Irish Poker Tour Final 2025 – Day 1 Wrap
“You can’t come into an IPT leaderboard final with your guard down. The game is too good. Too strong” – Shane Keary.
We really did open the show with the best on offer. The IPT Leaderboard Final attracted the top 16 qualified players from the IPT Leaderboard, competing for a substantial €38,930 prize pool. With prestige as important as the payout, the atmosphere was tense from the opening shuffle.
John J Ward came into the final in 16th position, just making the lineup for the all important showpiece. But it was last year’s winner Paul Carr who was the one to beat and most knew it! Paul stayed on top early doors and the final started to resemble the back and forth battle between the top 3 all year.
Final Table:
One by one they fell with Mikey Merigan falling in 9th followed by Sam Zheng.
On they went to a tense Final Table where the margin for error was so slim. The big moment came when Paul Carr, Mary Galvin and Tomas Flanagan were all in 3 ways. Carr and Flanagan with AK and Galvin with pocket 10’s was enough for Mary to advance to the chip lead.
Ward navigated a stacked final table to secure first place, while Mary Galvin put in a strong performance to finish runner-up for €6,000. Shane Keary rounded out the podium in third, collecting €5,000 after another deep run in a big IPT spot.
Result
| Rank | Name | Winnings | |
| 1 | Ward, John J | €9,000 | |
| 2 | Galvin, Mary | €6,000 | |
| 3 | Keary, Shane | €5,000 | |
| 4 | Cleary, David | €2,850 | |
| 5 | Baker, Derek | €2,300 | |
| 6 | Farrell, Killian | €1,930 | |
| 7 | Carr, Paul | €1,700 | |
| 8 | Flanagan, Tomas | €1,500 | |
| 9 | Merrigan, Michael | €1,350 | |
| 10 | Lee, Steven | €1,200 | |
| 11 | McAleenan, Daryl | €1,100 | |
| 12 | O’Rourke, Tommy | €1,000 | |
| 13 | Kontogiannis, Vasileios | €1,000 | |
| 14 | Murtagh, Sean | €1,000 | |
| 15 | Zheng, Sam | €1,000 | |
| 16 | Havrylyshen, Pavlo | €1,000 |
Val Gabriel Takes Down IPT Final Opener After Marathon Session
The IPT Final Opener has crowned its champion after a gruelling 12 hours and 43 minutes of play, with Val Gabriel emerging on top of a 132-entry field to claim €4,895 and 700 IPT points.
The €200 buy-in event generated a €21,545 prize pool, and Gabriel proved strongest at the business end, outlasting a tough final table to secure the title after a heads up deal with Ionut Sandu who finished runner-up for €4,800 and 560 points, while Ken Crowley completed the podium in third, banking €2,550.
A contingent filled out the rest of the final table, with Levan Antia (4th – €1,800) and up and coming Antrim Sport’s Club player Callum Houston (5th – €1,400) both putting together deep, composed runs. Frederico Hitner finished sixth for €1,150.
Florin Mihnea Wins Thursday Night NLH
The Thursday Night NLH wrapped up in the early hours after nearly six hours of play, with Florin Mihnea emerging victorious from a field of 45 entries.
The €150 buy-in event generated a €5,400 prize pool, and Mihnea put in a composed performance throughout the final table to secure €2,020.
David G Murphy finished runner-up, collecting €1,270, while Ninh Van Hiep rounded out the podium in third for €840. The final table also featured strong runs from David Marshall (4th) and the legend Mick Graydon (5th).
Final Table Payouts
- 1st: Florin Mihnea – €2,020
- 2nd: David G Murphy – €1,270
- 3rd: Ninh Van Hiep – €840
- 4th: David Marshall – €690
- 5th: Mick Graydon – €580
€200K FOR €200 Main Event 1A.
Strong Turnout as 15 Qualify from €200k for €200 IPT Final Day 1A
Day 1A of the €200k for €200 IPT Final is in the books after a long 8 hours 45 minutes of play, with 152 entries building a €24,807 prize pool on the opening flight.
At the close of action, 15 players booked their seats for Day 2, led by John Pearson, who bagged a commanding 606,000 chips to top the overnight counts. Pearson set the pace late in the day and finished well clear of the chasing pack.
Nicholas Thomas O’Cuilleanain secured second stack with 472,000, while Steven Brennan (430,000) and Pablo Villena (372,000) both closed strong to comfortably qualify. Rounding out the top five was Mark Ballesty, who finished with 364,000.
Also safely through were David Masters (361,000), Steven Lee (313,000) and Fryderik Nikodem (275,000), as the field thinned dramatically approaching the Last-Longer stage. The final qualifier was Patrick Eagers, who survived with 112,000 chips.
Notable exits late in the day included Derek Orr (16th), Neeraj Chhantyal, Michael Harland, and Killian Farrell, all falling just short ..
With Day 1B and further flights still to come, the early benchmark has been set, and the road to the €200k guarantee is officially underway.
Stay tuned to Live Poker Updates for full Day 1B coverage, chip counts, and qualifiers as the IPT Final continues.