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Irish Poker Open 2026: Nedelcu Wins Historic Main Event as Dublin Breaks All Records
- Irish Open 2026 broke records with >5,000 entries, €4.85M prize pool.
- Romanian Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu won the Main Event with €336,798.
- Announced expansion to Sydney, Marrakech & USA for future editions.
Romanian poker pro Narcis Nedelcu, winner of the record-setting 2026 Irish Poker Open Main Event.
(credit: irishpokeropen.com / Danny Maxwell)
The RDS Dublin played host to a 12-day festival that surpassed every benchmark ever set, drawing players from across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. When the final chips were counted, Romanian professional Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu stood alone as the champion of the most significant Main Event in the Irish Open's history.
A Festival That Rewrote the Record Books
The numbers alone tell a compelling story. The €1,150 buy-in Main Event attracted first time over 5,000 entries. That historic turnout produced a prize pool of €4,852,910, obliterating every previous edition.
The festival did not stop there. The €250 Mini Irish Open drew 7,349 entries, generating over €1.5 million in prize money and delivering one of the richest lower buy-in poker events Europe has seen this year. Across all 50-plus events on the schedule, Dublin proved it can compete with any poker destination on the planet.
Main Event: Nedelcu Seals a Five-Way Deal and Fights Through
Nine players returned for the Main Event's final day carrying both ambition and pressure in equal measure. With stacks closely bunched, a five-way ICM deal was negotiated, with €70,000 held back for the eventual champion to claim after play resumed.
Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu made the most of the opportunity. The Romanian pro navigated the remaining action with composure, securing the final payout and banking a total of €336,798. Germany's Oliver Gayko had received the largest individual deal share at €285,379 but fell short of the title, finishing fifth.
irish Poker Festival 2026 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu | Romania | 336,798 |
| 2 | Danilo Donnini | Italy | 257,662 |
| 3 | Vasyl Palandiuk | Ukraine | 255,188 |
| 4 | Daryl McAleenan | Ireland | 250,493 |
| 5 | Oliver Gayko | Germany | 285,379 |
| 6 | Francesco Gisolfi | Italy | 105,070 |
| 7 | Isaac Barker | United Kingdom | 80,800 |
| 8 | Matthew Twomey | Ireland | 62,170 |
| 9 | Edward Dunphy | Ireland | 47,800 |
Mini Irish Open Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sami Agel | Luxembourg | 150,855 |
| 2 | David Michael Penly | United Kingdom | 117,195 |
| 3 | Aleksandras Nagreckis | Lithuania | 73,970 |
| 4 | Thomas Pietsch | Germany | 56,900 |
| 5 | Petros Karadimos | Greece | 43,770 |
| 6 | Darren McBrearty | Ireland | 33,665 |
| 7 | Alberto Parenti | Italy | 25,900 |
| 8 | Ahmed Abdella | Egypt | 19,920 |
| 9 | Garrett Patrick Boyle | Ireland | 15,320 |
Irish Open Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Total Prize (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trevor Reardon | England | 40,450 |
| 2 | Roope Tarmi | Finland | 47,070 |
| 3 | Luis Sequeira | Argentina | 34,190 |
| 4 | Pascal Vos | Netherlands | 16,230 |
| 5 | Longmao Fan | United Kingdom | 34,680 |
| 6 | Nathan A. Rao | India | 34,830 |
| 7 | Felix Schneiders | Germany | 10,525 |
| 8 | Patrick Bechtel | Germany | 11,960 |
| 9 | Petre Bogdan Ionescu | Romania | 6,640 |
Hendon Mob Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Byrne | Scotland | 44,950 |
| 2 | Koen Van Venrooij | Netherlands | 30,970 |
| 3 | Cameron Sinclair | United Kingdom | 35,420 |
| 4 | Ed Fogarty | Ireland | 18,420 |
| 5 | Guillermo Gordo | Spain | 14,170 |
| 6 | Sia Browne | Ireland | 10,090 |
| 7 | Adam Early | Ireland | 8,380 |
| 8 | Manfred Gunther | Canada | 6,457 |
| 9 | Szymon Koper | Poland | 4,960 |
Other Notable Winners
Finland's Roope Tarmi was arguably the festival's standout performer, adding the €4,750 High Roller 8-Max title (€336,348) and the €10,000 Super High Roller crown (€122,948) to his Mystery Bounty runner-up finish. Germany's Jonas Heuser shipped the prestigious JP Poker Masters for €441,835, while Scotland's Byrne and Romania's Nedelcu joined a champion's list spanning more than 20 nationalities across the full schedule.
Irish Open Goes International: Sydney, Marrakech & the US
Perhaps the most consequential announcement of the entire festival came off the felt. Festival owners Paul O'Reilly and JP McCann confirmed the Irish Poker Open's first international expansion, with three overseas editions now confirmed:
- Sydney: September 2026
- Marrakech: November 2026
- United States: 2027
The move signals a clear ambition to transform the Irish Open from a beloved European institution into a globally recognised brand, with the festival's 50th anniversary in 2030 already firmly in the organisation's sights.
