Irish Open players have excelled in this year’s PokerStars Live League with 2023 champion David Docherty, 2025 High Roller champion Kenny Hallaert and big 2025 earner Klemens Roiter all lying in second place in their respective League tiers.
Only one chance remains to snatch the top slot this year as PokerStars Open Cannes, which gets underway tomorrow, is the very last PokerStars festival of the year.
However, of the three players named above, only one has made the trip to France in a bid to secure a Leaderboard title.
Scottish pro David Docherty has arrived on the French Riviera champing at the bit and determined to overtake his 2025 League nemesis – the Icelandic player Steinn Karlsson. Karlsson, who has been indefatigable at eligible events this year (including fifth in the 2025 Irish Open Heads-up Championship) is just 54.75 points ahead of Docherty and occupies pole position on the Low Tier leaderboard.
At stake is a €15,000 first prize – equivalent to 10 x PokerStars Open entries and 10 x PokerStars Open Cup tickets. Only points accrued in tournaments with buy-ins of under €1k are eligible for the Low Tier so Docherty has just seven more chances to get a lead on Karlsson.
All might be well except that Karlsson is also in Cannes – and will be fighting hard to stay on top!
Docherty, who had a similar leaderboard adrenaline rush back in 2023 when he was fighting (successfully!) to win the UKIPT Player of the Year title, said: “It’s been so difficult to catch Steinn all season. He’s been so consistent and has led from the very start at PokerStars Open Campione last January. There are only seven eligible events left here in Cannes but I’m absolutely determined to make it a photo finish – and hopefully get my nose in front at the last. It’s going to be a fun final stretch!
“I hope I win because that’ll give me plenty of ammunition to fire at all the new Irish Open events next year! I’m really looking forward to the Shootout event in particular.”
A final table in Campione was what kick-started Docherty’s drive to win this year’s League and he is somewhat unlucky not to be leading the League at this point. However, back in May, he was hospitalised with kidney stones during PokerStars Open Namur and missed almost the entire festival. He also had to miss EPT Barcelona (for kidney stone-related surgery) which left the field wide open for the resilient Icelander.
In October, Docherty made up for lost ground at PokerStars Open Manchester, winning the £220 Deepstack and the £550 Last Chance Deep Stack and finishing third in the PokerStars Open Second Chance.
Docherty added: “Steinn has been at every stop so it’s really been a tight race. But he’s a great guy. I will be very happy for him if he wins.” The €4,000 second-place prize in the Low Tier is none too shabby – 10 PokerStars Open Cup tickets – while third place awards €2,000 worth of tickets.
Roiter and Hallaert
In the League’s High Tier, Klemens Roiter is lying just behind Italian Enrico Camosci but – with no attendance in Cannes – second place will be as good as it gets for the high-flying Austrian. He might not be too bothered – as well as his €185,000 haul at the 2025 Irish Open, he’s made over $7 million this year.
In the Medium Tier, Kenny Hallaert will have to settle for a €6,600 prize at best – six PokerStars Open tickets. Again, probably not too bothered; as well as his €140k High Roller title in Dublin, his achievements this year included fourth in the WSOP Main Event for $3 million!
