After Michel Molenaar’s victory in 2023, the Irish Poker Pageant has its 2024 winner! The brand new €3,000 Major Occasion title belongs to Irish participant Mark Buckley, who patiently claimed the first-place prize of €177,000.
Buckley took first place from a subject of 285 entrants, which generated a complete prize pool of €753,330, barely exceeding the €700,000 assure. Profitable the match wasn’t straightforward, because of the almost nine-hour remaining desk and the robust competitors from gamers like Joni Rantamaki, who completed because the runner-up for €113,000, and Conor O’Rourke, who took third place for €70,000.
Niall Farrell secured fifth place for €38,000, whereas current EPT Cyprus Eureka winner Leo Worthington-Leese completed in sixth place for €31,500.
2024 Irish Poker Pageant €3,000 Major Occasion Outcomes
Winner’s Interview
“It was a really lengthy remaining desk. There have been plenty of ups and downs, plenty of swings, however we obtained there ultimately,” summed up the brand new champion after posing for his profitable images. He went on to clarify: “It was a troublesome remaining desk with plenty of good, very aggressive gamers.” Regardless of these robust opponents, Buckley stated that “it was clean from the start”. “I mainly max-late-regged; I solely purchased in on Day 2.” He completed third in chips after that day and by no means dropped from the highest spots.
This Irish Poker Pageant marks Buckley’s second-best profession money, following his seventh-place end on the 2018 European Poker Tour Barcelona for €220,000. Since then, he’s stored grinding throughout Europe, even profitable a Spade in an Omaha occasion in 2023. “Now I must win one other trophy,” he joked, including that he doesn’t have many poker plans for now. “Simply EPT Prague will probably be my subsequent cease.”
Ultimate Day’s Motion
Though 18 gamers returned on Day 3, they have been right down to 17 on the very first hand of the day after Sam Dobbins was eradicated (18th – €9,500). WSOP bracelet winner Eoghan O’Dea didn’t final for much longer (seventeenth – €9,500), dropping a flip to Vasilijus Piskunovas, and Tomas Flanagan was additionally eradicated shortly after (sixteenth – €10,000), working into Ignotas Tamasauskas’s aces.
Jonathan Proudfoot gave the impression to be in a robust place after flopping a straight in opposition to Buckley. Nonetheless, Buckley hit a runner-runner full home to assert a large pot, the chip lead, and ended Proudfoot’s match (fifteenth – €10,000). Aleksander Januskevic (14th – €10,750) and Rafael Golka (thirteenth – €11,580) have been additionally eradicated earlier than the primary break, whereas Vasilijus Piskunovas was left with simply 5,000 chips after being caught bluffing. He was eradicated instantly upon the restart.
Day 1a chip chief Alec Torelli then opted to four-bet all-in with ace-seven suited. He confronted Worthington-Leese’s pair of jacks, which was a set on the flop. Ending in eleventh place, Torelli received €15,000.
On the identical desk, Rantamaki and Farrell went all-in, making a 3,500,000 chip pot. Rantamaki had aces and secured a large double-up in opposition to Farrell’s ace-king. Moments later, Farrell was unfortunate once more when Ignas Navickas doubled up by means of him. Nonetheless, he managed to show issues round by eliminating Richard Ashby in tenth place and secured his seat on the remaining desk.
The ultimate desk began with Florian Fuchs dropping chips to O’Rourke who moved all-in on the river. Moments later, Fuchs discovered jacks however bumped into Farrell’s kings to grow to be the primary eradicated participant of the ultimate desk (ninth – €20,500).
After Sean Hegarty hit journeys with ace-queen to double up by means of Buckley’s ace-king, Ignas Navickas misplaced a flip in opposition to O’Rourke and was eradicated in eighth place for €24,000. Following this hand, the seven remaining gamers went on their second break of the day, with Rantamaki because the chip chief and the opposite gamers having comparatively even stacks.
Little or no motion occurred throughout the subsequent stage, however issues modified when Tamasauskas and Hegarty discovered themselves in a basic race. Tamasauskas misplaced the flip and was despatched to the rail, leaving his six opponents to go right into a 40-minute dinner break. Moments earlier than heading to eat, Worthington-Leese after which Farrell each doubled up.
As soon as everybody was again on the desk, play slowed considerably till Farrell doubled up once more. Shortly after, O’Rourke additionally doubled his stack, leaving Worthington-Leese short-stacked. The current EPT Cyprus Eureka champion moved all-in as soon as however cut up, then misplaced to Hegarty’s pocket deuces to complete in sixth place for €31,500.
He was adopted to the cashier desk by Farrell, who held pocket tens in opposition to Hegarty’s ace-queen. Farrell was on his solution to double up, however an ace accomplished the board, and the triple crown winner exited in fifth place (€38,000). Because of earlier eliminations, Hegarty held 40% of the chips in play when solely 4 gamers remained.
Virtually two extra hours handed at a really sluggish tempo, however Hegarty was unable to keep up his lead, particularly after Buckley doubled up by means of him because of a fortunate river. After this hand, Rantamaki, within the small blind, utilized stress on Hegarty’s quick stack. Hegarty finally known as however misplaced, taking house €50,000 for his fourth-place end.
O’Rourke now had the shortest stack and wanted to dodge bullets to succeed in the subsequent step. He was just a few playing cards away from heads-up play when the 2 massive stacks went all-in. Buckley doubled up with kings, extending the three-way battle. Nevertheless it didn’t final lengthy, as O’Rourke jammed with ace-deuce into Buckley’s ace-six. O’Rourke was shortly drawing useless and was eradicated in third place (€70,000) after Buckley flopped the perfect full home. This meant the trophy and first-place prize would go to both Buckley or Rantamaki.
Moments after heads-up play started, the primary all-in and name state of affairs occurred between the 2 gamers, with Rantamaki doubling up with nines, bringing each stacks nearly again to even. However after the break, the playing cards went on their backs once more, with Buckley profitable with ace-king over Rantamaki’s gutshot and flush draw. The Finnish participant was left with only a few chips, and just one extra hand was wanted to crown Buckley because the 2024 Irish Poker Pageant Major Occasion champion.
