Seat 1: Jude Ainsworth – 5,690,000

Jude Ainsworth, a Galway local, has been playing poker for nearly 20 years. Formerly a PokerStars Pro, Jude now works as a research scientist with Oxymem in Athlone. His standout poker achievement came in 2010 when he won the SCOOP Main Event, earning an incredible $1,000,000.

Seat 2: Ciaran Cooney – 1,355,000

Ciaran Cooney from Dublin has been playing poker for 20 years. He owns a wholesale business and, in his spare time, manages the Knocklyon United Under-11s football team, who enjoyed an incredible unbeaten run throughout last season. His biggest poker highlight is winning the IPO in 2020 for €12,525.

Seat 3: Damien Collins – 1,830,000

Damien Collins is from Killarney and works in security. An avid runner, he has been playing poker for well over 20 years and feels fortunate to have the Killarney Poker Festival right on his doorstep. His biggest achievement to date was finishing 3rd in the Mystery Bounty event, banking €16,200, of which €9,500 came from bounties.

Seat 4: Liam McVeigh – 2,330,000

Liam McVeigh from Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, works in his family-owned pub, The Diamond Bar. Despite only playing poker for three years, Liam has made remarkable progress, highlighted by his victory in the Galway Main Event in 2023, where he pocketed €60,000—his biggest poker achievement to date.

Seat 5: Elizabeth Kelly – 1,180,000

Liz (Elizabeth) Kelly from Youghal, Co. Cork, has been playing poker since the age of 10, initially honing her skills in five-card draw. At one stage during this Main Event she found herself short-stacked with just 10 big blinds, but a fantastic run saw her reach the final table. Her poker highlight is finishing 3rd in the Dublin Winter Festival Main Event in 2023 for €19,500, followed by a 7th-place finish the following year.

Seat 6: Davide Raschella – 6,970,000

Davide Raschella, originally from Calabria in Italy, has been living in Dublin for the past seven years. A keen traveller, he previously managed several Valentino coffee shops in the city. Davide has been playing poker for over 15 years and turned professional in the last year to focus solely on the game. His biggest achievement came in 2023 when he won the Irish Poker Tour Final Main Event for €30,000.

Seat 7: Barry Devlin – 2,315,000

Barry Devlin, an Electrical Contractor from Tyrone, is more commonly found at the cash tables and rarely takes a punt in tournaments. However, making the final table of a Main Event has reignited his hunger for silverware. His biggest poker achievement to date is finishing 35th in the Irish Open in 2023 with a payout of €6,950. But making the final table in the Main Event Galway may be the new highlight.

Seat 8: David Mulvany – 3,795,000

David Mulvany is a Community Employment Supervisor from Mullingar who enjoys nothing more than spending quality time with his wife and three boys. He secured a Last Longer package at the Dublin Winter Festival for just €20 and has navigated his way this far using only a single bullet in the Main Event. Reaching the final table of a Main Event—especially with one entry—is something David regards as his biggest poker highlight.

Seat 9: Kevin Lynch – 2,710,000

Kevin Lynch, another Galway local, is a carpenter by trade and has been playing poker since the turn of the millennium. It was on that very first night that both he and last night’s Omaha Progressive Bounty winner, Vincent “Longlad” O’Toole began their poker journeys. Kevin’s poker highlight is making the final table of the Irish Open Mini Main Event, where he finished 8th for €16,900.