Portlaoise €40K In A Day Wrap
With such a great turnout the last time around the IPT made preparations to ensure everyone who attended the Portlaoise €40K In A Day were accommodated, by setting up extra tables. It was clear players were eager to get back amongst it after the festive break. From the start of play there was a constant flow of players joining the fray.
The day commenced with the Portlaoise Main Event Day 1A which kicked off at 1pm. In total 293 entries resulted in the prize pool being reached and surpassed with still another flight to be played. From this first flight there were 48 players who made it through to the final stage. The highest stacks from this flight were with Karl Griffin who had 265,000, John Farrell had 300,000 and Kenneth Griffin took forward 385,000.
Next to begin was the 2nd and final opportunity for players to qualify for the next stage. With a structure in place to ensure a speedy result, play got underway in the Portlaoise €40k In a Day 1B. In total 102 entries joined the mix from these 21 players made it through to the next stage. With the highest stacks belonging to Liam Cummins who had 279,000, Shane Keary had 290,000 and the highest stack was with Mark Buckley who had 294,000.
The Saturday NLH got underway giving players who were unable to make it any further in the Main Event a chance to get their hands on a trophy. In total there were 55 entries bringing the prize pool in this event to €6,600. Paul Carr who was unable to secure a bag in the Main knew he had to be on the front foot. With Shane Keary breathing down his neck on the IPT leaderboard. Shane managed to secure a bag and made it through to the final stages of the Main Event. If Shane was to place high, he would jump ahead of Paul. In the end Shane was sent packing from the Main in 16th place banking €700, which meant Paul Carr was unreachable at the top and finished the year as the Irish Poker Tour front runner.
Paul made it though to the final table in the Saturday NLH, unfortunately he exited in 8th leaving the rest of the field to fight it out. In the end it was John Barnett, who came in 3rd banking €1,000. A deal was done which meant in 2nd was Eoin O’Shea, who pocketed €1,600. The winner who takes home the trophy and €2,100 is David Cleary.
In total there were 69 players who made it through to the final stage with the prize pool reaching a staggering €64,464. As the numbers started to dwindle in the Main Event all focus was on the final table. When it got down to 5 players an ICM deal was done, with €1000 left to play for and the trophy. In the end it was Istvan Szakacs who came in 3rd taking home €7030. In 2nd was Stephen Pashley, who banked €9,263 and the winner of the Portlaoise €40K In A Day was Finbar Fitzgerald who took home the trophy and €8806.
Well, that’s a wrap for 2025, here at livepokerupdates we would like to thank everyone for making 2025 one hell of a year. Next up is the Irish Poker Tour Final, in the Green Isle in Dublin (1st – 4th of January 2026), we look forward to seeing you all there in the New Year….