History has been made Down Under, with Sydney’s Jarrod Thatcher becoming the first-ever international Irish Open Main Event champion after defeating Joseph Antar heads-up at Poker Palace, Club Marconi.
After 515 entries were reduced to the final nine, the stage was set for a historic finale in Sydney. As we reported ahead of the final table, Thatcher returned with 1.69 million in chips and faced a line-up featuring the likes of Martin Finger, Joseph Antar, Jarod Cunningham and chip leader Jacob Alha.
By the end of the night, it was Thatcher who had outlasted them all, lifting the coveted Irish Open trophy and collecting A$155,100 following a five-way deal.
From Two Outs to the Trophy
Thatcher’s path to victory was anything but straightforward. At one point, he was staring at a ninth-place finish after finding himself all in and at risk against Alha. Thatcher needed one of just two remaining outs to stay alive, and found it, scooping a huge pot that changed the course of his tournament.
Not long afterwards, the pair clashed again. This time, Thatcher picked off Alha’s bluff jam to eliminate the former chip leader and move into a commanding position. From there, he never looked back.
Five-Way Deal Before Thatcher Seals the Win
The final table was played in great spirits, with many of the players having shared hundreds of hours at the felt.
With five remaining, Thatcher, Antar, Cunningham, Finger and Jiajun Yang agreed an ICM deal, securing significant paydays while leaving money and the trophy still to play for.
Cunningham eventually departed in third before Thatcher defeated Antar in a short heads-up battle to become the inaugural Irish Open Sydney Main Event champion.
A Special Win on Home Soil
The victory continues a strong run for Thatcher, who also ended the 2026 Australian Poker Open with a win on the final day.
This title, however, carried some added emotion. Having recently become a father for the first time, Thatcher spoke proudly after the victory about bringing such a prestigious title home to his wife and child.
A longtime supporter and regular at Poker Palace, Thatcher has nearly ten titles at the venue to his name – making him a fitting first champion as the Irish Open takes its first steps onto the international stage. Check out the full live stream of the final day right here.
Irish Open Sydney Main Event Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Jarrod Thatcher | A$155,100* |
| 2nd | Joseph Antar | A$101,900* |
| 3rd | Jarod Cunningham | A$77,000* |
| 4th | Martin Finger | A$98,500* |
| 5th | Jiajun Yang | A$98,000* |
| 6th | Shengfeng Ma | A$37,500 |
| 7th | Xiangxi Zheng | A$28,500 |
| 8th | Aaron George | A$21,400 |
| 9th | Jacob Alha | A$16,900 |
*Denotes a five-way ICM deal.
From being two outs away from elimination to lifting the coveted Irish Open trophy, Thatcher completed a remarkable turnaround to write his name into Irish Open history.
Congratulations to Jarrod Thatcher, the first-ever Irish Open Sydney Main Event champion.
What’s Next for the Irish Open?
The Irish Open’s international journey continues in Marrakech from November 10–15, 2026, with another festival of poker and craic on the horizon.
Then, from March 18–29, 2027, the Irish Open returns home to Dublin for our flagship festival, bringing players from around the world back to where it all began.
Sydney made history. Marrakech is next. Then, it’s back to Dublin.
