European Deepstack

The European Deepstack Championship brought in 475 entries, and smashed the guarantee with a prizepool of €285,665. The top prize was €55,065 and the championship belt to go with it.

Over 2 live flights plus an online flight, 143 players bagged a stack for day 2. The Top 3 stacks going into day 2 were:

1. Kyle Rafferty 886K
2. Declan Connolly 733K
3. Panagiotis Kostopanagitis 701K

Other notable players include:

Mark Macdonnell 698K
Mark Johnston 573K
Derek Baker 503K
Simon Wilson 328K
Dara O’Kearney 291K
Mick Graydon 251K
Annette O’Carroll 157K
Jason Tompkins 128K

Representing WPT Global:

Lucas Robinson 516K
Fintan Hand 375K
Romulo Dorea 210K (all the way from Brazil)

Some notable players who bagged a stack in the online day 1

Padraig O’Neill (EPT Prague Champ, Representing WPT Global)
Aidan Quinlan (European Deepstack 2025 Champ)
Davide Raschella
Patrick Tardif (Representing WPT Global from Canada)
Shane Murphy (Representing WPT Global)

The bubble was reached after 5 hours of play. Patrick P Rooney went all in preflop for 165k and was called by John Farrell. It was pocket Jacks vs 89 off suit, 89 hit 2 pair by the river to knock Patrick P Rooney out on the bubble.

Defending champ Aidan Quinlan was out shortly after in 60th for €1,220

Shane Murphy came in 25th for his best ever live cash of €2,080, well done Shane!

After 12 hours and 15 levels of play, 18 players bagged for day 3. The chip leader was Gavin Melaugh Mcgrath with 5.98M chips. Some other notable stacks were:

Pablo Villena 4.67M
John Ward 4.2M
Mick Graydon 3.35M
Annette O’Carroll 2.8M
Krzysztof Grubka 1.08M

Day 3 started at 12PM on Sunday. €55,065 up top and the championship belt to play for.

Kenneth Crowley was the unfortunate man to burst the final table bubble, but cashed for €5,200.

Gavin Melaugh Mcgrath went into the final table with a massive chip lead of 21.12M. The next down was Audrius Daugvilavicius with 7.6M. Krzysztof Grubka was the last surviving WPT Global Golden ticket holder, who was still eligible for the €100K bonus for taking down the tournament. He went in 7th in chips with 2.25M. Irish legend Annette O’Carroll was still in the mix with 2.27M chips.

However Gavin’s chip lead was enough to overcome the field and he had a resounding victory, winning the €55,065 top prize and the prestigious Championship Belt.

The Top 8 were:

1: Gavin Melaugh Mcgrath – €55,065
2: Krzysztof Grubka – €34,860
3: Michal Havavka – €25,000
4: Audrius Daugvilavicius – €19,860
5: John Ward – €15,560
6: Adam Green – €12,200
7: Annette O’Carroll – €9,160
8: Marcus Mchale – €6,520

Beer Poker Tour

The craic was had at the Beer Poker Tour’s event. The €25K guaranteed tournament saw 137 entries and a prizepool of €39,870. On Day 1, winning the first hand of each level won you a free beer token or some merch, and during the second break, there was the players party. Free beers were had, beer pong was played, and prizes won, what more could you want! This 2 day event saw 21 players bag a stack for the final on Sunday. The chip leader was  Evan Lester with 496K chips. Other stacks included:

Danny Verheij 436K
Marcin Wojtunik 371K
Paul Carr 261K
Ray Wheatley 228K
Dean Dowling 105K
Dara O’Kearney 71K

18 players were paid, with Antonino Gagliano bubbling the tournament.

There was €9,720 up top, and a serious trophy for the winner!

The Final Table saw Marcin Wojtunik chip leading with 371K, Paul Carr 261K close behind in second and Ray Wheatley in the mixer with 228k. In the end it was Olof Thorson from Sweden who took it down.

High Roller

The €1.1K High Roller, smashed its €25K guarantee, with a prizepool of €51,410. With 53 entries, it saw 18 players bag a stack for day 2. Notable players include:

Barry McMahon 247k
James O’Brien 112k
David Lappin 79,800
Romulo Dorea 78,200
Padraig O’Neill 43,200
Darren Harbinson 26,600
Patrick Tardif 11,700

In the end it was Luke Walsh who won the top prize of €16,190, with Barry McMahon second for €11,700 and ACOP & Omaha GP winner, Mark Johnston in 3rd for €7,460.

