Narcis Nedelcu Wins Record-Breaking 2026 Irish Open Main Event After a Five-Way Deal

A Main Event That Just Kept Growing

The Main Event was the central story of the 2026 edition from the moment the entry numbers started climbing. By the time late registration closed, the field had reached 5,003 entries, meaning this was going to be the largest Irish Open Main Event on record. Players from 60 different countries took part, 736 places were paid, and the minimum cash came in at €1,200.

We’ve already discussed several former champions making deep runs before falling short of the final table yesterday, including Dan Wilson in 27th, Steve O’Dwyer in 16th, and Weijie Zheng in 13th.

By the time Day 3 finally rolled around last night, the field was all but ten players and six nations.

Nedelcu Worked His Way Through the Middle

Even with just ten players seated, Nedelcu was far from the chip lead. That title, at least at the beginning of the night, belonged to Danilo Donnini, who started with the lead, while Nedelcu began more or less in the middle of the pack.

The Romanian’s first task was getting through the last-table bubble. Finnish player Jarkko Suokas was the first to fall on the day, leaving the official final table set. From there, Edward Dunphy and Matthew Twomey were the first two final-table casualties, and Nedelcu soon found himself in one of the key pots.

At that stage, he was all in and at risk against Isaac Barker, with jacks holding against Barker’s nines. This was a swing that kept Nedelcu alive and, before long, pushed him in the other direction entirely. Not much later, he was the one knocking Barker out in seventh, and from there he moved into the chip lead for the first time.

Donnini then eliminated Francesco Gisolfi in sixth place, ending one of the more charming stories of the final table, since Gisolfi had qualified online for just €10 and still turned that into a €105,070 score.

A Five Way Deal for the History Books

Once Gisolfi was gone, the final five were Nedelcu, Donnini, Vasyl Palandiuk, Oliver Gayko, and Ireland’s Daryl McAleenan.

The remaining five battled it out for more than three hours, with the chip lead moving around. As the stacks compressed and the blinds kept climbing, the tournament reached the stage where the money jumps were huge and the margins were thin. Eventually, the five players agreed to an ICM deal.

The original first prize had been €517,100, but once the chop was reached, €70,227 was left in play for the eventual winner along with the trophy and the title. The rest of the remaining prize pool was divided based on stack sizes at the time of the five-way deal.

Oliver Gayko, who ultimately finished fifth, actually walked away with €285,380 under the deal terms. McAleenan secured €250,500, Palandiuk €255,190, Donnini €257,660, and Nedelcu locked up €336,790 by going on to win the tournament outright.

Nedelcu Finishes the Job

For a final table that took that long to reach the deal stage, the ending was actually abrupt.

After the chop, Nedelcu didn’t waste any time. Holding queens, he busted both Oliver Gayko and Daryl McAleenan in the same hand, reducing five players to three. A few minutes later, he sent Vasyl Palandiuk out in third.

That left him heads-up with Donnini, holding roughly a three-to-one chip lead. That duel lasted only four hands.

In the final round, Donnini was all in preflop with king-six, while Nedelcu held ace-deuce. Donnini could not improve, and just like that the tournament was over. After days of flights, hundreds of cashes, and one very long final stretch, the biggest event of the Irish Open had its winner.

2026 Irish Open Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Narcis Nedelcu		€336,790
2	Danilo Donnini		€257,660
3	Vasyl Palandiuk		€255,190
4	Daryl McAleenan		€250,500
5	Oliver Gayko		€285,380
6	Francesco Gisolfi		€105,070
7	Isaac Barker		€80,800
8	Matthew Twomey		€62,170
9	Edward Dunphy		€47,800

The Main Event was always going to be the piece people remembered most from the Irish Open. It just so happens that this year, it ended with a Romanian winner, a five-way deal, and a final table full of different routes to the same stage.

As players say their farewells to Dublin for this season, the Irish Open is turning its focus to Sydney, where the first stop of its international tour will be heading this September. So, don’t think of this as a goodbye but more of a see you later.