€1,150 Main Event Day 3 | 2026 Irish Open

04-05-2026 14:40 UTC+1

Gisolfi Fires With Baby Pair

Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Francesco Gisolfi made the minimum raise to 200,000 in middle position. John Barker then made it 550,000 to go in the cutoff, and Gisolfi called when the action had folded back to him.

The duo checked through the 7♣7♠9♦ flop, prompting Gisolfi to bet 125,000 on the Q♥ turn. Barker quickly called, and did so too when Gisolfi put in 150,000 on the 6♠ river.

Gisolfi tabled 4♥4♣, but it was no good against the A♦Q♣ of Barker, who took down the pot to climb above the average stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
John Barker	4,015,000 1,115,000	1,115,000
Francesco Gisolfi	1,600,000 1,030,000	1,030,000

Tags: Francesco Gisolfi John Barker

04-05-2026 14:29 UTC+1

Full Updated Counts

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Frank Visser

Level 28 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Weijie Zheng	9,175,000 875,000	875,000
Gavin Sardini	8,640,000 740,000	740,000
Seamus Cahill	8,400,000 300,000	300,000
Daryl McAleenan	8,250,000 1,650,000	1,650,000
Gilbert Black	7,600,000 1,400,000	1,400,000
Hussni Alkhuzai	7,400,000 3,935,000	3,935,000
Mael Chicot	7,190,000 860,000	860,000
Gerard Carbo	6,650,000 2,350,000	2,350,000
Iani Tulica	5,900,000 1,650,000	1,650,000
Ali Abdulzahra	5,680,000 2,830,000	2,830,000
Oliver Gayko	5,500,000 3,135,000	3,135,000
Steve O'Dwyer	5,385,000 1,115,000	1,115,000

Manuel Ferrari	5,200,000 285,000	285,000
Ashkan Ahmedov	5,060,000 290,000	290,000
Luca Bernardi	5,055,000 2,385,000	2,385,000
Leo Worthington-Leese	4,850,000 860,000	860,000
Cristian Ivanus	4,800,000 3,100,000	3,100,000
Kevin Killeen	4,750,000 2,510,000	2,510,000
Kenneth Svendsen	4,745,000 10,000	10,000
Matthew Twomey	4,675,000 425,000	425,000
Fabio De Lima	4,575,000 1,835,000	1,835,000
Mircea Stanescu	4,385,000 285,000	285,000
Narcis Nedelcu	4,325,000 275,000	275,000

Vasyl Palandiuk	4,315,000 2,515,000	2,515,000
Aiden Cullinane	3,940,000 335,000	335,000

Read full

Level: 28

Blinds: 50,000/100,000

Ante: 100,000

04-05-2026 14:10 UTC+1

After 46 Successful Years the Irish Poker Open is Going International; 3 New Stops Announced

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Frank Visser

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

The longest-running poker tournament outside of Las Vegas is the Irish Poker Open (IPO), which debuted in Dublin back in 1980. Now, for the very first time, after 46 years, the IPO is expanding to an international stage.

The current IPO kicked off back on March 26 and will run through the weekend, wrapping up on April 6. On Friday night, organizers took the opportunity to make a splash with the announcement of three international Irish Poker Open destinations set to debut across 2026–2027.

The announcement revealed IPO stops in Australia, Marrakech, and the United States.

Sydney gets the first international Irish Open with a 10-day festival at the Poker Palace from September 6–15 featuring numerous tournaments, including a $2,000 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed Main Event.
Marrakech will host the second overseas stop, November 10-15, with a six-day event at the glamorous Casino de Marrakech featuring a €1,150 buy-in, €500,000 guaranteed Main Event.
USA – the third stop is being planned for one of North America’s most prestigious poker venues, though the exact location is still a mystery. The Irish Open’s United States debut is set for 2027, with full details to be announced soon.

Here’s a look at the official announcement that was shown to players in the tournament room. The video is the opening act of a longer documentary, which will be released shortly after this year’s IPO festival.

Click here for more information regarding the big announcement!

04-05-2026 14:07 UTC+1

Break Time

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Stewart Morrison

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

The remaining 73 players are taking their first 20-minute break of the day.

04-05-2026 14:05 UTC+1

Final Pre-Break Eliminations

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Frank Visser

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Maybin	Busted
Carl Falk	Busted
Dwayne Sluis	Busted
Panteleimon Pontos	Busted
Vincent Ciarrocchi	Busted
Aqeel Butt	Busted

04-05-2026 14:05 UTC+1

Bernardi Doubles With Quads Against Top Boat

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Frank Visser

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Luca Bernardi opened to 160,000 under the gun. Tomas Saltonas then moved all in on the button, and Bernardi called off for 1,275,000 after spending some time in the tank.

Luca Bernardi: 9♠9♣ All in
Tomas Saltonas: A♥K♦

Bernardi flopped a set on A♣9♦K♣, but Saltonas still had outs to win. The 9♥ turn locked up the pot for Bernardi with four of a kind, and Saltonas hit a useless full house on the A♦ river, much to the bewilderment of the table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Luca Bernardi	2,670,000 1,395,000	1,395,000
Tomas Saltonas	1,125,000 1,095,000	1,095,000

Tags: Luca Bernardi Tomas Saltonas

04-05-2026 14:05 UTC+1

Zheng Continues to Build

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Stewart Morrison

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Danny Verheij opened to 160,000 from under the gun, and was met with a three-bet to 425,000 from Weijie Zheng in the cutoff. The action folded back to Verheij, who called.

Verheij checked over to Zheng on a 9♥Q♣7♦ flop, who continued with a bet of 325,000. That was enough to secure the pot as Verheij returned his cards to the dealer.

Player	Chips	Progress
Weijie Zheng	8,300,000 1,950,000	1,950,000
Danny Verheij	2,950,000 835,000	835,000

Tags: Danny Verheij Weijie Zheng

04-05-2026 13:57 UTC+1

Suokas Jams Over Two

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Stewart Morrison

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Dean Hutchison kicked the action off with a raise to 160,000 from middle position. A couple of seats to his left, in the cutoff, Matthew Twomey called. The action then folded to Jarkko Suokas in the big blind, who wagered all of his 1,640,000 stack.

Hutchison promptly folded, and after a moments thought, Twomey followed suit and returned his cards to the dealer.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matthew Twomey	5,100,000 300,000	300,000
Jarkko Suokas	2,940,000 1,290,000	1,290,000
Dean Hutchison	2,100,000 600,000	600,000

Tags: Dean Hutchison Jarkko Suokas Matthew Twomey

04-05-2026 13:56 UTC+1

Sardini Surging Back to Top Stack

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Frank Visser

Level 27 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Jarkko Suokas had opened under the gun and called when Gavin Sardini three-bet in the next seat over. With about 900,000 in the pot, the 9♠4♦2♣ flop was then dealt.

Sardini continued for 225,000, and Suokas check-called. Suokas checked again on the 7♥ turn, seeing Sardini put in a bet of 1,000,000.

Suokos did not play much more than that, and he spent one time bank before mucking his cards and preserving his chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gavin Sardini	7,900,000 2,885,000	2,885,000
Matthew Twomey	4,800,000 1,300,000	1,300,000
Isaac Barker	3,500,000 1,760,000	1,760,000
Daniel Caffrey	2,800,000 310,000	310,000
Victor Ponciano	2,750,000 950,000	950,000
Dean Hutchison	2,700,000 300,000	300,000
Jarkko Suokas	1,650,000 1,835,000	1,835,000
Guillermo Giner	1,000,000 1,290,000	1,290,000

Tags: Gavin Sardini Jarkko Suokas