Our team on guard in the trophy vault here at the RDS were certainly kept on their feet yesterday. A record bunch of players took down tournaments with six new champions crowned and more than €920k in prize money doled out, including €200,000+ to our newest winners.
Day 7 highlights
Roope Tarmi wins €5k NLH High Roller 8-Max AND leads €10k Super High Roller final
Roope Tarmi, one of Finland’s most successful live tournament players, has won the Irish Open €5k High Roller 8-Max for €88,000. The Flying Finn bested a field of 73, which generated a prize pool of €336,348. Tarmi went wire-to-wire on the final day — never relinquishing the chip lead that he started with at the start of play,
Tarmi is yet another player who is having a great 2026 so far. His arrival in Dublin follows a very lucrative sojourn at EPT Paris where he cashed three times, including a runner-up finish in the €2k Deep Stack event. Last night’s victory takes him over the $1.5 million mark in live tournament winnings and he’ll be jumping up a few places on Finland’s all-time money list as well; he’s currently at 19th.
Not only that but he’s the current chip leader in the €10k Super High Roller. He jumped in straight after his victory in the €5k. PokerNews will be following his fortunes in the Super High Roller right here on the Irish Open website. That event attracted ten runners – including three who won seats in a live satellite.
Kabbaj wins €1,150 Mixed 8-Game High Roller
UK poker stalwart and two-time WSOP bracelet winner John Kabbaj has won the Mixed 8-Game High Roller Championship for €19,850 after beating this year’s Deuce to Seven Triple Draw champ Ben Sweetman heads-up. It’s been quite a while since Kabbaj’s last visit to the Irish Open: 2008 when his friend Neil Channing took it down. There were 70 entries in all, generating a total prize pool of €71,295.
For Sweetman, it was a fifth cash at the event and many thought he might snag back-to-back trophies. But Kabbaj had a massive chip advantage when it came to the heads-up and won in just nine hands. You can read all about it here and read our Ben Sweetman feature.
Interview with John Kabbaj
Byrne takes down record-breaking Hendon Mob Championship
An emotional Martin Byrne defeated a record field to take down the €350 Hendon Mob Championship last night. The Scotsman broke a run of 19 consecutive defeats in tournament heads-up contests to take the trophy and €44,950, after cutting a three-way deal with Holland’s Koen Van Venrooij (€30,970) and the UK’s Cameron Sinclair (€35,420).
Last year’s event was the biggest THMC ever held in Europe; this year was even bigger. There were 1,067 entrants creating a huge €320,847 prize pool, topping the €268,398 shared in the 2025 edition. You can read Richard Hayes’s full report here.
The Hendon Mob’s Roland Boothby said: “The Hendon Mob Championship at the Irish Open has truly become a beast. From 238 runners in the 2019 edition to an incredible 1,067 this year, it’s been an epic journey and a testament to the growth of the Irish Open, as well as Hendon Mob events worldwide.”
In addition to the sums secured in the three-way deal, Byrne takes the final €4,500 of the prize pool, the trophy and a package to THMC Cape Town.
Winner interview with Martin Byrne
Kalfelis takes down OFC Championship
German player Marius Kalfelis won yesterday’s Open Face Chinese Championship for €10,150. There were 132 entries in all, generating a total prize pool of €39,692. Kalfelis is an Irish Open regular and has cashed at all three recent editions including, in 2024, a seventh place finish in the Mini for €22,325. A total of 18 players cashed in yesterday’s OFC including EPT Monte Carlo champion Jan Bendik from Slovakia.
Gruszczynski wins €350 Heads-Up Championship
After four Round 1s and three heads-up battles on the final day, the €350 Heads-Up Championship has crowned a winner. Out of a bracket of 128 entries, Jedrzej Gruszczynski defeated Karri Uusi-Aijo in the finals to claim the largest piece of the €38,490 prize pool. Prior to the start of the final round, both players agreed to decrease the gap between first and second place to leave €2,500 as well as the Irish Open trophy to play for. Check out Christian Zetsche’s updates here.
Winner interview with Jedrzej Gruszczynski
Taago Tamm wins €1,150 Plo 8-Max
Taago Tamm, one of Estonia’s most accomplished tournament players, has won the €1,150 PLO 8-Max for €32,575. The win takes the 32-year-old comfortably over the $450k mark in live tournament winnings and continues a great run in 2026. Last night’s cash is his second biggest live cash but it follows very hot on the heels of his all-time record – a third place in the €5k PLO event at EPT Paris in February for €69,000. Just a few years ago, Tamm told a reporter in Tallinn that he really sucked at tournament PLO – well, times have certainly changed. He now has a string of PLO cashes to his name including numerous final table appearances. Head of Games at an online gaming company, he currently lies 19th in Estonia’s all-time money list.
There were 196 entries in all, generating a total prize pool of €199,626. A total of 27 players were paid with a min-cash worth €2,000. Among those visiting the cash desk were runner-up Richard Kellett, Mitchell Hynam, Carlo Citrone, Wie Zheng, Matias Knappinen, Keith Johnson and Lee Horton. Christoffer Karlen was all over this one: read about it here and we have pics galore in the gallery.
Check out our live updates page for more info – just click the event title on the schedule page. And don’t forget you can also see all tourney results on the PS Live app.
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