The Good, The Bad Beats & The Old Schoolers – Athlone on a Saturday Night

Athlone saw the good, the bad beats, and the old school grit of Graydon and Ainsworth.

All of it. On a Saturday night in Athlone.

Main Event – €39,168 Prize Pool

Strong numbers from the off and that familiar Athlone buzz humming around the room. By shortly after 4pm the guarantee was well covered, and by the close of registration the prize pool had climbed to €39,168, with 240 entries locked in.

The first pause of the night wasn’t for a bust-out — it was for romance.

The Athlone Springs Hotel staff appeared with two bouquets of roses for Moya Murphy, sent by her partner Kieran. A classy touch. Whether it was fate or flowers, the run-good followed. Moya surged to the top of the chip counts, bagging 600,000 heading into the final four tables and it looked like this was going to be her night.

Earlier drama saw Laura Crasenco shove Robbie Bryant all-in on the turn with a straight draw. Robbie held top pair, made the call, and the draw missed. Laura became the unlucky bubble, and just like that the remaining 24 players were in the money, all chasing a very tasty €10,000 top prize.

The Midlands flag flew deep once again. Robbie Bryant carried it proudly, finishing 6th for €1,895 for the Midlands Card Club. But the story of the night remained Moya Murphy. She entered the final nine with a commanding 2,195,000 and never really let the momentum slip, riding that wave all the way to the business end of the tournament where she finished in 4th for €3,035. Moya has shown great consistency over the past year and is surely making a case for breakout player of 2026. Well done Moya.

That left our 2025 rising star Killian Farrell 3 way with Ronan Gilligan and Gerard Keenan.

After Mr Keenan aka Cash King fell in 3rd , Killian and Ronan resumed play before coming to a heads up deal once both players were even in chips.

Killian takes the trophy and the points! Already he is being tipped to be the favourite for the 2026 leaderboard title. As Mr Shane Keary put it after Killian’s latest win “ The league is yours if you want it” Athlone doesn’t hand out trophies easily. You earn them here and Killian has done exactly that.

Congratulations also goes to Ronan Gilligan and Colman Wheatly who were our Main Event Last Longers. They both won their package to the €100k for €100 Festival at the Greenisle Hotel on St Paddy’s weekend.

PLO – 8-Max (€2,160 Prize Pool)

The Saturday night PLO 8-Max pulled in 18 entries, creating a €2,160 prize pool and wrapping up after 4 hours and 18 minutes of controlled chaos.

The usual suspects were in attendance — Shane Keary, John Cormican, and Stephen “Stork” Bartley — but there would be no procession this time for Keary. Three-handed, he found himself short against Keith Touhey and Canadian Jimmy.

In the end, it was Jimmy who stood tallest, lifting the trophy and pocketing €1,100 after navigating the swings and the split pots.

Saturday NLH – €3,720 Prize Pool

The €170 2x Re-Entry Saturday NLH attracted 31 entries (24 unique), building a €3,720 prize pool and delivering a proper late-night scrap.

Nigel Cleary fell just shy of the podium places, collecting €560 for 4th after a deep and disciplined run.

From there, it became a tale of experience.

Old schooler Big Mick Graydon took command as the final table thinned, steering the action into a tense three-handed battle alongside Shella McSweeney and Jaunius Kavalciukas.

McSweeney had shown serious resilience throughout, but her run ended in 3rd place (€705) when Kavalciukas found the hand to send her to the rail.

That left a heads-up duel stretching into the early hours — chips sliding back and forth under the low hum of the room.

When the last card fell, it was Jaunius Kavalciukas who claimed the title and the €1,490 first prize, closing out another Saturday night in Athlone the only way this town knows how.

Hard fought. Well earned.

And never quiet for long.

See you all in Carrick poker fans!