All good things come to an end, which also applies for the record-breaking 2024 Irish Open at the Royal Dublin Society. With most events already finished for the night, Event #2 €200 Mini Irish Open Championship crowned a winner The largest live poker tournament in the history of Ireland drew a staggering 5,320 entries to generate a prize pool of €883,120. Each of the nine starting days first played to the money before bagging up once the top eight percent of the field were reached.
A total of 417 players returned for the final day, yet it took only twelve and a half hours to determine a champion. With a top-heavy payout structure, it came as no surprise that the final seven players agreed to a deal and took five percent of each ICM value on the side. They continued to play for €10,090 and the elusive trophy, which eventually landed in the hands of Joseph Carey.
The local player defeated Rene Middelberg in heads-up and earned a total of €43,300 for his efforts, which was almost as much as second place of the regular payout would have awarded. Middelberg had to settle for a consolation prize of €32,825 while the other five players as part of the deal all earned more than 110 times of the tournament buy-in.
Two women reached the final two tables of this record-breaking event, both representing Ireland. Caroline Ahearne finished in 14th place for €3,000 while Mary Campbell earned €5,000 for her efforts.
When the final hand had concluded, the Guinness was flowing to wrap up the tournament in style.
Final Table Result Event #2 €200 Mini Irish Open Championship
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize in EUR) |
| 1 | Joseph Carey | Ireland | €43,300 |
| 2 | Rene Middelberg | Germany | €32,825 |
| 3 | Marcus Hallabro | Sweden | €26,050 |
| 4 | Radovan Fridrich | Slovakia | €26,740 |
| 5 | Patrick Cronin | Ireland | €26,740 |
| 6 | Michael Harland | United Kingdom | €23,990 |
| 7 | Marius Kalfelis | Germany | €22,325 |
| 8 | Mary Campbell | Ireland | €5,000 |
Considering the incredible field size, each of the finalists to carefully navigate their way to the final table and Carey’s rail then used their one time when he needed it the most. With the deal in place already, the action accelerated and he was at risk preflop with pocket kings against the pocket aces of Radovan Fridrich. A king spiked on the flop and Carey took over the top spot.
He never looked back anymore and retained the lead all the way to the end, while one opponent after the other on a now short-lived final table headed to the payout desk.
Some well-known poker pros also made deep runs but ultimately fell short of the big prize money on top, such as Michael Lech, Philippe Souki, Andrew Hulme, Nick Newport, Jon Kyte and Eric Wasylenko to name all but a few.
The record-setting tournament marks the end of an incredibly successful 2024 Irish Open, which also drew a record field in the €1,150 flagship tournament. One year ago, the marquee event drew 2,491 entries and that figure was obliterated by 3,233 entries in this year’s edition. Tero Laurila earned the top prize of €292,685 after a three-way deal and you can read all about his victory right here.