Easter is Over, The Monster is Coming
I’ve said before that Easter is one of my favourite times of the year; the Irish Open dominates the Irish poker scene at that time so the Irish Poker Tour is guaranteed to take a short break and I can book my holidays early. This year I visited Georgia which is a spectacularly wild part of south-western Asia dominated by snow-capped mountains and sweeping valleys.
Georgia’s main claim to fame is that they invented wine approximately 8,000 years ago when some nomads forgot where they had stored their grape harvest underground. When the lads rediscovered their grapes a year later they had fermented and something wonderful had happened. I can attest that in the intervening years Georgians have perfected their skills whilst developing one of the world’s great cuisines. It’s probably not a coincidence that they are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people that I have ever met, do not pass up on the chance to visit if you ever get one.
Meanwhile, back in Clondalkin, The Monster approaches. One of the outstanding highlights of the IPT calendar, The Monster boasts an enormous €250,000 guarantee for a paltry €200 buy-in. Huge prizes, wild action and a tremendous, light-hearted atmosphere are all absolute certainties at the Green Isle Hotel from Thursday April 30th through to Bank Holiday Monday May 4th.
Full details in the usual places and bargain hotel rates from Susie as always.
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Freeroll to The Monster 2026…Yes Please
CoinPoker and LivePokerUpdates are offering players the opportunity to start their own story. Giving them the chance to stroll into the Green Isle in Dublin for The Monster 2026 on a freeroll. Taking away some of the pressure and giving them the opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves and more importantly the poker.
All players simply have to do is sign up to CoinPoker using the link below, Create an Account with CoinPoker and be ready to play on the 25th of April 8pm Irish Time –
Important! You must use this link to sign up and be eligible to enter the Freeroll
What are you waiting for? You are a few clicks away from starting May the right way.
CoinPoker stands at the forefront of crypto poker, offering a fast, secure and fully decentralised playing experience built for the modern player. Recently they have introduced a new rewards system, offering further incentives for players in this new era of poker. More details of which can be found in this previous article.
The NLH Freezeout begins on the 25th April at 8pm Irish Time
Stack – 10,000
Levels – 8 mins
Late Reg – LVL 8
Secure your seat at…
Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Monday, May 4, 2026
The Green Isle Hotel, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin
Festival Guarantee: €380,000+
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Holigames return to the Monster 2026
The boys are back in town for the Monster 2026. Always great to see the Holigames Poker crew come back to the Monster Poker Festival every year, and we will have the red carpet out in advance for the big one!
April 30th-May 5th at the Greenisle Hotel Clondalkin
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Current standings in the €100k for €100 Main Event Day 1C
Entries: 53 / 234
Last-Longer: 5 / 36 remaining
Current Level: 12
Blinds: 1,500 / 3,000
Average Stack: 132,452
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Marcin Rejmak chipleader in the Friday €5k NLH – 95,000
Registration: Open until Level 9
Buy-In: €150 (€125 prize + €25 fee)
Starting Chips: 25,000
Entries: 19 / 29
Prize Pool: €5,000
Current Level: 7
Blinds: 500 / 1000, Ante 1000
Average Stack: 38,157
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Omaha 300 down to 8 players in the field
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Adam Bolger – 160,000
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Patrick Eagers – 137,000
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Cristina Jugastru – 110,000
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Paul Corcoran – 85,000
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Mark Buckley – 40,000
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Nilas Navickas (LT) – 40,000
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Zula Zula – 40,000
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Main Event 1B Standings
| Melrose, Don | T7 / 8 | 776,000 | |
| Reid, Leo | T6 / 6 | 734,000 | |
Young, Martin |  |
T7 / 3 | 592,000 | |
| Puskorius, Remigijus | T6 / 5 | 336,000 | |
| Domican, Paul | T7 / 5 | 248,000 | |
| Dugan, Josh | T7 / 2 | 227,000 | |
| Goberville, Helen | T6 / 7 | 106,000 | |
| Stubley, Nathan | T6 / 3 | 82,000 | |
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Evening update Main Event
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🃏 Friday Omaha 300 – 15 Players Remaining
The Friday Omaha 300 continues to gather momentum with 15 players remaining from 20 unique entries, building a prize pool of €7,500 with the top three places paid.
Currently leading the way is Adam Bolger with 160,000, closely followed by Liam Byrne (140,000) and Patrick Eagers (137,000) as the field begins to thin approaching the later stages.
