Irish Poker Open 2026: Titles Taken by Bartha, Dowling, and Hungarian Somodi

Tudor Bartha Triumphs in Mystery Bounty After a 13-Hour Marathon

One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of the festival was the €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty with a guaranteed prize pool of €1,000,000. The event attracted 1,175 entries, which saw the prize pool split equally between placement payouts and the bounty element, each accounting for €569,875. The winner was Romanian Tudor Bartha, who emerged victorious after a grueling 13.5-hour final day, taking home €110,700.

Interesting to note, the player pocketing the most cash was runner-up Carlo Wolters from the Netherlands. Despite securing €60,450 for second place, by drawing one of the two highest bounty prizes worth €50,000 and additional bounties, his total winnings soared to €139,950. This tournament once again demonstrated the unpredictable and thrilling nature of the Mystery Bounty format.

Chris Dowling's Rapid Triumph

Irish Open ambassador Chris Dowling, considered one of Ireland's top Omaha specialists, was unstoppable in the historic first Cuatro PLO High Roller. The €3,000 buy-in event attracted 46 entries, creating a prize pool of €122,705.

Starting the final day with the third largest stack, Dowling's lightning route to the trophy was so swift that he managed to attend his son's football match by 4 p.m. For his performance, he pocketed €46,175 and added another Irish Open trophy to his collection after last year's triumph in the Big O Championship.

Balazs Somodi's Flash Victory in High Roller

Showing great form at this year's Irish Open, Balazs Somodi proved unrivaled in the €5K PLO High Roller 8-Max event. Among the 27 entries, Somodi secured the prestigious title and a prize of €46,695.

In the final stretch, he exhibited a rapid run, needing just eleven hands to rise from the final four survivors to champion. In the heads-up after an ICM deal, he defeated Estonian player Steven Tool, wrapping it up in only three hands despite balanced stacks. This marks another outstanding achievement for Somodi at the festival, following a third-place finish just days earlier in the €3K Cuatro PLO High Roller.

Luka Sorainen Dominates Competition

The inaugural €3K Bounty Cuatro NLH High Roller saw its first-ever champion in Finnish player Luka Sorainen. Sorainen delivered a crushing performance at the final table, eliminating eight opponents once bounty rewards were in play.

Overall, he managed to knock out 10% of the entire starting field of 83 entries and claimed nearly 30% of the total prize pool of €221,403.

His total winnings reached €65,000 (including €24,000 in bounty rewards), marking a new career-high in live tournaments. In an almost two-hour heads-up, he defeated Poland's Pawel Krol, though the lead shifted multiple times.

Frank Grace Reigns in Record-Breaking Deaf Championship

One of the most compelling stories of the festival was the Deaf Championship, which saw an astounding growth in participation from last year's 29 to 224 entries this year. Local player Frank Grace showcased a heroic comeback in the heads-up, overcoming a 1:7 chip deficit to win and claim €7,750.

Irish Open is one of the few tournaments that caters to the Deaf community, organizing dedicated events with special game conditions for several years now. The significant turnout indicates the Deaf community's positive response to these inclusive efforts.

Source: Irish Poker Open