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€1,150 Main Event
Day 3 Completed
2026 Irish Open
€1,150 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
2026 Irish Open
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
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
122
Players Left
10
Players Left 1 / 5,003
Filter
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
With another 10 hours of play in the books, Day 3 of the €1,150 Main Event has come to a close at the Royal Dublin Society.
Sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker, the flagship event of the 2026 Irish Open attracted a massive 5,003 entries, generating a prize pool of €4,852,910. Just 122 players returned for Day 3, and by the time the final hand was dealt, that number had been whittled down to just ten.
Those ten players have bagged their stacks and will return for the fourth and final day, each guaranteed €39,840. But with a top prize of €517,100 on offer, all eyes will be firmly fixed on the title.
Leading the way into the final day, Danilo Donnini returns with 46,400,000, good for 77 big blinds when play resumes. Already among the chip leaders, Donnini was responsible for one of the day’s final eliminations in a classic coin flip that sent Marios Papazois to the rail and propelled Donnini to the top of the leaderboard.
However, the path to the title is far from clear, with a tightly packed group of contenders close behind. Vasyl Palandiuk will return second in chips, having been a constant presence near the top of the counts throughout the day.
Rounding out the overnight podium, Isaac Barker capped his day off with two huge double-ups. He first doubled up by slow-playing a turned full house, and soon after added another when he hit quads.
End of Day Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danilo Donnini | Italy | 46,400,000 | 77 |
| 2 | Vasyl Palandiuk | Italy | 34,100,000 | 57 |
| 3 | Isaac Barker | United Kingdom | 28,700,000 | 48 |
| 4 | Narcis Nedelcu | Romania | 28,100,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Daryl McAleenan | Ireland | 20,900,000 | 35 |
| 6 | Edward Dunphy | Ireland | 20,700,000 | 35 |
| 7 | Oliver Gayko | Germany | 19,300,000 | 32 |
| 8 | Jarkko Suokas | Finland | 19,000,000 | 32 |
| 9 | Matthew Twomey | Ireland | 16,700,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Francesco Gisolfi | Italy | 16,000,000 | 27 |
Day 3 Action
Just 24 hours earlier, the priority was simple: survive the tournament bubble and secure a place in the money. With all returning players now guaranteed a payout, the Day 3 approach shifted firmly towards chip accumulation, and the eliminations came quickly as a result. Within the first two levels of play, 59 players had already been sent to the rail.
By the time the second break of the day rolled around, a further 30 had joined the casualties list. Players such as Leo Worthington-Leese (56th), Conor O'Driscoll (55th) and Dean Hutchison (33rd) were among those to see their 2026 Irish Open dreams fall by the wayside.
However, for every player that fell, another benefited, and when former champion Dan Wilson found himself all in, it was one of the end-of-day chip leaders, Palandiuk, who delivered the knockout.
Wilson’s elimination left just two former champions remaining, but that number was reduced to one soon after, when the pocket kings of Steve O'Dwyer failed to hold, sending him to the rail in 16th place.
With 13 players remaining, the clock was stopped, and three final hands were announced. Over the course of those hands, three more players fell short of bagging for Day 4.
The last remaining former champion, Weije Zheng, fell in 13th place, once again at the hands of Palandiuk, as his ace-king ran into pocket kings. Immediately after, Marios Papazois (12th) and Cristian Ivanus (11th) fell in quick succession, agonisingly short of surviving the day.
The final day will resume on Monday, April 6, at 1 p.m. local time and will continue until a champion is crowned.
Play will recommence at Level 29 with blinds of 300,000/600,000 and a big blind ante of 600,000. The action is set to be streamed on YouTube with a 30-minute delay, with PokerNews coverage following the same delay.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €517,100 |
| 2 | €323,250 |
| 3 | €230,900 |
| 4 | €177,620 |
| 5 | €136,650 |
| 6 | €105,070 |
| 7 | €80,800 |
| 8 | €62,170 |
| 9 | €47,800 |
| 10-11 | €39,840 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we provide live coverage of the 2026 Irish Open Main Event until a champion is crowned.
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The third day of the 2026 Irish Open Main Event has concluded with ten players remaining. They will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time to play out the remainder of the tournament.
The end-of-day chipcounts can be found below; a recap of the day will follow shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,400,000
1,050,000
|
1,050,000 |
|
||
|
34,100,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
28,700,000
2,350,000
|
2,350,000 |
|
28,100,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
||
|
20,900,000
4,050,000
|
4,050,000 |
|
20,700,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
19,300,000
4,300,000
|
4,300,000 |
|
19,000,000
4,100,000
|
4,100,000 |
|
16,700,000 | |
|
16,000,000
3,930,000
|
3,930,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Matthew Twomey once again limped in, this time under the gun. It folded to Cristian Ivanus, who moved all in for 7,750,000 in the small blind.