Also well positioned are Cristina Jugastru (110,000) and Paul Corcoran (85,000), while the rest of the field continues to battle through Level 10 with blinds at 1,000 / 2,000 and a 2,000 ante.
With just two tables left in play and €3,600 awaiting the winner, the race toward the final three is starting to take shape.
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Welcome to the Tougher Suite
Main Event 1C
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Friday €5k NLH starts at 7pm
Status: Registering
Late reg: Open until Level 9
Starting stack: 25,000
Level 1: 100 / 100 / 100 ante
Level 2: 100 / 200 / 200 ante
Prize pool: €5,000
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♠️ €100K for €100 – Day 1C Chip Update
The action is heating up in Day 1C of the €100,000 Guaranteed Main Event, with the field climbing to 127 unique entries as the evening session rolls on.
Leading the charge right now is Dennis Reyes, who has built a towering stack of 465,000, with Shaun Craig not far behind on 426,000 after a strong run through the middle levels.
Also moving up the leaderboard are Evan Lester (101,400), Davide Raschella (91,200) and Martin Kaprov (90,000), while Anghel Sorin, Pawel Madynski, and Digory Dixon continue to keep themselves firmly in contention.
Further down the counts, Ivana Cupic, Neil Higgins, Thomas Roy, and Angela Rogan remain in the hunt as players look to build momentum heading into the later stages of the flight.
With the field now well into triple digits, Day 1C is shaping up to be another big flight in the €100K for €100 Main Event. 🔥♠️
Number of unique Entries: 127
| Name | Table / Seat | Chips | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reyes, Dennis | Conf 45 / 1 | 465,000 | |
| Craig, Shaun | |
Conf 43 / 1 | 426,000 | |
| Lester, Evan | Conf 45 / 5 | 101,400 | |
| Raschella, Davide | Conf 47 / 9 | 91,200 | |
| Kaprov, Martin | Conf 48 / 9 | 90,000 | |
| Sorin, Anghel | Conf 46 / 8 | 80,300 | |
| Madynski, Pawel | Conf 41 / 4 | 77,100 | |
| Dixon, Digory | Conf 47 / 1 | 73,400 | |
| Cupic, Ivana | Conf 46 / 7 | 72,400 | |
| Higgins, Neil | Conf 42 / 3 | 70,000 | |
| Roy, Thomas | Conf 43 / 7 | 66,600 | |
| Rogan, Angela | Conf 43 / 3 | 61,700 | |
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🐲 The Monster Returns and he’s hungry – April 30th to May 4th
The Irish Poker Tour is gearing up for one of the biggest stops of the year as The Monster 2026 descends on The Green Isle Hotel in Clondalkin, Dublin, running from April 30th to May 4th with a massive €400,000+ festival guarantee.
At the heart of the festival sits the famous €250,000 Guaranteed Monster Main Event and a huge schedule of starting flights running from Thursday through Monday, giving players plenty of chances to take a shot at the big prize.
But the Monster is much more than just the Main Event. The packed five-day schedule includes:
🔥 €20K Monster Opener with multiple flights
♠️ €30K High Roller for the bigger hitters
♦️ €20K Holigames Event across several flights
♣️ €15K €250 One-Dayer for players who love a fast format
💰 Multiple Omaha events and progressive bounty tournaments
🏁 A €25K Monsterstack and Festival Closer rounding out the series
With dozens of tournaments, satellites, and side events running across the long weekend, the Monster consistently attracts hundreds of players from Ireland and across Europe, creating one of the most electric atmospheres on the Irish poker calendar.
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Zeik Tuit has his eyes on another Omaha Trophy
Buy-in: €300 (€270 + €30)
2× Re-Entry
Status: Running
Registration: Open until Level 9
Current Level: 6
Blinds: 400 / 800
Starting stack: 40,000
Average stack: 48,000
Prize pool : €7,500
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Wyo’s in? €100K for €100 – Day 1C
Day 1C of the €100,000 Guaranteed Main Event is off to a lively start with 108 unique players already in the field, and late registration still open until the end of Level 9.
Among the early arrivals taking their seats today are familiar faces including Eoin Berry, Wayne Doyle, Angela Rogan, Dara Gray, Dave Kingston, James “Mad Dog” O’Donnell, Darren Wilson, and Patrice Goberville, with plenty more expected to join the action as the evening unfolds.
Players are currently battling in Level 4 (200 / 400 with a 400 ante), with 15 tables in play and the prize pool already pushing toward €28,000.
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