Final Day of The Monster 2026 Wrap
Usually, I aim to deliver the wrap the morning after the night before. But as I near my fortieth year on this big lump of dirt, I have come to realise that rushing something only ruins it. The Monster and the Green Isle were my first true taste of live poker. The first event I covered was in Glasgow; I was too busy pretending I knew how to use the camera I had bought the day before, researching words and phrases that until that weekend I had never heard of. CLOCK. Chop-pots. 3-way ICM deals. All mixed together with the delicate and sultry tones of the local Glaswegians was a lot to take in.
When I stepped foot in The Green Isle, I was ready to go. The atmosphere was palpably different. What there were only pockets of in Glasgow was everywhere. The Craic. Like Guinness, the Craic doesn’t travel well. To truly experience an authentic dose of it, you can be nowhere else other than Ireland.
The final day of The Monster 2026 was a storybook ending that I was honoured to be a part of.
Starting off proceedings was The Monster Main Event Day 1K Hyper, then it was The Monster Main Event Day 1L, aka the “Super Duper Mega Ultra Hyper” flight. Between the two, there were 221 further entries jumping in for one last bash at the Main. 42 players made it through, with Nicola Iancu Cosmin bagging up the biggest stack across the flights.
The final figure for the Main Event prize pool was €324,115…
The Monster Main Event Final got underway, with 1,986 entries whittled down to 239 players. Play began and after a while that all too bittersweet moment came. A man who is no stranger to making deep runs in Main Events. Mr “5-Way ICM Deal” at the Irish Open, better known as “Riley’s Dad” — Daryl McAleenan. Daryl, who bagged €250,500 at the Open, went all in against Portugal’s Fernando Queiros. Unfortunately, he got SUUUI-ent packing on the bubble, eventually finishing in 71st place. Like his sons Ryan, Dylan, and Riley, he is competitive to his very core, and the day was not finished for the man from Castlewellan.
Next up was a personal and players’ favourite, The Monster Monsterstack. More chips, more action, and more fun. 209 entries created an astounding €43,140, smashing the guarantee of €25K. As I said, this one never fails to disappoint. When there were six remaining, a deal was done which meant Robert McGuirk, Szymon Gajda, and Richard Close each collected €4,500. Then there were three, and another deal was agreed, which meant Willo Connolly locked up €4,500, Samuel Baneham secured €5,500, and Ray Bryant took the top payout of €7,540 and the trophy. Yet another heading back to him and his brother Robbie’s little slice of poker paradise situated right smack dab in the centre of Erin’s Isle — The Midlands Card Club, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Omaha 4/5 Cards got underway and attracted 45 entries, which meant the guarantee was surpassed yet again, with €7,345 to play for. One man seemed destined to take this one down and gradually amassed a stack that proved impossible to topple. Taking home another trophy for Riley to proudly display was Daryl McAleenan, collecting €2,545. It was nice to share a pizza and wings, generously donated by George Warnock, to celebrate his win after a decent run at the festival.
The Festival Closer was the last event to begin and saw 58 entries create a €6,960 prize pool. After just over seven hours of play, it was Dutch native Jorrit Baars who closed things out with the win and €2,410. Nicky McCann secured €1,550 for second place, while James Rooney rounded out the podium with €1,050 for third.
The Monster Main Event, at the stroke of midnight, looked like it was not going to be settled until the early hours. Control of the final table and the chip lead shifted constantly between players such as Micheál J O’Neill, Helio Netto, Robbie Bryant, and Aiden Cullinane, who needed to get back home to Mayo for seven in the morning, only a few hours from then. When it got down to eight players, Robbie Bryant had an Offaly lot of chips yet again, taking the lead for what was either the second or third time, I’m honestly unsure. As is always the way on the final day of a festival such as The Monster, with four tournaments running simultaneously, it becomes hard to keep track of all the excitement on the floor.
All eight remaining players agreed to stop the clock, with some of those shorter stacked and up next on the big blinds wanting the ICM numbers calculated immediately. After a bit of deliberation, a deal was agreed upon. Robbie’s play throughout the tournament, and especially at the final table, meant the players were happy to see the title go to him. It was a very cool moment to witness.
The fact that Robbie’s identical brother Ray was standing on the rail with his trophy also made it very clear that tonight the Green Isle belonged to the Bryant Brothers.
The 8-way ICM deal meant –
WINNER – Robbie Bryant — €27,780
2. Helio Netto — €26,580
3. Mohanveer Bhasin — €24,180
4. Fergal Coyle — €20,840
5. Aiden Cullinane — €19,890
6. Scott Pearl — €18,890
7. Shane Powell — €17,290
8. Micheál J O’Neill — €14,110
Well, that’s it for another one at the Green Isle. Once again, thank you to the staff at the hotel, the dealers, floor staff, security, and everyone at the IPT.
One last special thanks to Maria Puisor who leaves the cash desk at the IPT tour after two years, a smile that will be missed but never forgotten by those lucky enough to have brought their winning ticket to be cashed out.
Until the next one…
Good Luck
Adam