2022 Main Event runner-up Ferdia O’Connell is the current leader in the Firaldo Irish Open Leaderboard after racking up €7,940 in prize money and bounties in last night’s €550 PLO Mystery Bounty. Ferdia , who finished third last night, won €180,000 in 2018 after qualifying online via a €0.01 online satellite.
Canada’s Jim Reid, who probably didn’t imagine he’d be taking part in a contest like this when he decided to come over and pen info for poker.org, has €4,720 in the rankings after his sixth place finish in the €350 6-max. In third place, we have Glen Keogh on €1,510 with Grosvenor Ambassador Jamie Nixon and Kevin O’Donnell on €570.
Today’s wanna-be leaderboard winners are deep into the €250 Hendon Mob Championship, as is Firaldo himself. The Firaldo Irish Open Leaderboard – a unique combo of poker tournaments and three NON-poker events – is the first time that anyone has ever attempted to combine the entertainment elements of the Irish Open and the actual poker in a competitive format.
The leaderboard isn’t just for bragging rights either: the winner gets a fab trophy AND a PokerStars Silver Power Pass worth $2,500 PLUS the chance to either win two hours’ coaching (poker presumably) from Firaldo OR get your Sunday bar tab covered PLUS you get the Leaderboard named after you for Irish Open 2025. Firaldo has also been very busy persuading sponsors all over the RDS to hand over their merch as a contribution to the leaderboard prize pool.
Once the poker is wrapped up (Events 13, 15 and 20 still to go), the top four cashers go through to a three-part non-poker final on Saturday which involves drinking Guinness (see T&Cs*), betting on a horse race and getting judged in Saturday night’s karaoke in the Craic Den player lounge. Starts around 11.30pm.
* Split the G – without looking, drink part of a pint of Guinness down to the top of the spur on the capital letter G.
Firaldo is updating standings nightly on Twitter/X. Videos, pictures and other content from contestants will be on his Instagram feed.
