Carrick-On-Shannon €25K In A Day Wrap
Strong Turnout for Carrick €25K in a Day as Day 1 Flights Concluded
The Carrick €25K in a Day attracted a strong crowd on Saturday as two starting flights combined to produce 205 total entries, pushing the prize pool to €33,460, comfortably surpassing the €25,000 guarantee.
Players battled through the afternoon and evening sessions in hopes of securing one of the qualifying stacks for the final stage of the event, with 40 players advancing in total across the two flights.
Bartkus paves the Way in Day 1A
The opening flight, Day 1A, drew the lion’s share of the field with 153 entries taking their seats for the afternoon start.
After seven and a half hours of play, 23 players successfully advanced, with Lithuania’s Gediminas Bartkus finishing atop the chip counts after bagging an impressive 584,000.
Close behind was Petru Sentes, who ended the day with 530,000, while Sean Clerkin rounded out the top three stacks with 370,000.
Other players who bagged healthy stacks included Francis McDonnell (271,000), Robert John Crawford (265,000), Matthew O’Donnell (206,000) and Digory Dixon (203,000).
Several familiar names on the Irish circuit also progressed from the flight, including Matthew Blayney (189,000), Paul Clarke (163,000), Thomas Gallagher (153,000) and Marcus McHale (152,000).
Among the shorter stacks to advance were Brian O’Connell (48,000), Eoin Keane (38,000) and Brendan Ruane (37,000), all of whom kept their tournament hopes alive heading into the next stage.
Harrington Tops the Turbo in Day 1B
The evening turbo flight, Day 1B, added a further 52 entries to the overall field and saw 17 players progress to the final stage.
Jamie Harrington finished the flight with the biggest stack, bagging 245,000 chips to lead the survivors.
Cathal Horan ended the night second in chips with 199,000, while Ian Hamrock secured third position on the counts with 116,000.
Also advancing from the turbo flight were Mick Graydon (99,000), Mark McGuinness (93,000), James J O’Brien (88,000) and Robert McDowell (77,000).
Set for the Final Stage
With both starting flights completed, the remaining players returned for the final phase of the tournament where the €33,460 prize pool would be distributed among the top 21 finishers.
At the top of the payout structure, €8,400 awaited the eventual champion, setting the stage for a thrilling late-night battle as the Carrick €25K in a Day played down to a winner.
Main Event Payouts:
Places paid: 21
| Place | Payout |
| 1 | €8,400 |
| 2 | €5,410 |
| 3 | €3,650 |
| 4 | €2,700 |
| 5 | €2,150 |
| 6 | €1,700 |
| 7 | €1,400 |
| 8 | €1,150 |
| 9 | €900 |
| 10 – 11 | €700 |
| 12 – 13 | €600 |
| 14 – 15 | €500 |
| 16 – 21 | €400 |
Ruane Lead the Final Table
Final Table Battle
When the tournament reached its final table, Brendan Ruane held the chip lead with 1,465,000, closely followed by Emmanuel Maguire and Cormac McGinty, while eventual champion Brian O’Connell entered the final eight firmly in the middle of the pack.
The action came thick and fast once the final table got underway. Niall K. Campbell was the first to fall in eighth place for €1,150, followed shortly by David O’Flaherty in seventh for €1,400.
Cormac McGinty exited in sixth for €1,700, while Emmanuel Maguire saw his deep run come to an end in fifth place for €2,150.
The final four featured O’Connell, Ruane, Matthew Blayney, and Robert McDowell, with the pay jumps beginning to grow significantly.
McDowell finished fourth for €2,700, before Matthew Blayney collected €3,650 for his third-place finish.
Heads-Up Showdown
That left Brian O’Connell and Brendan Ruane to battle it out for the Carrick title.
Ruane, who had started the final table as chip leader, secured €5,410 for his runner-up finish, while O’Connell completed the comeback to take the trophy and the €8,400 top prize.
Carrick €25K in a Day Final Results
- Brian O’Connell – €8,400
- Brendan Ruane – €5,410
- Matthew Blayney – €3,650
- Robert McDowell – €2,700
- Emmanuel Maguire – €2,150
- Cormac McGinty – €1,700
- David O’Flaherty – €1,400
- Niall K. Campbell – €1,150
- Petru Sentes – €900
With another successful one-day event in the books, the Carrick stop once again delivered a lively atmosphere, a strong field, and plenty of late-night poker drama before a champion was crowned.
Vlad Claims Saturday Night NLH Title in Carrick
Alongside the €25K in a Day action, players also took to the tables for the Saturday Night NLH, a €150 buy-in side event that drew 24 entries and generated a €2,880 prize pool.
After just over five and a half hours of play, it was Vlad Vlad who emerged victorious, capturing the €1,380 top prize after navigating his way through the field.
The runner-up spot went to Rachael Tarmey, who earned €800 for her efforts, while Sean Murtagh completed the podium in third place for €550.
Gary Martin rounded out the paid positions, finishing fourth to collect €150.
Despite the smaller field, the tournament provided plenty of competitive action throughout the evening and proved a popular side event for players looking to get involved after the main festival action earlier in the day.
Saturday Night NLH Results
- Vlad Vlad – €1,380
- Rachael Tarmey – €800
- Sean Murtagh – €550
- Gary Martin – €150