The Monster 2026 – Day 1 Wrap

It came up the hard way…four years of chips, sweat, bad beats, and better comebacks.

Now it stands where it belongs. Not just another stop on the schedule, but one of the pillars of the Irish Poker Tour calendar.

Every year it gets bigger. Sharper. Meaner. This is an evolution of a Monster and the Greenisle is the perfect host. Day 1 saw the guarantees hit ease and we got a flavour of the temperature this weekend and it looks like it’s going to be exactly what it says on the tin … a Monster.

The Monster Opener- €15K GTD

The Monster Opener is already doing what it always does it strips things back to the raw edge of tournament poker and Day 1A set the tone with 64 entries There were no shortcuts and no easy ladders up the counts just pressure until the field naturally broke apart.

When 1A reached its conclusion, only 12 players remained, with Nico Segersven leading the way on 236,000 after a controlled and steady climb through the day, and Shella McSweeney right behind on 219,000, both emerging from a field that had been forced to earn every inch.

Day 1B Hyper flipped the pace completely. Thirty-one entries, fast structure, no time to settle. It was over almost as quickly as it began, leaving just six survivors. James J O’Brien made the strongest mark, bagging 277,000 and turning a short sprint into a commanding stack heading into the Final.

Once we got going on our Opener Final the room was already buzzing and the serious approached and the prizepool announced a 10 player payout.

Paul Carr was first to fall at the Final Table for a €500. It was good to see the Cookie Jar back in form after a few months of IPT break. Shane Keary also had a deep run finishing in 10th.

When it got the business end it was Padraig McGrath, Joseph Kinahan , Kieran Walsh and Daniel Gilmartin who agreed a 4 way deal.

It was Gilmartin who stepped through it cleanest. Ninety-five entries, €15,505 in the middle, and a final table that demanded patience as much as aggression.

Gilmartin handled it best, closing out the first title of The Monster 2026 and setting the early benchmark for the festival.

1- Gilmartin, Daniel €3,605 500 Points

2- McGrath, Padraig €2,500 – 400 Points

3- Kinahan, Joseph €2,500 – 325 Points

4- Walsh, Kieran €2,500 – 275 Points

The Monster 1A – A Field Finds Its Teeth

The first real punch of The Monster has landed.

122 entries, €19,911 in the pot, and after nearly nine hours of grind inside the Green Isle, the field has been carved down to just ten survivors  each one dragging a stack, a story, and a shot at  Day 2.

This wasn’t a gentle opener. It never is.

That low hum of build and expectation that only The Monster seems to generate.

Leading the charge is Mohanveer Bhasin, bagging a commanding 710,000 chips. Close behind, David Masters (695,000) and Martin Halligan (651,000) kept the pressure high all night, never letting the pace drop. These weren’t passengers, they were driving the action.

The Omaha €300 ran its own war in parallel, thirty-nine entries, nearly eight hours of swings, momentum changes, and bruised patience. In the end, J.J. Hazan and Liam Byrne couldn’t be separated, agreeing a deal after surviving the storm. They played on for the all important trophy which JJ was delighted with. Well in JJ.

And still this is only the beginning.

Because the Main Event is still alive and building.

This is a celebration.
This is evolution.

And The Monster isn’t finished speaking yet.