Irish Open Main Event in Full Swing as Day 1b Kicks Off
Springtime has come, meaning like every year, the halls of the Royal Dublin Society have been filled with poker players from around the world for the past few days for the 2026 Irish Open, which is once again sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker. However, it will only get busier in the Irish capital as the marquee €1,150 Main Event continues at noon local time with Day 1b, the second of five starting flights.
Day 1a of the Main Event took place on Sunday and attracted a field of 467 entries, a comparable number to last year's record-breaking edition, putting the event on pace to smash the €2,500,000 guaranteed prize pool. Italian player Massimiliano Cordeschi conquered the chip lead with a stack of 773,000, worth nearly 130 big blinds at the start of Day 2. UK regular Ian Simpson follows Cordeschi with 554,000, while Daryl McAleenan was Ireland's best performer, ending in third place with 512,000.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massimiliano Cordeschi | Italy | 773,000 | 129 |
| 2 | Ian Simpson | United Kingdom | 554,000 | 92 |
| 3 | Daryl McAleenan | Ireland | 512,000 | 85 |
| 4 | Alex Romero | Spain | 511,000 | 85 |
| 5 | Mark Doyle | Ireland | 511,000 | 85 |
| 6 | Zeb Arnold | United Kingdom | 510,000 | 85 |
| 7 | Kenneth Broad | United Kingdom | 486,000 | 81 |
| 8 | Mark Finnane | United Kingdom | 455,000 | 76 |
| 9 | Rostyslav Mozghovyi | Ukraine | 453,000 | 76 |
| 10 | Gerard Carbo | Spain | 439,000 | 73 |
PokerStars Ambassador Alex Romero also booked a spot in the top five, while the newest addition to the Red Spade roster, David Lappin bagged an above-average stack of 296,000. Other notable names who have already progressed to Day 2 include Grind on Tour streamer Felix Schneiders (325,000) and 2022 Irish Open champion Steve O'Dwyer (275,000).
Day 1b will follow the same structure as Day 1a, starting players off with 50,000 in chips. Fifteen 40-minute levels will be played, the first of which will be 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante, providing an opportunity for some deep-stacked play. A 50-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 10, around 7:20 p.m. local time, after which the late registration will close. The day ends around midnight, after Level 15: 2,000/5,000 (5,000) has been completed, and a single reentry is permitted per flight.
Day 1b Structure
| Level | Length (min) | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2 | 40 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 3 | 40 | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| 4 | 40 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| Break | 20 | |||
| 5 | 40 | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| 6 | 40 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 7 | 40 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| Break | 20 | |||
| 8 | 40 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 9 | 40 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 10 | 40 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| Dinner Break | 50 | |||
| 11 | 40 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| 12 | 40 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| 13 | 40 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Break | 20 | |||
| 14 | 40 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| 15 | 40 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
PokerNews will be providing live coverage of the Irish Open from the start of Day 1b until a new champion has been crowned, so stay tuned for all the updates live from the tournament floor in Dublin.