When Mark Anthony Buckley’s parents were naming him they must have felt that he was destined for greatness and they were proved correct on Sunday night in Dublin’s Intercontinental when, just like his Ancient Roman namesake, Bucko bestrode the battlefield and rose to glory by winning the IPF Main Event and €177,000.

Mark saw of a crack international field of 285 beating Finland’s Joni Rantamaki (€113,000) into second with Conor O’Rourke taking third and €70,000. Mark is a regular at all the major Irish festivals and plays all across Europe but he admitted that this victory in his home town means more to him than anything else that he has achieved in poker. He added that we will probably see him next back playing the €200 game in the Green Isle Hotel.

Tarmi Roope is the CoinPoker Champion
Festival main sponsors CoinPoker provided wonderful support and brought players from all over the world who helped to make this event a huge success. Additionally they leant their name to the main secondary competition and the CoinPoker Championship was born. Tarmi Roope eventually won the title and €26,660 after an epic heads up battle with Audrius Daugvilavicius (€18,000). Locals Conor Bergin (€13,000) and Simon Wilson (€10,000) took the minor places.

Unequaled Player Experience
The main takeaway for all players at the Irish Poker Festival was the fantastic player experience that sets this Festival apart from all other Irish events. Comfort and attention to detail were brought to a new level at this luxury resort by both the Event Team and the hotel staff. Everyone is looking forward to the next iteration of this unique series.