€1,150 Main Event
Day 1b Started
2026 Irish Open
€1,150 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
2026 Irish Open
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
€1,150
Prize Pool
€4,852,910
Total Entries
5,003
Level
44
Blinds
2,000,000 / 4,000,000
Ante
4,000,000
Entries
709
Players Left
149
Players Left 1 / 5,003
Filter
(1)
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.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
With 161 players on the clock, the cards have been sent into the air for Day 1b of the 2026 Irish Open Main Event.
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
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Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
Nicolas Bokowski opened the action with a raise to 300 under the gun. Ian Dowling called on the button, as did Guillaume Molinod in the small blind.
James Colhoun then upped the ante to 1,900 in the big blind, which Bokowski and Molinod called.
Molinod checked the 9♦10♠9♥ flop over to Colhoun, who tossed in a bet of 1,200. Bokowski and Molinod both called to the Q♥ turn, which then checked around.
The 2♣ river prompted Molinod to toss in a hefty bet of 6,500. Colhoun quickly called before Bokowski gave up on the pot and mucked his cards.
Molinod tabled Q♠J♦ for queens and nines, but Colhoun won the sizable pot as he showed A♥A♣ for aces and nines.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
63,000
63,000
|
63,000 |
|
|
49,700
49,700
|
49,700 |
|
|
45,900
4,100
|
4,100 |
|
40,400
40,400
|
40,400 |
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
Maksim Petrov had opened in the cutoff when Dmitrii Sokolov tossed in a three-bet to 1,000 from the small blind. Petrov came along to the Q♥6♠Q♦ flop, where he called Sokolov's continuation-bet of 2,000.
Sokolov sized up to 3,000 on the 10♣ turn, but checked the K♦ river once Petrov tossed in another called. Petrov then took the initiative with a bet of 6,000, which won him the pot as Sokolov quickly mucked his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
56,200 | |
|
44,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
||
|
50,000 | |
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
After some preflop action, Miroslav Forman had made it 5,300 on the button. Benjamin Kuch then put him all-in for 20,300 in total, and Forman called after some internal debate.
Miroslav Forman: A♥K♠ 
Benjamin Kuch: Q♠Q♥
Kuch won the classic flip on the 7♣10♥6♣4♠4♥ runout, sending Forman to an early exit.
Some minutes prior, Barny Boatman became the very first player to be eliminated from Day 1b.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
92,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
82,500
82,500
|
82,500 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