Over the Weekend

There was plenty of more action over the weekend with loads of side events throughout. here are the highlights:

DPF Daily Turbo
Runners: 15
Prizepool: €1,455
Winner: James Mcmahon – €665

The Nightly Thursday
Runners: 48
Prizepool: €5,820
Winner: Liu Dong – €1,580

The Nightly Friday
Runners: 52
Prizepool: €6,305
Winner: Florian Machnig – €1,965

The Nightly Saturday
Runners: 66
Prizepool: €8,003
Winner: Sebastian Trela – €2,067

DPF 200
Runners: 96
Prizepool: €15,830
Winner: Robert Mcdowell – €3,320

Round of Each BOMB POT (NLH/PLO)
Runners: 17
Prizepool: €2,805
Winner: Kamil Dariusz Maslowski – €1,025

Last Chance Saloon
Runners: 4
Prizepool: €338
Winner: Liu Dong – €388

A great weekend was had at the Bonnington Hotel. It has always been a great venue for poker over the years. Tune in later this year for the International Poker Open

It’s been an exciting week here in the Bonnington Hotel. The action continues after a very successful ACOP.

Seniors Championship

The Irish Seniors Championship commenced on Monday the 23rd of February. This saw many Irish legends and notable players, including Andy Black, Dara O’Kearney, Ciaran Cooney and Collette Murphy

With a total of 263 entries, they played 9 hours and 83 players bagged a stack for day 2, with Martin Cassidy the chip leader with 275,500 chips. A total prizepool of €53,576 was generated.

Martin managed to make the final table, and cashed in 7th for €1,910. Also on the final table was Colette Murphy who came in 5th, and the top 3 were Chris Rourke: €6,000 in 3rd, Aidan Finnerty: €6,000 in 2nd, and Kieran Mcivor taking home €8,375 and the Championship Belt

Women’s Championship

The Women’s Championship saw 45 runners and generated a prizepool of €7,420 Prizeool. Mighty craic was had, and the atmosphere was heard around the room and a champagne toast was had at the first break. Some notable players were IPT Ambassador Tanya Masters, Mary Galvin, Katie Harrington, Annette O’Carroll.

June Jenkins placed in 3rd place for €1,100 and Katie Burke got 3rd for €1,600, but Colette Murphy came out on top for €2,070 with the Championship Belt to go with it.

Side Events

It’s been a packed week of tournaments, with a lot of variety, including the Irish Mixed Games Championship, for the growing mixed games community, a Round of Each, and 5-Card Draw Jacks or Better tournament. June Jenkins managed to scoop one of the daily turbos, and is having a good festival overall with 4 cashes so far! The Mystery Bounty was a popular one with 140 runners, but was ran away with by Robert, who won 8 bounties with a total cash of €6,900

Win the Button
25 runners
Prizepool: €3,031
Winner: Darragh Flynn €891

Tuesday Daily Turbo
41 runners
Prizepool: €3,977
Winner: June Jenkins €1,367

Irish Mixed Game Championship
30 runners
Prizepool: €7,570
Winner: John Murray €3,190

Round of Each
77 Runners
Prizepool: €9,340
Winner: Simon Keating €2,560

5 Card Draw Poker
24 runners
Prizepool: €2,330
Winner: Keith O’Connor €1,000 Deal made

Mystery Bounty
140 runners
Prizepool: €8,827
Winner: Robert €6,900 Including 8 Bounties!

European Deepstack Championship

The European Deepstack Championship started yesterday. This prestigious tournament, First won by Dara O’Kearney back in 2008, saw 148 entries on Day 1A. 45 managed to bag a stack with the big stacks of the day including Kyle Rafferty 886k, Marc MacDonnell 691k, and the ACOP and Omaha Grand Prix double champ Mark Johnston bagging 575k.

Other notable players include:

Daryl McAleenan 452k

Dara O’Kearney 291k

Jason Tompkins 128k

David Masters 108k

Fintan Hand (375k), Padraig O’Neill (100k) are also in the mixer representing WPT Global.

Romulo Dorea and Patrick Tardiff, have both come from afar to represent WPT Global, and have managed to bag a stack in the online day 1.

Will defending champion Aidan Quinlan be going for the two in a row, like Tomas “Lucky Mo” Geleziunas did the previous two years in 2023 and 2024?

