Galway Summer Featival Final Day Wrap
It was a fun-filled weekend of poker in a bustling Galway City, as players turned out in force to chase glory on the felt. With valuable leaderboard points on the line, every result carried extra weight as the countdown continued to the biggest stop of the year – the Killarney Poker Festival 2025.
The Eglinton Poker Cup Main Event played out from a 135-entry field with more than €22,000 in the prize pool.. At the top of the counts heading into the final table, Alan McGuire (667,000) held the narrowest of chip leads over Kevin O’Malley (663,000), while Matthew Blayney (627,000) and Sam Zheng (614,000) were right on their heels. Jurgita Slamiene (566,000) rounded out a tightly packed top five, as the legend Frank Dunleavy, [Dara H], Colm O’Toole, and David Fitzpatrick looked for a much-needed double-up to stay alive.
One by one they fell in the Main Event David Fitzpatrick bowed out in first in 9th place, taking home €775
Frank Dunleavy came into the FT as one of the shorter stacks but he had a stellar performance to maneuver all the way to a 4th place finish for €1,850.
The heads up battle came down to long time chip leader Alan Mcguire and local reg Matthew Blayney. After some back and forth it was Blayney who secured his second IPT trophy and €5900 for his efforts. Well done Matthew.
PLO 7 Max
Sunday night’s €100 PLO 7-Max event drew 42 entries and built a prize pool of €3,226. After just over six hours of play, it was Sam Zheng who came out on top, securing the victory and €1,065, along with 300 leaderboard points. Well done Sam.
Monsterstack
The Sunday afternoon Monsterstack attracted 33 entries and generated a €3,960 prize pool. After just over five hours of play, it was Tadgh Kelly who emerged victorious, collecting the trophy, €1,485, and 300 leaderboard points.
Runner-up honours went to Ronan Gilligan, who battled deep and was rewarded with €1,400 and 250 points. Nicolai Goncearuc secured third place for €675, while Adriano Maschi rounded out the final payouts in fourth, taking home €400.
Coming up next on the Irish Poker Tour calendar:
- Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
📅 September 1st – 7th, 2025
📍 Platinum Hotel & Casino
💶 Buy-In: €300
💰 Guarantee: €200,000+ - Limerick – €30k In A Day
📅 September 6th, 2025
📍 The Castletroy Park Hotel
💶 Buy-In: €200
💰 Guarantee: €30,000 - Donegal Poker Festival
📅 September 12th – 14th, 2025
📍 Radisson Hotel, Donegal
💶 Buy-In: €300
💰 Guarantee: €100,000+
And last but not least, our flagship event:
- Killarney Poker Festival
📅 September 23rd – 28th, 2025
📍 Gleneagle Arena, Killarney
💶 Buy-In: €700
💰 Guarantee: €500,000+