Imagine playing intense four-card action with a price tag of €5,000 to enter the tournament beyond two in the morning earlier on and then returning to the seats at lunch time only to wrap up the victory within half an hour. That’s what happened to Balazs Somodi in Event #38 PLO High Roller until he shook hands with Steven Tool to claim the 2026 Irish Poker Open trophy in a hurry.It only took eleven hands in total and three during heads-up play to whittle the final four survivors in the money down to a champion with everyone taking home a portion of the €124,403 prize pool out of a field of 27 entries.
The first player to fall was Ruslan Nazarenko when he got it in with a broadway combo preflop against Tool. Both had pieces of the board on the flop and Tool turned broadway to leave his opponent on thin ice, needing a diamond or few outs to make a full house. Neither came and that spelled the end for Nazarenko … likely to the delight of fellow short stack Karl Hedderman.
Only a few minutes later, a single-raised pot saw Hedderman and Somodi all-in after the jack-high flop with Hedderman holding the bottom end of the straight along with pocket aces in his hand. Somodi grimaced to Tool “I need the king” moments before he made the call and instantly got his wish granted on the turn to leave Hedderman drawing dead before he then even rivered the nut flush for good measure.
When they were down to heads-up and quite deep stacks, they asked the floor for ICM deal numbers and quickly agreed to them while leaving the trophy and €2,000 to play for. One may have expected a cagey fight for the victory but it was all over in the third hand.
That happened to be quite a setup to be honest with top set versus nut flush draw and gutshot. Tool hit the straight on the turn and the flush on the river, but the nine of diamonds also paired the board to give Somodi a full house.
Final Table Result:
1st Place: Balazs Somodi – €46,695
2nd Place: Steven Tool – €40,357
3rd Place: Karl Hedderman – €22,400
4th Place: Ruslan Nazarenko – €14,950
The Hungarian can often be found on the European poker circuit when there are many Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments on the schedule, one of the main reasons why he decided to come here to Dublin. “It is nice, there is a PLO event almost every day and I really like that,” he said before the play of the final day had started.
Somodi already showcased his talents a few days ago when he finished third in Event #14 Cuatro PLO High Roller for €15,570 and it would be no surprise if he followed into the footsteps of Javier Francort who won three Omaha tournaments during the 2025 Irish Open at the very same venue one year ago.
His very next chance already awaits in a couple of hours, as Event #49 PLO 8-Max with a buy-in of €1,150 kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. Somodi already confirmed that he will be back then and so will we to bring you more four-card fun from Dublin. He can also celebrate the victory with his family shortly as his wife and child arrive in two days from now.
