Mark Murphy Wins Big as IPT €100K for €100 Deemed a Phenomenal Success

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Mar 17, 2025 3 min read

A few eyebrows were raised when the Irish Poker Tour placed a €100,000 guarantee on the prize pool of a €100 buy-in event, not least because the €75+€25 buy-in meant 1,333 players needed to enter to avoid an overlay. Not only did the prize pool reach its guarantee, but the 1,927 entrants ensured it was surpassed by €38,745!

The money bubble finally popped during Day 2, with Shane Dempsey crashing out in 194th place, locking in a €250 min-cash for the surviving players. Dara O'Kearney, Nick Slade, and Stephane Blasques were among the in-the-money finishers.

Each of the nine finalists locked in €2,400 for their €100 investment, and it was Poland's Konrad Milkiewicz who claimed that sum after busting in ninth place. A regular on the Irish Poker Tour, Milkiewicz recently cashed in the €700 Irish Poker Cup in Killarney for €3,700.

Brian Holland more than doubled his recorded live earnings with the €2,900 eighth-place prize money, with Belgium's Yannick D'Heere's first in-the-money finish since September 2022 being a seventh-place finish worth a career-best €3,500.

Sixth place and €4,320 went to Patrick Coulter, who was joined on the sidelines by Tomas Flanagan (€5,400), Dale Ryan (€6,700), and Shane Delaney (€9,000).

The heads-up duo of Mark Murphy and Joseph Ladniak were now guaranteed a five-figure sum. Ladniak fell at the final hurdle and banked €13,500, leaving Murphy to get his hands on the winner's trophy and €22,000 in prize money, more than doubling his previous best live score.

€100K for €100 Final Table Results

€100K for €100 Festival Results

It wasn't only the Main Event finalists that won substantial sums for low buy-ins. Paul Carr, who seems to win an Irish Poker Tour event at every stop, took down the €300 No-Limit Hold'em Dublin 300 for €7,265.

Barry McKelvey turned €150 into €6,700 and a gold medal by becoming the APAT Irish Championship champion. McKelvey defeated Darren McGinley heads-up, resigning the runner-up to a €4,235 consolation prize and a silver APAT medal. Jumir Veaceslav was third, a finish good for a bronze medal and €2,700.

What's Next for the Irish Poker Tour?

The Irish Poker Tour heads to Athlone on April 5 for the Athlone €40K in a Day, which includes a €200 buy-in, €30,000 guaranteed Main Event.

From there, the tour returns to the Green Isle Hotel in Dublin from April 30 until May 5 for the 2025 edition of The Monster. The 2024 Monster was ridiculously successful and saw guarantees smashed left, right, and centre. Some 1,858 players bought into the €150 Main Event, created a guarantee-busting €223,560 prize pool that Peter Burnett won for €25,125 after a three-handed deal.

This year's Monster has combined guarantees of over €350,000, with the €150 Main Event carrying a €250,000 guarantee.

As always, head online to Paddy Power Poker if you want to satellite your way into an Irish Poker Tour event from a few cents.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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• Tags Barry McKelvey Brian Holland Dale Ryan Dara O'Kearney Darren McGinley Joseph Ladniak Mark Murphy Nick Slade Patrick Coulter Paul Carr Peter Burnett Shane Delaney Shane Dempsey Stephane Blasques Tomas Flanagan
• Related Players Mark MurphyPaul CarrShane DelaneyShane DempseyTomas Flanagan