It may have been the biggest day of Poker held in the Midlands, certainly in Tullamore. From the opening bell on Friday the crowds came in. And they kept coming. €81,110 was the Main Event prizepool surpassing Limerick and Athlone’s €30K in a day Guarantees in the previous weeks.

The heartbeat of Irish Poker may lie in the heart of Ireland and the atmosphere matched the numbers, and then some.

497 entries was the tally for this Main Event through 2 days of action and a minefield of talent.

Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day – Day 1A

The word on the street was that the Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day was going to be a packed house, with expectations of a big turnout leading to an extra opening day being added to the schedule.

Day 1A saw 121 entries take to the tables on Friday night.

After just over six hours of play, 19 players secured their places in the final, with the legend Andy Black making his return to IPT felt and leading the qualifiers on 475,000 chips.

Local hero Robbie Bryant finished second in the chip counts with 351,000, followed by Shella McSweeney on 267,000 and Niall Kinahan on 258,000.

Mark Daniel M. (240,000), Dylan Gavigan (238,000), Dean Carroll (237,000) and Gheorghe Adam (236,000) were also among the leading stacks.

The €19,748 prize pool was the perfect start, with the remaining 1A players now through to the final.

Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day – Day 1B

The big turnout continued on Saturday as Day 1B of the Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day brought in a staggering 257 entries.

The Midlands may never have seen a poker turnout quite like this, and certainly not a prize pool like the €41,943 that was built on this flight alone. And there was more to come.

The atmosphere inside the club was next level. The tables were packed,and the noise level rose with every passing hour. This was a proper Saturday night in the Midlands, with the €30k in a Day living up to the hype that this was going to be something different.

43 players made it through to the final, with Killian Farrell leading the way on 661,000 chips.

Simon Keating finished second on 372,000, followed by Helen Reynolds on 340,000 and Brian O’Sullivan on 303,000.

Thomas Sweeney (293,000), Rachael Tarmey (286,000), IPT Pro Paul Carr (268,000), John Barnett (253,000) and Tomas Geleziunas (241,000) were also among the biggest stacks.

MCC hero Ray Bryant, and James J. O’Brien were also among those to qualify.

With a very lush €41,943 prize pool, the surviving players bagged for the final.

And with Day 1A already in the books, the Midlands Card Club has delivered two huge opening days. The numbers were real. The prize money was record breaking, And the noise inside the room says the same thing: this one has arrived in style.

Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day – Day 1C Hyper

There was barely time to catch a breath before the cards were back in the air. The players cued up for the fast and furious.

Day 1C, the infamous Hyper flight, attracted another 119 entries on Saturday night, adding a further €19,421 to the prize pool.

This one moved fast. Very fast. Just two hours and two minutes after the first cards were dealt, 27 players had punched their tickets to the final.

Samuel Atherton finished on top of the pile with 272,000 chips, narrowly ahead of Bogdan-Florin Chetrariu (after his deep run in Limerick) on 267,000 and Dan Rankin on 262,000.

Sam Quealy (255,000), Joe Hanney (223,000), Shane P. O’Neill (191,000), Gerard ”Cash King” Keenan (176,000), Paul “The Hangman” Roper (173,000) and Jimmy Kelly (164,000) were also among the leading stacks.

The room had already been rocking all day, but the Hyper brought another gear. Fast poker,and plenty of noise as players fought for a place in the final.

This one had the intimate setting of the Midlands Card Club with a big event feel and indeed a big event field,

With 119 more entries and another €19,421 in the prize pool, Day 1C added another serious chapter to what has become a remarkable weekend at Midlands Card Club.

And with all qualifying flights now completed, the total prize pool stood at €81,110. TD Keith announced the prizepool and payouts and the biggest one final day yet was underway.

Three flights. 497 entries. More than €81,000 in the middle. €16,500 was announced as the top prize and 50 places paid with the min cash €600.

 

The Midlands Card Club €30k in a Day Final got underway with 50 players returning to the felt, all chasing their share of the €81,110 prize pool and the €16,500 first prize.

The final was where it all came together.

The early stages of the Midlands blockbuster saw the field quickly cut down through the paid places, with the legend Andy Black, Tomas Geleziunas, Bogdan-Florin Chetrariu, Rachael Tarmey, Helen Reynolds, Niall Kinahan, Shella McSweeney, Brian O’Sullivan and Ray Bryant among those to make the money before falling short of the final 2 tables.

 

By the time play reached the final 14, Killian Farrell had moved to the top of the standings with 925,000 chips, with local hero Robbie Bryant close behind on 860,000.

Vilius Kadelskas held third place with 815,000, followed by Istvan Szakacs on 795,000.

Samuel Atherton had 675,000, while Paul ”The Hangman” Roper held 620,000. Jamie Cunningham was on 580,000 and Stephen Dwyer had 565,000.

Dylan Yip had 405,000, followed by Pauline McMahon on 320,000. Simon Keating and Dan Rankin both had 315,000, with John Barnett and Mark Daniel M. on 260,000 apiece.

The blinds had reached 30,000/60,000, leaving the average stack at 1,065,000, just under 18 big blinds.

Dylan Yip Lead the Final 9 in Tullamore

 

The MCC €30k in a Day Final reached its final table in the early hours, with Dylan Yip leading the way.

Yip came into the final table with 2.915 million chips, just ahead of Robbie Bryant on 2.97 million, while Killian Farrell sat with 2.265 million and Paul Roper had 2.06 million. Vilius Kadelskas, John Barnett, Dan Rankin, Mark Daniel M. and Stephen Dwyer completed the nine-handed line-up, with 497 entries already reduced to the final nine and €16,500 waiting for the eventual winner.

 

Yip stands tall

Dylan Yip, the popular Galway reg was the last player standing.

Yip took down the MCC €30k in a Day Final for €16,500 after more than eight hours of play, seeing off a final table that featured some of the best-known and seasoned players on the IPT.

Killian Farrell came closest to stopping him after the hometown hero Robbie Bryant bowed out in 3rd running his QT into Killian’s AQ.

Robbie’s efforts, finishing for score of €7,310, keeps distance on the chasing pack in our leaderboard and it will now take a huge task to snatch the crown away from him. His closest rival tried his damnedest when he went heads up with Yip.

Dylan shoved A3 offsuit preflop and Killian called with KT offsuit. The board ran out Q63Q5 and the curtain came down on our most successful one dayer to date.

Paul Roper followed in fourth for €4,900, with Dan Rankin completing the top five for €3,300.

John Barnett collected €2,600 in sixth, followed by Stephen Dwyer in seventh for €2,200 and Vilius Kadelskas in eighth for €1,800.

Mark Daniel M. finished ninth for €1,550, while Istvan Szakacs rounded out the top ten with €1,350.

From a field of 497, the numbers were eventually reduced to one. No talks of an ICM deal entered the conversation . These players wanted it all! Game on.

The Yip had the final stack, the title and the €16,500 that came with it.

The MCC €30k in a Day Final lasted 8 hours and 8 minutes but the legacy of this event will live a lot longer in the memory.

A huge shout out to all the staff and crew at the Midlands Card Club for not only making the IPT feel welcome, but for making this feel like home!

 

Next stop for the Irish Poker Tour will be Friday, September 25, 2026 – Sunday, September 27, 2026 Radisson Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal for the Donegal Poker Festival.

The last stop before the big one in Killarney.

See you there poker fans.