Killarney Poker Festival – Day 1 Wrap

The opening day of the Killarney Poker Festival 2025 brought with it that heavy anticipation we had been carrying for months. The big one. The jewel in the crown.

The festival opener was always going to set the temperature and it came in blazing with 141 entries and a prize pool of €23,010. We had a hunch it would be dramatic, but the point was driven home when leaderboard leader Shahe Keary stone-bubbled in 16th.

From there, the spotlight shifted to contenders like Paul Carr and Mitch Hynam, who sat on a towering stack with 15 left. Ambassador Andy Black was right in the mix too, delivering another strong showing before bowing out in 8th for €850.

Paul Carr showed a real return to form and went to the rail in 3rd for €2,650 and was indeed unlucky not to see a heads up showdown. The final battle of day one came down to Mitch Hynam and IPT tour reg Aidan Hynes with Mitch going heads up as the chip leader (3.5 million to Aidan’s 1.2 million). Back and forth they went but it was Aidan Hynes who claimed the victory for €6,260 and his first IPT trophy .

Meanwhile, the €90 Mystery Bounty Satellite drew 42 entries for a €3,150 prize pool, with tickets to the big one on the line. James Lane, Sean Stack, James Walsh, Una Kelly, Declan Murphy, and Roger Conroy all punched their tickets, while Richard Edmondson closed the door on the final seat.

Day one is in the books, and the atmosphere feels like it is only getting started. The players are in full celebration mode and it’s a pure joy to see such a good buzz on day 1… Killarney style. Day two is calling, and it promises fire.

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