The south of Ireland always brings a different vibe. A little looser, a little louder, and never short on character. On Day 1 at the Munster Poker Festival 2026, that atmosphere was on full display as Charleville Park Hotel proudly stamped itself onto the map as another Munster grassroots poker stronghold.

Day 1 is officially in the books, poker fans. Munster has spoken!

Doyle’s €10k Opener – Trophy Stays in Munster

The Doyle’s €10k Opener got the festival off to a flying start, highlighting the depth and diversity of the Irish poker scene. Players from Ireland, Ukraine, and Greece took their seats, with 68 entries creating a prize pool of €11,100.

A tension sat over the felt throughout the day, broken only by the familiar Munster banter that kept spirits high during a long grind.

• Mick Graydon bowed out just short of the final table in 11th
• Tommy Cosgrove, after many deep runs on the IPT, finally converted with a 5th-place finish for €750

After 11 long, banter-filled hours, it was Cork’s Ross Kiely who ensured the opening trophy stayed in Munster. Following a three-way deal, Kiely sealed the title, collecting €2,700 (€2,200 each + €500 and the trophy for the winner). 2nd place was Denis O’Hea and 3rd was Kieran O’Riordan who both scored for a very healthy €2200.

Munster Main Event 1A – €100,000 Guaranteed

Flight 1A of the Munster Main Event kicked off with real purpose as players chased a share of the €100,000 guarantee. By the close of late registration, 55 unique entries were recorded.

Play concluded after Level 16, with:

• Average stack: 350,000
• Prize pool: €14,448

And sitting comfortably atop the chip counts was a certain Mr. Keary.

End of Day 1A Chip Counts

• Shane Keary – 791,000
• Sebin Varghese – 588,000
• Jeremy O’Leary – 370,000
• James E. O’Connor – 267,000
• Pat O’Flaherty – 248,000
• Keith O’Connor – 215,000
• Pat O’Donnell – 201,000
• Cyril Doherty – 170,000

Plenty still to play for as the Main Event continues to build momentum.

Michael Casey Takes Down Friday NLH

The Friday Night NLH side event may have been compact, but it was anything but soft. Michael Casey navigated the field superbly to take the title, pocketing €1,260 and adding 200 valuable festival points to his tally.

Prize Pool: €1,800

Final Results:

• Michael Casey (IE) – €1,260 | 200 pts
• Brian O’Sullivan (IE) – €540 | 125 pts

Another strong showing for Big Mick G, who bowed out in 6th.

Day 2 Awaits

We’re back Saturday at 11am as the Munster Poker Festival rolls on. More flights, more trophies, and more stories waiting to be written.

As always … keep it LPU, keep it Irish Poker Tour. ♠️🔥