood:

The NLH Mystery Bounty Is Down to 14

Another event still waiting for its conclusion is the €1,150 NLH Mystery Bounty, which returns for its final day with just 14 players left from a 379-entry field.

Argentina’s Luis Sequeira comes back as the overnight chip leader, but there is no shortage of familiar names still in the hunt. Felix “xflixx” Schneiders, fresh off his runner-up finish at EPT Paris, sits in third, while Roope Tarmi is in fourth as he goes looking for a third title of the series. At this point, he is appearing in these updates often enough to feel less like a side note and more like a recurring problem for everyone else.

The Ladies High Roller Reached Its Final Table, But the Money Hasn’t Started Yet

The €1,150 Ladies High Roller is another one that will need a follow-up once the final cards are dealt.

Amy Leonard ended Day 1 with the chip lead after the 49-entry field was reduced to the final nine. PokerStars ambassador Marle Spragg sits second, so there is an obvious headline lurking there too if she manages to make a run from this point.

Ladies High Roller Final Table Counts

Player	Country	Chips
Amy Leonard		695,000
Marle Spragg		439,000
Veronika Hulalova		327,000
Tara Schwartz		239,000
Kristy Becker		223,000
Amber Sullivan		191,000
Karel Muir		125,000
Nicole Neal		117,000
Angela Roan		65,000

Lee Mulligan Leads the Seniors Championship Into Its Final Day

Another event still waiting for its conclusion is the €350 Seniors Championship, which got underway late in the festival and drew a healthy 346-entry field. That created a €104,042 prize pool, with 55 players making it through to the final day and already locking up at least €510.

The player best placed to turn that into something much bigger is the UK’s Lee Mulligan, who ended the day with 888,000 in chips. That gave him a sizeable lead over his nearest challengers, Gerard Mooney and Mark MacNabb, who both return on 467,000.

UK’s Lee Mulligan ended the day with 888,000 in chips, which gave him a sizeable lead over his Gerard Mooney and Mark MacNabb, who both return on 467,000. Regardless of who ends up with the trophy, the eventual winner will also collect €20,600.

Seniors Championship Start of Day 2 Chip Counts

Player	Country	Chips
Lee Mulligan		888,000
Gerard Mooney		467,000
Mark MacNabb		467,000
David Clarke		433,000
Djilali Dahou		417,000
William Harker		403,000
Namir Mohamed		371,000
David Foggin		308,000
John Kelly		300,000
Kevin O’Hara		277,000

More Still to Come Before the 2026 Edition Settles Down

That, of course, is the thing about the Irish Open at this point. Every time one result lands, two more sections need to be written in pencil.

The Main Event is still narrowing, the JP Poker Masters has not found its winner yet, the Ladies High Roller is poised at the final table, and Old Dogs and Young Pups still has its trophy waiting for someone. So this weekend update is really a midpoint report at best.

We’ll have the final results as they roll in tonight when. Until then, keep following the 2026 IPO on our socials for an exclusive look at The Craic floor.