For many people, poker begins with a deck of cards and a few friends. For Fintan Gavin, it began in a kitchen in County Dublin.

As an eight-year-old, he sat at the table with his older brother and a group of local kids, playing for pennies. His brother won most of the time, but one day Fintan pulled off a bluff. The thrill of making someone believe a story that wasn’t true fascinated him. He didn’t know it then, but that moment would shape much of his life.

Years later, during the mid-to-late 1990s, another spark arrived. Fintan discovered Texas Hold’em on television. Programmes like Late Night Poker introduced a new dimension to the game. It wasn’t just about cards anymore. It was psychology, drama and human behaviour. The hole-card cameras transformed poker into theatre, and Fintan was captivated.

Then came the internet.

In the days of dial-up connections, he found PokerRoom.com, initially playing free-money sit-and-go tournaments. When real-money games arrived, he was there, winning one of his first tournaments online and becoming immersed in a rapidly growing poker world.

Despite his growing online experience, he had never played in a live tournament setting. That changed in 2003.

While chatting online with another Irish player, he learned about the Fitzwilliam Casino and the wider live poker scene. Soon afterwards, while visiting England, he made a detour to Luton to play a £100 Rebuy Pot-Limit Hold’em event. It was his first real taste of live tournament poker.

The event left a lasting impression, but not because of the cards.

A veteran player named Tony Chapman offered to swap percentages deep in the tournament. Fintan had never heard of the concept before, but agreed. After being eliminated, he watched nervously from the rail as Chapman continued. Eventually Chapman cashed, collected his winnings and, true to his word, handed over Fintan’s share. The gesture was simple, but it reinforced something important.

Poker players, he realised, were generally decent people. Trust mattered. Community mattered. That lesson stayed with him.

The trip also exposed him to many of the faces he had previously only seen on television, including legends such as Dave Ulliott, Barny Boatman and even Tony Bloom. It felt as though he had stepped into the world he had been watching from afar.

Back in Ireland, Fintan saw an opportunity.

Live poker existed largely within casinos, but he believed there was an audience far beyond Dublin. His vision was to bring professionally run poker tournaments to hotels and regional venues around the country, giving players outside the major cities a chance to experience the game properly.

A key early ally was Luke Ivory, then one of the leading figures at the Fitzwilliam. Ivory understood the vision and agreed to help train dealers. Plans were made. Galway would be the starting point. The foundations of a national tour were being laid.

But poker, like life, rarely follows a straight path.

The project encountered resistance and financial difficulties. The early version of the Irish Poker Tour struggled to gain traction. At the same time, Fintan’s personal life became increasingly difficult. Drinking affected both his credibility and his ability to deliver on commitments. Businesses came and went. Opportunities were missed. Looking back, he describes those years as dark.

Then came Covid.

For many people, the pandemic was a period of uncertainty. For Fintan, it became a turning point. He stopped drinking and took stock of his life. The forced pause gave him an opportunity to honestly assess where he was and where he wanted to go.

At the same time, he decided to run a poker game from his home.

The goal was unusual. He wasn’t trying to make money. He wanted to create the perfect game.

He hired dealers, brought in a chef, installed a bar, converted rooms into poker spaces and focused entirely on the player experience. Most importantly, he wasn’t playing and he wasn’t drinking. He simply ran the event. Players loved it. What began as a Covid-era experiment became proof that his vision still worked.

As restrictions eased, he began planning again.

This time he approached Paddy Power with a proposal. Through a series of conversations, helped by recommendations from respected figures within the Irish poker community, he found people who immediately understood what he was trying to build. The enthusiasm was genuine, and support followed.

One of the first calls he made was to an old friend.

Years earlier, when searching for someone to help run tournaments, he had been introduced to a man named Donal. Their first meeting had been memorable. Asked where he saw himself in a few years, Donal answer was simple: “Face down in the Corrib”.

Both men burst out laughing, shook hands and began a partnership that would last more than two decades.

When it came time to relaunch the Irish Poker Tour, Donal was one of the first people Fintan wanted beside him.

The new Irish Poker Tour was built not only on ambition but on people.

A dedicated team formed around the project. Tournament directors, staff, security personnel, ambassadors and venue partners all contributed. Together they delivered professional events across Ireland, often on surprisingly tight budgets. The focus remained constant: provide players with a first-class experience.

The tour grew. Events expanded. Thousands of players took part, and the Irish Poker Tour became the biggest tour on Irish soil.

For Fintan, however, success was never solely measured by numbers.

Having rebuilt both his career and his life, he eventually found himself looking at poker differently. The game still fascinated him, but he had become increasingly aware of the complexities that accompany any activity involving money. While he still recognised poker’s value as a mental challenge and social pursuit, he felt drawn towards projects that offered a more universally positive impact.

Today, he looks back on the Irish Poker Tour with pride.

Fintan is quick to point out that the Irish Poker Tour was never a one-man operation. Alongside long-time collaborator Donal, a dedicated team helped transform the vision into reality. He speaks warmly of people such as Susie, Ramona, Michaela, Dwayne, Mo, Timmy, Jerry, Tanya, PJ, Robbie and Ray Bryant, Darren Harbinson, Paul Carr and Rinty, as well as the venue partners and staff who bought into the project from the beginning. In Fintan’s eyes, the success of the tour was built as much on the people behind the scenes as the players sitting at the tables.

Fintan leaves the Irish Poker Tour in the hands of long time partner Donal MacAonghusa and we wish them all the best of luck in the future…