With one other 10 hours of play within the books, Day 3 of the Irish Poker Open €1,150 Principal Occasion has come to a detailed on the Royal Dublin Society.
Sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Energy Poker, the flagship occasion of the 2026 Irish Open attracted an enormous 5,003 entries, producing a prize pool of €4,852,910. Simply 122 gamers returned for Day 3, and by the point the ultimate hand was dealt, that quantity had been whittled down to only ten.
These ten gamers have bagged their stacks and can return for the fourth and ultimate day, every assured €39,840. However with a prime prize of €517,100 on supply, all eyes will likely be firmly mounted on the title. Main the way in which into the ultimate day, Danilo Donnini returns with 46,400,000, good for 77 massive blinds when play resumes.
2026 Irish Poker Open Principal Occasion Ultimate Desk Chip Counts
1Danilo DonniniItaly46,400,00077
2Vasyl PalandiukItaly34,100,00057
3Isaac BarkerUnited Kingdom28,700,00048
4Narcis NedelcuRomania28,100,00047
5Daryl McAleenanIreland20,900,00035
6Edward DunphyIreland20,700,00035
7Oliver GaykoGermany19,300,00032
8Jarkko SuokasFinland19,000,00032
9Matthew TwomeyIreland16,700,00028
10Francesco GisolfiItaly16,000,00027
Already among the many chip leaders within the late phases of the day, Donnini was liable for one of many day’s ultimate eliminations in a basic coin flip that despatched Marios Papazois to the rail and propelled Donnini to the highest of the leaderboard.
Nevertheless, the trail to the title is much from clear, with a tightly packed group of contenders shut behind. Vasyl Palandiuk will return second in chips, having been a relentless presence close to the highest of the counts all through the day.
Rounding out the in a single day podium, Isaac Barker capped his break day with two large double-ups. He first doubled up by slow-playing a turned full home, and shortly after added one other when he hit quads.
2026 Irish Poker Open Principal Occasion Payouts
1€517,100
2€323,250
3€230,900
4€177,620
5€136,650
6€105,070
7€80,800
8€62,170
9€47,800
10€39,840

Day 3 Motion
Simply 24 hours earlier, the precedence was easy: survive the event bubble and safe a spot within the cash. With all returning gamers now assured a payout, the Day 3 strategy shifted firmly in the direction of chip accumulation, and the eliminations got here rapidly because of this. Inside the first two ranges of play, 59 gamers had already been despatched to the rail.
By the point the second break of the day rolled round, an extra 30 had joined the casualties checklist. Gamers corresponding to Leo Worthington-Leese (56th), Conor O’Driscoll (fifty fifth) and Dean Hutchison (thirty third) had been amongst these to see their 2026 Irish Open goals fall by the wayside.
Nevertheless, for each participant that fell, one other benefited, and when former champion Dan Wilson discovered himself all in, it was one of many end-of-day chip leaders, Palandiuk, who delivered the knockout.

Wilson’s elimination left simply two former champions remaining, however that quantity was decreased to at least one quickly after, when the pocket kings of Steve O’Dwyer failed to carry, sending him to the rail in sixteenth place.
With 13 gamers remaining, the clock was stopped, and three ultimate palms had been introduced. Over the course of these palms, three extra gamers fell wanting bagging for Day 4.
The final remaining former champion, Weije Zheng, fell in thirteenth place, as soon as once more by the hands of Palandiuk, as his ace-king bumped into pocket kings. Instantly after, Marios Papazoi (twelfth) and Matthew Twomey (thirteenth) fell in fast succession, agonizingly wanting surviving the day.
The ultimate day will resume on Monday, April 6, at 1 p.m. native time and can proceed till a champion is topped.
Play will recommence at Stage 29 with blinds of 300,000/600,000 and a giant blind ante of 600,000. The motion is ready to be streamed on YouTube with a 30-minute delay, with PokerNews protection following the identical delay.
Observe together with PokerNews as we offer reside protection of the 2026 Irish Open Principal Occasion till a champion is topped.