Twomey visibly disliked the situation, but called off his stack of 6,900,000 to put himself at risk.
Matthew Twomey: A♣10♣ 
Cristian Ivanus: K♥Q♣
Neither player received help from the 5♣5♠3♦4♥9♦ board, meaning Twomey's ace-high doubled him up.
The next hand was the final hand of the night, and Edward Dunphy raised it to 1,000,000 under the gun.
Ivanus then called all-in for 675,000 on the button, and Twomey three-bet to 3,000,000 in the big blind. Dunphy quickly got out of the way, forcing a late-night showdown.
Cristian Ivanus: 9♦7♦
Matthew Twomey: K♠K♥
Ivanus flopped a gutshot on 5♦10♠6♣, and gained more outs on the 7♥ turn. The J♦ river left him with just one pair, however, and he became the final elimination of Day 3.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
18,700,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
16,700,000
10,200,000
|
10,200,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Marios Papazois made the minimum raise to 1,000,000 under the gun. Danilo Donnini was next to act and three-bet to 3,200,000.
It folded back to Papzois, who committed his entire stack of 11,475,000 with a four-bet. Donini quickly called to put his opponent at risk.
Marios Papazois: A♦Q♦
Danilo Donnini: J♠J♣
Donnini won the flip when the K♠6♣6♦6♠7♠ board did not bring any aces or queens, marking Papazois' elimination in 12th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
47,450,000
12,670,000
|
12,670,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Weijie Zheng raised to 6,600,000 in the cutoff, leaving 2,350,000 behind. Vasyl Palandiuk then moved all in from the small blind, and Zheng quickly called off.
Weijie Zheng: A♥K♦
Vasyl Palandiuk: K♥K♣
Zheng needed an ace to still have a shot at his second Irish Open title, but the board ran an uneventful 4♠6♠Q♣5♠10♦ instead.
Zheng exited the tournament in 13th place, ensuring that a new Irish Open champion will be crowned this year.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,130,000
8,450,000
|
8,450,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Matthew Twomey limped in from the hijack. Edward Dunphy followed suit in the cutoff, and Cristian Ivanus checked his option in the big blind.
Ivanus then led out for 1,300,000 on the 7♦2♥5♣ flop. Twomey quickly folded, but Dunphy called to the 6♣ turn. Both players checked it, leading to the J♠ arriving on the river.
Ivanus reaggressed with a bet of 1,500,000. Dunphy raised it to 4,500,000, and Ivanus tossed in a calling chip after spending a time bank.
Dunphy showed 6♠5♠ for two pair. Ivanus could not beat it, mucking his cards and seeing the pot shipped across the table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,700,000
7,700,000
|
7,700,000 |
|
|
7,500,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
6,500,000
4,150,000
|
4,150,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The tournament director has paused the clock and advised the dealers to deal three more hands. After those hands are complete, the survivors will bag their chips and advance to Day 4.
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Narcis Nedelcu opened to 1,100,000 in the hijack, in what was the third hand in a row he had opened the betting. Michael Prendergast called in the big blind, and the two headed to a flop.
The dealer provided the A♥9♦J♣ flop, and Prendergast continued with a check-call, when Nedelcu bet 1,000,000.
Prendergast checked for a second time on the 2♥ turn, but Nedelcu wasn't slowing down. He put a bet of 3,500,000 into the middle.
After the use of one time extension, Prendergst responded with pure aggression, moving all in for roughly 7,500,000. Nedelcu snap-called.
Michael Prendergast: J♠10♣
Narcis Nedelcu: A♠J♦
It was terrible news for Prendergast, who was drawing dead.
Once the 2♠ completed the board, he was officially eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,500,000
10,900,000
|
10,900,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Isaac Barker raised to 1,100,000 in the hijack. Matthew Twomey flat-called in the small blind and quickly led out of 1,600,000 on the 2♥10♠6♣ flop.
Barker called to the 4♦ turn, where Twomey checked it to him. Barker took the initiative with a bet of 3,500,000. Twomey called and led out 3,000,000 on the 8♣ river.
Barker quickly tossed in calling chips. Twomey showed top pair with his K♥10♥, but Barker had him outkicked with A♦10♦ to be awarded the pot and cross the 30-million mark.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
31,050,000
9,750,000
|
9,750,000 |
|
|
18,600,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
15,000,000
1,550,000
|
1,550,000 |
|
|
13,500,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
|
|
12,500,000
2,850,000
|
2,850,000 |
|
|
12,000,000
3,100,000
|
3,100,000 |
|
|
10,650,000
9,850,000
|
9,850,000 |