Complete List of Irish Poker 2026 Winners
| # | Tournament | Winner | Country | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLH – Luxon Mystery Bounty | Tudor Lazar | Romania | |
| 3 | NLH – Deaf Main Event Championship | Frank Grace | Ireland | €36,938 |
| 4 | Big O Championship | Barry Grime | England | €35,483 |
| 5 | NLH – Super Seniors 60+ | David Smith | England | €45,047 |
| 6 | NLH – Mini Irish Open | Sami Agel | Luxembourg | €1,532,634 |
| 8 | PLO – Deaf Championship | Anthony Lobue | United States | €4,753 |
| 12 | Sviten Special Championship | Roderick Hamilton | United States | €38,189 |
| 14 | PLO – Cuatro High Roller 8-Max | Chris Dowling | Ireland | €86,705 |
| 15 | NLH – APAT Championship | Colin Fox | Ireland | €76,329 |
| 16 | NLH – Deaf NLHE Championship | Anthony Wilcox | England | €6,887 |
| 20 | PLO – 7-Max | Martin Schamaun | Switzerland | €94,721 |
| 22 | NLH – Deaf Mystery Bounty | Robert Tronina | Poland | €7,629 |
| 23 | Mixed 8-Game Championship | Chris Bean | England | €55,028 |
| 26 | NLH – Irish Open Main Event | Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu | Romania | €4,852,910 |
| 28 | H.O.R.S.E. Championship | Sascha Manns | Malta | €46,609 |
| 30 | NLH – Deaf High Roller | Gregory Olson | United States | €18,944 |
| 31 | NLH – Cuatro High Roller 8-Max | Luka Sorainen | Finland | €158,403 |
| 32 | NLH – Kings and Queens | Mike Koch | Switzerland | €21,272 |
| 34 | NLH – Flip & Go | Jiang Pu | England | €25,220 |
| 35 | 2-7 Triple Draw Championship | Benjamin Sweetman | England | €37,888 |
| 37 | NLH – 6-Max Championship | Leonidas Georgopoulos | Greece | €260,106 |
| 38 | PLO – High Roller 8-Max | Balazs Somodi | Hungary | €124,404 |
| 40 | NLH – 8-Max | Eero Abbey | Finland | €290,273 |
| 42 | Mixed 8-Game High Roller | John Kabbaj | England | €71,295 |
| 43 | NLH – Heads-Up Championship | N/A | — | €38,490 |
| 45 | NLH – Hendon Mob Championship | Martin Byrne | Scotland | €320,847 |
| 46 | NLH – High Roller 8-Max | Roope Tarmi | Finland | €336,348 |
| 49 | PLO – 8-Max | Taago Tamm | Estonia | €199,626 |
| 52 | OFC Championship | Marius Kalfelis | Germany | €39,692 |
| 54 | NLH – Super High Roller 8-Max | Roope Tarmi | Finland | €122,948 |
| 55 | NLH – America's Cup | Alexander Tennbäck | Sweden | €239,057 |
| 57 | PLO – 6-Max Championship | Gareth McMahon | Ireland | €118,476 |
| 59 | NLH – Flip & Go | Tristan Ragnarsson | Iceland | €11,640 |
| 61 | NLH – Ladies Championship | Jennifer Frankenstein | United States | €36,496 |
| 62 | NLH – Mystery Bounty | Sergiu Covrig | Romania | €174,843 |
| 63 | NLH – Seniors High Roller 50+ | Charles Mitchell | United States | €179,256 |
| 67 | NLH – Shootout Championship | Brandon Harris | England | €63,050 |
| 69 | PLO – 5-Card | Richie Allen | England | €19,820 |
| 73 | NLH – JP Poker Masters | Jonas Heuser | Germany | €441,835 |
| 74 | NLH – High Roller 8-Max | Giuseppe Dedoni | Italy | €288,090 |
| 75 | NLH – Old Dogs and Young Pups | Thomas Beck | Ireland | €33,577 |
| 76 | PLO – Mystery Bounty 8-Max | N/A | — | — |
| 77 | NLH – Mystery Bounty 8-Max | Trevor Reardon | England | €193,006 |
| 78 | NLH – Ladies High Roller | Karen Muir | Ireland | €49,907 |
| 79 | PLO 4/5/6 | Marcis Zeltmatis | Latvia | €100,880 |
| 80 | NLH – Seniors Championship 50+ | Manfred Gunther | Canada | €104,042 |
| 81 | NLH – Flip & Go | Siebe Obbes | Netherlands | €10,670 |
| 82 | NLH – Triathlon Championship | Mo Xu | China | €93,518 |
| 83 | PLO – 6-Max | Valetin Imperatore | France | €58,685 |
| 84 | NLH – Turbo 8-Max | Damian Albers | Germany | €204,719 |
| 85 | NLH – Liam Flood Memorial 6-Max Turbo | Cenk Niğbolu | Turkey | €128,399 |
| 86 | NLH – Turbo | Dominik Suthe | Germany | €78,832 |
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