Florian Duta Leads Final 30 After Day 2 of €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty
The €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty at the 2025 Irish Open, sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker, drew a bumper crowd of 1,222 entries to the halls of the Royal Dublin Society, of which 385 sat down for Day 2 at the start of today. Over the course of ten levels, they were whittled down to just 30 contenders, with Romanian grinder Florian Duta claiming the best position on the hunt for the lion's share of the €595,725 cash prize pool, the €102,600 first-place prize.
Duta is a long-time regular on the international poker circuit, amassing over three million in live earnings over the past 15 years, earning him a second place on Romania's all-time money list. Duta bagged 5,510,000 at the end of Day 2, being the only player to cross the five-million mark and starting Day 3 with 138 big blinds.
Following Duta in the counts is Terrance Reid from the United States. Reid ended Day 2 with 4,875,000 as he is looking to debut at the Irish Open with a bang. European regular Nils Pudel rounds out the top three with 3,895,00, while bracelet winner Tobias Peters and Day 1d chipleader Yurii Zabrodotskyi also secured a spot in the top ten.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florian Duta | Romania | 5,510,000 | 138 |
| 2 | Terrance Reid | United States | 4,875,000 | 122 |
| 3 | Nils Pudel | Germany | 3,895,000 | 97 |
| 4 | Chen Xiacheng | China | 3,205,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Tobias Peters | Netherlands | 2,805,000 | 70 |
| 6 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 2,740,000 | 69 |
| 7 | Maksim Petrov | Estonia | 2,515,000 | 63 |
| 8 | Philip Joyce | United Kingdom | 2,485,000 | 62 |
| 9 | Adrian Ziemichod | Poland | 2,440,000 | 61 |
| 10 | Fabian Rolli | Switzerland | 2,435,000 | 61 |
Other notable survivors include Scottish grinder Robbie Bull (1,760,000), start-of-day chipleader Nikolaos Angelou (1,205,000), and Canadian bracelet winner Michael Khan (1,125,000). Meanwhile, Ireland's best-performing representative was Ruairi McLaughlin, with 2,160,000.
Day 2 Action
The day started with 385 players taking their seats. With only 181 players getting paid, many had to fall before the money. PokerStars' Benjamin Spragg and Marle Spragg were among the early casualties of the day, along with the likes of Jon Kyte, Marc MacDonnell, and Frank Stepuchin.
Eventually, the bubble was reached. With no less than five all-in and calls during the first hand of bubble play, Leo Worthington-Leese, Rafael Navas, and Nikolaos Mouroutis were all eliminated, sharing two min-cashes of €840 between them.
After the bubble, the bounties came into play, resulting in a fast pace of eliminations. Red Spades Alex Romero (162nd - €840) and Fintan Hand (142nd - €960), as was Triple Crown winner and Day 1a chipleader Niall Farrell (152nd - €840).
Day 1b leader Mark Finnane reached 77th place for €1,280, while Jorge Rios finished in 54th for €1,680. Rios had already declared his tournament a success earlier in the day, however. He had pulled the top bounty of €102,600, the only six-figure bounty in play from the €595,725 bounty prize pool, stating he felt "like he had already won the tournament."
During the final level of Day 2, Mateusz Moolhuizen (38th - €1.940) hit the exit, while 2015 Irish Open Main Event champion Patrick Clarke was one of the final casualties, falling in 32nd for €1,940, joining 2013 champion Ian Simpson at the rail as he fell earlier in the night in 85th for €1,280.
When all was said and done, 30 players remained, who had all guaranteed themselves a payout of €2,220. They will return tomorrow, April 14, at noon local time, for the penultimate day of the tournament, which will start in Level 25: 20,000/40,000 (40,000). All levels will remain 60 minutes long, and the plan is to play down to a final table, where the five-figure payouts will be reached.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €102,600 | 10-11 | €7,260 | |
| 2 | €63,860 | 12-13 | €6,060 | |
| 3 | €45,620 | 14-15 | €5,040 | |
| 4 | €35,080 | 16-17 | €4,200 | |
| 5 | €27,000 | 18-20 | €3,500 | |
| 6 | €20,785 | 21-23 | €2,940 | |
| 7 | €15,980 | 24-27 | €2,560 | |
| 8 | €12,280 | 28-30 | €2,220 | |
| 9 | €9,440 |
PokerNews will be back on the floor in Dublin tomorrow, so tune back in then to not miss any of the mystery bounty action.