Although the IPT travels far and wide to bring its own blend of high-stakes poker to Ireland and beyond, there are certain locations that players earmark on their calendars—and the Galway Poker Festival is one of them. With the illustrious setting of the Galmont Hotel, nestled on the banks of Galway Bay, there couldn’t be a better backdrop for this highly anticipated weekend of poker.

Day 2 of the festival got underway with Galway Poker Cup Day 1C, which saw a further 143 entries joining the mix. From those on the roster, 20 players progressed to the final stage later in the day. The biggest stacks moving forward belonged to Andrew Fleming (416,000), Niall McAree (443,000), and Joseph Ladniak (574,000).

The final opportunity to qualify for the Galway Poker Cup came in the form of the Day 1D Hyper, with another 103 players entering the fray. This pushed the prize pool beyond its guarantee, reaching €68,545—a clear sign the festival was off to a flying start. From the Hyper, 21 players advanced to the final, with the chip leaders being Andy Doona (213,000), David Cleary (268,000), and Philip Hardy (352,000).

Next to kick off was the Omaha High Roller 7-Max Day 1, which saw 37 players put up the €1,000 buy-in. Once again, the guarantee was surpassed, bringing the prize pool to €31,970. With Day 2 scheduled for Friday, play continued until just 7 competitors remained. They will reconvene at noon to decide the High Roller champion. The magnificent seven heading to the final table are:
Cahal Heapes (49,000), Skipper (Zeik Tuit) (102,000), Fergal Coyle (255,000), Tomas Geleziunas (305,000), Daryl McAleenan (324,000), Tarka Roche (399,000), and Luke Keane (433,000).

The Galway Poker Cup Final then got underway, with 57 players remaining from a massive 420-entry field. As always, tension filled the room as players waited for the bubble to burst. Unfortunately, Damien Collins became the tournament’s bubble boy, narrowly missing out on a cash.

Play continued as players from far and wide packed the poker floor. In the end, Tom Corcoran finished in 3rd place, earning €5,400. In the heads-up battle no one was giving an inch, leading to an adjusted payout structure. Ming Jin Chen claimed 2nd place and €10,000, while Poland’s Wiktor Weiner took home the trophy and €12,800. Primarily a cash game player, Wiktor was delighted he decided to take a shot in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Galway Poker Festival Main Event Day 1B saw 46 entries take their seats, with the lively atmosphere and plenty of craic providing the perfect setting for some serious poker. By the end of the day, 9 players had secured their spots, with the biggest stacks belonging to Andrew Hedley (255,000), Andrey Cruz (327,000), and Kenneth T. Griffin (406,000).

The final event of the day was the Thursday €10k, which attracted 159 entries, once again surpassing its guarantee and generating a prize pool of €25,950. With Paul Carr and Mark Buckley falling just short of the money, the stage was set for the final table. After a hard-fought battle, Luke Walsh finished in 3rd place for €2,950.

During heads-up play, an ICM deal was discussed—but no deal was made. Play continued, resulting in Davide Raschella finishing 2nd, banking €4,450. Taking home the trophy and €7,000 was Cieran Tighe, Cieran hopes this is a reflection of things to come as he has his eyes set on the Main Event prize.

The fun doesn’t end with poker at the IPT, and yesterday Pool World Champion Ronan McCarthy hosted and refereed his very own Pool Competition. 16 players signed up for Day 1, generating a prizepool of €1,600. Generously, the IPT added €200, totalling €1,800. The final will be held at 8pm on Friday. We wish all players the best of luck.

Another day on the banks of Galway Bay in the bag with things really starting to heat up. Be sure to stay tuned to livepokerupdates.com for all the action from the Galway Poker Festival throughout the weekend.