Clonmel and the Talbot Hotel is becoming a real hub for the Irish Poker Tour and the 5th installment of the Siege brought together the trademark warmth and energy of the IPT community and a siege of new faces to the circuit.

The stage was finally set on Sunday afternoon as the Siege of Clonmel V Main Event reached its climax. What began with 426 entries across four starting flights had been whittled down to just 78 hopefuls returning to the felt, all with the hope of claiming the €14,500 top prize from a €69,525 prize pool.

The atmosphere inside the Talbot Hotel carried a different weight than the opening flights. Every player still standing had already navigated a minefield of eliminations, but the road ahead remained treacherous.

Leading the showpiece was friend of the IPT Adrian Creagh, who returned with a commanding 628,000 chips after topping Flight 1B. Hot on his heels sat Dutch challenger Jorrit Baars with 619,000, while Thomas Samuels (582,000) and James J. O’Brien (502,000) rounded out a formidable top four. Lurking just behind were Vitalijs Polukejevs (462,000), Eamon Doran (435,000) and Edward Glennon (415,000), no shortage of firepower at the top of the counts.

Among the chasing pack were a host of familiar Irish Poker Tour regulars, including Angela Rogan, Tommy O’Rourke, Dane Delaney, Mary Galvin (welcome back Mary), Joe Dorrington and local favourite Killian Farrell, all looking to turn a healthy stack into a deep run. Killain was also looking to retain his crown

The opening levels claimed thirteen casualties as the field dropped from 78 to 65 players before the first significant chip update, but with stacks still relatively deep and the average sitting at over 260,000 chips at 4,000/8,000 blinds, the tournament remained wide open.

In The Money

It was the hometown boy Killian Farrell who was the unlucky bubble. He shoved his JJ into QQ on the stone bubble. He saw the news and was off to play The Monsterstack to drown his sorrows.

The pace of eliminations accelerated, reducing the field from 78 hopefuls to just 27 by Level 20. Every remaining player had locked up at least €550, but thoughts had already shifted towards the €14,500 top prize waiting.

The race for the chip lead became a constantly shifting battle. James J. O’Brien emerged as the man to catch, building his stack to 1.245 million and becoming the first player to cross the seven-figure mark. Close behind sat Thomas Samuels on 1.1 million, while Robbie Bryant (Monster Main Event Winner 2026) quietly amassed 1.04 million to place himself firmly among the favourites.

A total of 43 players reached the money. Among those cashing were well-known Irish Poker Tour regulars Marcus McHale, Tommy O’Rourke, Mark Flanagan, Simon Maher, Declan Wallace, Rory Bryan, Angela Rogan, and Mary Galvin.A strong mix of familiar Irish circuit regulars.

Final Table

The final nine returned under Level 25, blinds at 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante. Average stack sat just under 1.9 million, and the total chips in play were 17,040,000. The margin for error was gone. The stage was set.

Chip leader at the restart was Robbie Bryant, sitting on 3.25 million  a towering stack built quietly but efficiently. He was looking to make it back to back wins on the IPT. Hot on his heels was Vitalijs Polukejevs with 3.19 million, both players separated from the chasing pack.

Behind them, Aidan Connolly (2.4M) and Samuel Baneham (1.92M) sat in strong contention, while James J. O’Brien (1.795M) and Thomas Samuels (1.795M) were also going nowhere.

Gerard Fitzgerald (1.415M) rounded out the mid-stack zone, while Joe Dorrington (610K) and Eddie Landy (565K) returned as the short stacks

Final Table Chip Counts (9-handed)

• Robbie Bryant — 3,250,000
• Vitalijs Polukejevs — 3,190,000
• Aidan Connolly — 2,400,000
• Samuel Baneham — 1,920,000
• James J. O’Brien — 1,795,000
• Thomas Samuels — 1,795,000
• Gerard Fitzgerald — 1,415,000
• Joe Dorrington — 610,000
• Eddie Landy — 565,000

Latvia’s Vitalijs Polukejevs was the highest finishing overseas player in sixth place for €2,700, with Joe Dorrington, Gerard Fitzgerald(nice job sir), Eddie Landy, and Stephen Dwyer completing the top ten finishers.

Robbie Bryant secured the bronze medal position for €6,500, but his path to the podium was anything but straightforward. The Midlands Card Club player was cheered on throughout the day by his twin brother Ray Bryant, who remained firmly in his corner from start to finish. Bryant appeared destined for an even deeper run after building one of the bigger stacks at the final table, only to suffer a brutal setback when an opponent found an ace on the river to complete a straight and crack his hand in one of the tournament’s most dramatic pots.

