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Day 2 of the 2026 Irish Open €1,150 Main Event, sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker, is in the books. In ten exciting levels of poker, the 1,236 players who returned to the Royal Dublin Society from the record-breaking field of 5,003 entries were whittled down to just 122 players, all having secured a piece of the €4,852,910 prize pool as the bubble burst shortly after the first break of the day.
Gavin Sardini was one of just eight South African players who entered the 2026 Irish Open Main Event, and he will have made his home country proud as he bagged 5,015,000 after a stellar day, good for nearly 84 big blinds at the start of Day 3 and netting him a third place on the overall leaderboard. Meanwhile, the chip lead is in the hand of Ukrainian native Ivan Chegusov with 5,250,000, while Irish regular Conor O'Driscoll bagged 5,025,000, looking to improve on his recent sixth-place finish at EPT Prague and catch the €517,100 top prize.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Chegusov | Ukraine | 5,250,000 | 88 |
| 2 | Conor O'Driscoll | Ireland | 5,025,000 | 84 |
| 3 | Gavin Sardini | South Africa | 5,015,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Manuel Ferrari | Italy | 4,915,000 | 82 |
| 5 | Kenneth Svendsen | Norway | 4,735,000 | 79 |
| 6 | Narcis Nedelcu | Romania | 4,600,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Barry Furlong | Ireland | 4,495,000 | 75 |
| 8 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | 4,375,000 | 73 |
| 9 | Gerard Carbo | Spain | 4,300,000 | 72 |
| 10 | Mircea Stanescu | Romania | 4,100,000 | 68 |
2022 Irish Open Champion Steve O'Dwyer ended the night with over twice the average stack, while 2016 winner Dan Wilson and 2019 champion Weijie Zheng are still in contention with above-average stacks of 2,715,000 and 3,085,000, respectively. Alex Romero is the last-standing member of Team PokerStars and bagged 1,270,000, while O'Dwyer's fellow EPT champion Ian Hamilton is one of the short stacks with 660,000. Other notable names who still have a shot at the trophy include Ali Abdulzahra (2,850,000), Dean Hutchison (2,400,000), Leo Worthington-Leese (2,010,000), Ben Collins (1,895,000), and Nikolai Mamut (870,000).
Bubble Bursts at Breakneck Speed
At the start of play, the 1,236 returning players were told that 735 spots would be paid. That did not deter the chips from flying in, with early casualties including PokerStars' Julien Brecard and Paddy Power Poker's Dara O'Kearney. Those who thought the bubble would be a long and drawn-out process would be mistaken, as three players busted at the same time when play was halted. No hand-for-hand was necessary as Brian Quigley, Niall Grace, and Yan Song split two min-cashes and took home €1,200.
Having made the money, many a household name exited. PokerStars' Guillermo Sanz (696th - €1,990) and Rory Jennings (461st - €2,620) received a return on their investment, while defending champion Simon Wilson saw his run end in 616th place for €1,990. Both of the Davenports cashed, with Sinead Davenport finishing in 666th, while husband Matthew Davenport ended up in 148th place for €5,240, barely missing the end of the night. Barny Boatman and his brother Ross Boatman also both made the money, with Barny claiming 642nd and Ross running a bit deeper, taking home €3,450 for his 303rd place.
Meanwhile, the 122 remaining players have secured themselves a payout of €5,970, with a pay jump to €6,890 being three eliminations away. Five-figure prizes await the top 55 finishers, while the top six can expect eye-watering six-figure sums.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €517,100 | 16-17 | €24,120 |
| 2 | €323,250 | 18-20 | €20,960 |
| 3 | €230,900 | 21-23 | €18,250 |
| 4 | €177,620 | 24-27 | €15,870 |
| 5 | €136,650 | 28-31 | €13,780 |
| 6 | €105,070 | 32-39 | €11,990 |
| 7 | €80,800 | 40-55 | €10,430 |
| 8 | €62,170 | 56-71 | €9,070 |
| 9 | €47,800 | 72-95 | €7,910 |
| 10-11 | €39,840 | 96-119 | €6,890 |
| 12-13 | €33,190 | 120-122 | €5,970 |
| 14-15 | €27,710 |
The 2026 Irish Open Main Event will continue with Day 3 tomorrow, Sunday, April 5, at noon local time. Blinds will restart at Level 26: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante. Another ten levels of 60 minutes are scheduled to be played, during which the tournament will get into the business end of things. The survivors at the end of the night bag up and will return to crown a winner on Day 4.
PokerNews will be back on the floor in Dublin tomorrow to provide an extensive live report, so check back in then to not miss any of the action from the 2026 Irish Open Main Event.
