Samuel Saariaho Wins the IPT Killarney Main Event for €100,000

The ever-popular Irish Poker Tour (IPT) called the I.N.E.C Killarney – Gleneagle Hotel home from September 23-28, the venue for the IPT Killarney Festival. The €700 buy-in, €500,000 guaranteed Main Event was the highlight of the festival, and it proved extremely popular with Irish players and those living further afield.

By the time late registration closed on the final flight, 899 players had bought in and created a €535,085 prize pool that the top 90 finishers would eventually share. Among those entrants were dozens of players who had won their seats online at WPT Global, Paddy Power Poker, and Grosvenor Poker.

If they won the IPT Killarney Main Event, those who won their seats at WPT Global would capture a €100,000 bonus. Additionally, the IPT ran a last-longer competition, in which the last players standing would walk away with a €1,200 package to the London Poker Festival in November.

Two WPT Global qualifiers navigated to the last five tables. Unfortunately for them, and perhaps fortunately for WPT Global, David Cleary busted in 41st place, while Padraig O’Neill saw his deep run end in a 31st-place finish.

IPT Killarney Main Event Final Table Results

Everyone who reached the nine-handed final table locked in €12,500 for their efforts, but John Ward and Tommy O’Rourke both held a last longer chip, and would win a €1,200 London Poker Festival package on top of any prize they eventually took home.

Kieran O’Donovan was the first finalist to find themselves void of chips. O’Donovan was joined at the cashier’s desk by Grosvenor Poker-sposored pro Katie Swift, whose eighth-place finish came with a €15,000 payout. This was Swift’s eighth cash in Ireland, but her first to weigh in at five figures.

Niall Mullan crashed out in seventh place and a career-best €18,000, before Ed Fogarty collected €22,385 for his sixth-place exit, which also represented a new career high.

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Cathal Heapes’ first recorded live score since January 2017 was a fifth-place finish here worth €27,000, with Derrick Wall banking €35,500 after seeing his tournament end in fourth place.

Heads-up was reached when John Ward bowed out in third, a finish good for €45,000 and the aforementioned London Poker Festival package. The one-on-one battle pitted Tommy O’Rourke against Finland’s Samuel Saariaho for the winner’s trophy and a cool €100,000 top prize.

Despite being heavily outnumbered regarding the number of supporters on the rail, the Finn came out on top and got his hands on a €100,000 prize, the first six-figure haul of his career. O’Rourke had to make do with the €63,500 consolation prize, although he’ll get a free bite at another IPT cherry in November when he plays in the London Poker Festival for free.

London Poker Festival Boasts a £200,000 Guaranteed Main Event

The London Poker Festival, which John Ward and Tommy O’Rourke won packages for, will take place at Genting Casino Stratford (formerly Aspers Casino) from November 4 to 9. Among its many events and side events is the £400 buy-in London Main Event, which boasts a juicy £200,000 guarantee on its prize pool!

In January 2024, Jay Patel banked £79,360 when he took down the then-£700 London Main Event. Last September, Germany’s Matthias Kribben triumphed and returned home with £61,715 after a heads-up deal with Lei Wang. Expect more impressive attendances now that the buy-in is a more affordable £400.

Online satellites will be available; they will be announced in due course.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.