Many players would have struggled to recover from such a blow, but Bryant showed resilience. He rebuilt his stack and fought his way back before eventually making his stand holding A♠4♠ against A♦10♦. The better ace held, bringing an end to an impressive run in third place and earning Bryant a deserved €6,500 payday. Once Robbie hit the rail, it was Thomas Samuels and  Samuel Baneham who agreed a heads up chop (€12,135 each)  with Samuels taking the trophy.

Final Table Results

Position Player Prize

1st Thomas Samuels €12,135*

2nd Samuel Baneham €12,135*

3rd Robbie Bryant   €6,500

4th Aidan Connolly €4,500

5th James J. O’Brien €3,500

6th Vitalijs Polukejevs €2,700

7th Joe Dorrington €2,200

8th Gerard Fitzgerald €1,900

9th Eddie Landy €1,700

The Monsterstack

Enright Emerges Victorious in Siege of Clonmel V Monsterstack

While the spotlight shone on the Main Event final, the  Monsterstack provided its own marathon battle on Sunday, attracting 99 entries and generating a healthy €11,880 prize pool.

With a generous 75,000 starting stack and almost eleven hours of play required to find a winner, it was John Enright who stood tallest, capturing the title and the top prize of €2,800 after navigating one of the deepest structures of the festival.Brendan Lyons battled his way to second place for €2,000, while Anthony O’Flaherty completed the podium positions with a €1,800 score after another strong showing.

Final Fling

There was still one last trophy left to be claimed inside the Talbot Hotel. The €150 Final Fling offered players one final chance to leave Clonmel with silverware, and despite a modest field of 20 entries, the action and the craic was every bit as competitive  and fun as players chased a share of the €2,400 prize pool.

After three hours and forty-one minutes of play, it was John J. Ward who emerged victorious, turning his final bullet of the weekend into a €1,600 payday and the Final Fling title defeating Jorrit Baars heads-up to seal the win.

Baars, collected €800 for second place and came agonisingly close to adding a trophy.

Clonmel and the Talbot Hotel Clonmel have, once again, cemented themselves as one of the true heartbeat venues of the Irish Poker Tour. The fifth installment of the Siege didn’t just deliver a poker tournament it delivered a statement. A packed field, a bumper prizepool, and the unmistakable mix of warmth, chaos and craic that has become the IPT’s calling card.

The Siege of Clonmel V rolled relentlessly through Saturday, with three more Main Event flights added to the books and a side event champion crowned. By night’s end, dozens more players had secured their seats for Day 2, but one man stole the spotlight away from the Main Event fields. On home turf, Killian Farrell took no prisoners.

The €50,000 Guaranteed Main Event continued to gather momentum throughout the day, attracting 304 entries across Flights 1B, 1C and 1D where the prizepool soared to a cool +€60 before the final flight this morning.

Flight 1B drew 107 entries, with Adrian Creagh bagging the overnight chip lead after turning his 40,000 starting stack into an impressive 628,000. Could this be the one for Adrian? Dutch visitor Jorrit Baars wasn’t far behind on 619,000, while Michael Fitzgerald (337,000), Angela Rogan (322,000) and Tommy O’Rourke (313,000) also secured healthy stacks for Day 2.

The afternoon Flight 1C proved the busiest of the day, attracting 128 entries. Thomas Samuels emerged on top with 582,000 chips, ahead of Joe Dorrington (379,000) and Portugal’s Jhonattan Hotta Alves (344,000). Dane Delaney continued his strong festival showing by advancing with 337,000, while Mary Galvin rounded out the top five with 312,000.

When darkness settled over Clonmel, the turbo-paced Flight 1D delivered one final opportunity to qualify. James J. O’Brien seized it with both hands, storming to the chip lead with 502,000. Edward Glennon (415,000), Aidan Connolly (364,000) and Daniel Lewis (340,000) also found plenty of late-night momentum before the bags came out.

The €150 Saturday Night Hold’em attracted 35 entries and produced a familiar local story. Killian Farrell wasn’t interested in sharing headlines. The Clonmel native tore through the field, collecting €1,525 and the trophy after a commanding performance that left little doubt about who owned the home field advantage.

Farrell defeated Ricky Freeman heads-up, while Pavlo Havrylyshen completed the podium in third place. Anthony Crampton narrowly missed out on a top-three finish but still collected €650 for fourth.

For Farrell, it was the kind of victory every poker player dreams about  lifting a trophy in front of fellow regulars like Shane Keary . As the Main Event field prepared for Sunday’s showdown, the local rail finally had a champion to celebrate.

With hundreds of entries now recorded across the opening flights and Day 3 looming large, the Siege of Clonmel V has all the ingredients of a memorable finale. Sunday awaits. The siege continues and it looks like the best one yet.