Day 2 of the European Deepstack Championship is on now and late reg is open until the start of Day 2 on Saturday.

More Fun

Saturday is an action packed day with Day 2 of the European Deepstack. For those knocked out, or just looking for a bit of craic, the Beer Poker Tour starts at 2PM. The lads over on the Beer Poker Tour run a great tournament, with prizes and beers given out throughout, and a players party during the first break! There’ll be plenty of bluffing as the day goes on as everyone gets hammered together. It also has one of the best looking trophies on the circuit, so one not to miss!

Also on the schedule is the High Roller at 6PM, then Sunday sees the DPF 200 and the Round of Each Bomb Pot (NLH/Omaha), for all ye degenerates out there!

Stay tuned here on LivePokerUpdates for updates from the event, or follow dublin.poker.festival (https://www.instagram.com/dublin.poker.festival/) for more

WPT Global was created in close partnership with the World Poker Tour, one of the most respected brands in poker for more than two decades, and serves as the official online home of the WPT. Built by experienced poker industry professionals, the platform was designed with a clear purpose: to connect online players directly to the live WPT circuit and provide realistic, affordable pathways to some of the biggest stages in tournament poker.

Unlike many online poker platforms that operate independently of live tours, WPT Global is structurally aligned with the World Poker Tour ecosystem. Its tournament schedule and satellite system are built specifically to feed into flagship WPT events, WPT Prime stops, and major live festivals around the world. Players are not just grinding for online titles; they are playing for seats, travel packages, and opportunities to compete on the global stage. Over time, numerous players have turned small online buy-ins into meaningful live scores, reinforcing the site’s focus on accessibility and progression.

The platform offers a full schedule of cash games and multi-table tournaments across a wide range of formats and stakes, alongside a regionally tailored online series. A defining feature of WPT Global is its emphasis on satellites, which regularly award seats into live WPT events worldwide. This live-qualification model is central to its identity and differentiates it from competitors whose offerings remain primarily online. Behind the scenes, the company uses AI-driven game integrity tools and experienced security teams to maintain fair and sustainable gameplay, reflecting a broader commitment to long-term player trust.

WPT Global works closely with ambassadors, champions and online qualifiers who represent the bridge between online and live poker. One of the most notable recent partnerships is with Irish professional poker player and content creator Fintan Hand. As one of Ireland’s most recognisable poker personalities, Hand has built a substantial following through streaming and tournament success. His role as ambassador strengthens the WPT’s connection to the Irish poker community while promoting the platform’s satellite pathways into live events.

Promotions are a major part of the WPT Global offering. Recently concluded campaigns such as the five-million-dollar Christmas and New Year Gift Giveaway promotion delivered added value through free daily gifts and boosted tournament guarantees. The company has also indicated that one of its most significant tournament series to date will be announced in the near future, signalling continued expansion of its flagship online events.

One of the standout current opportunities is the route to WPT Prime Cyprus, where players can win a $2,000 package that includes championship entry, travel allowance, exclusive merchandise and a $100,000 Golden Ticket bonus awarded if the qualifier goes on to win the live event. Qualification is available through Sunday satellites and daily feeder tournaments, with additional freeroll opportunities and the option to use Passport Dollars toward entry. The structure allows players to compete for a major live package for as little as $1.10, or in some cases without direct outlay.

WPT Global has also strengthened its presence in Ireland through satellites feeding into the Dublin Poker Festival, which runs from February 19 to March 1, 2026. Players can qualify online for both the €200,000 guaranteed European Deepstack Poker Championship and the €100,000 guaranteed Amateur Championship of Poker. Entry routes begin at micro-stakes levels, building through step satellites to secure live seats in Dublin.

In addition, selected satellite winners receive a €100,000 Golden Ticket bonus, which adds an extra layer of incentive should they go on to win the live event. Across ten days of action at the Bonnington Hotel Conference Centre, the festival features more than €400,000 in guaranteed prize pools, with online Day 1 options available through WPT Global before play moves to Dublin.

WPT Global positions itself as more than a standalone online poker site. It functions as the digital extension of the World Poker Tour, offering structured routes to live events, significant promotional value, ambassador-led community engagement and technology-driven game integrity. By blending online accessibility with live aspiration, it continues to expand its footprint as a key gateway into the modern WPT ecosystem.