Niall Campbell Dominates the Day to Lead Final 13 in IPO Main Event
A field of 909 entrants has been whittled down to just 13 in the 2024 International Poker Open Main Event following another action-packed day of poker inside the Bonnington Dublin Hotel.
By the end of Day 2, Ireland’s Niall Campbell sits at the top of the chip counts after accumulating a stack of 6,130,000 during the eleven 50-minute levels of play. Campbell’s stack is more than double his closest rival’s, Tom Dunne, who sits at 3,000,000, while Lithuania's Audrius Daugvilavicius rounds out the podium positions with a stack of 2,175,000.
Campbell has just over $8,000 in live tournament earnings, most of which has come from Irish events. However, he has put himself in a dream spot to boost those earnings when Day 3 kicks off tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niall Campbell | Ireland | 6,130,000 | 102 |
| 2 | Tom Dunne | Ireland | 3,000,000 | 50 |
| 3 | Audrius Daugvilavicius | Lithuania | 2,175,000 | 36 |
| 4 | Vitalijs Polukejevs | Latvia | 2,150,000 | 36 |
| 5 | John Vogelaar | Ireland | 1,965,000 | 33 |
| 6 | Rory Liffey | Ireland | 1,930,000 | 32 |
| 7 | Mircea Rus | Romania | 1,785,000 | 30 |
| 8 | Steven Lee | Ireland | 1,620,000 | 27 |
| 9 | Noel Murphy | Ireland | 1,270,000 | 21 |
| 10 | Stephen Henderson | Ireland | 1,225,000 | 20 |
Day 2 Action
The day started with 167 players settling into their seats for Day 2, all aiming to navigate the field and survive to the final day. Shortly after the cards were dealt, it was announced that this year’s Main Event prize pool had reached €274,745, surpassing the €250,000 guarantee. The lucky player who lifts the trophy will not only claim the title of IPO Main Event champion but also take home the €51,000 first-place prize.
The main goal for most players was to get past the money bubble and secure a min-cash of €540. With 135 players making the money, it took about an hour for the bubble to arrive. On the very first hand of hand-for-hand play, Neil Higgins found himself all-in and at risk with ace-king against Aidan Quinlan's jacks. An ace on the flop seemed to indicate the bubble might last longer, but a brutal jack on the turn meant Higgins earned the unwanted title of bubble boy for the event, and the remaining 135 players were in the money.
With everyone having locked up something for their performances, the field thinned quickly. Some of the notable players who exited in the money included Stephen Leahy (126th), Super High Roller final tablist Ivan Tononi (87th), Shane Kelly (63rd), Leo Worthington-Leese (59th), Paul Carr (50th), Super High Roller champion Liam Chevalier (27th), Thomas Murphy (26th), and Quinlan (24th) after his kings got cracked in huge pot by Campbell's pocket queens.
With three tables left, Day 3 was within reach for final 23 players, who just needed to survive two more levels to secure their spot. However, nearly half of the remaining field would end up departing during that time. Rodrigo Diaz entered Day 2 as the chip leader after the six opening flights and stayed near the top for most of the day. However, a failed bluff against Quinlan left him short-stacked. Shortly after, Diaz couldn’t improve with ace-nine against Jarl Malmstrom's ace-ten, and he ended up finishing in twenty-second place.
As the floor staff announced that only three more hands would be played before the end of Day 2, Michael Murray three-bet shoved with jack-ten over an open, only to be snapped-called by Vitalijs Polukejevs holding Big Slick. Neither player found any help, leaving Murray with just two big blinds and one hand left for the day. On that final hand, Murray pushed all his chips in again, but Daugvilavicius jammed over the top with Big Slick. Mircea Rus called from the big blind, putting both players at risk with ace-queen suited. However, an ace on the river sent Daugvilavicius into third place on the leaderboard while Murray exited in thirteenth.
€350 Main Event Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €51,000 | 7 | €6,725 |
| 2 | €30,900 | 8 | €4,790 |
| 3 | €21,730 | 9 | €3,790 |
| 4 | €16,320 | 10-11 | €3,130 |
| 5 | €12,690 | 12-13 | €2,800 |
| 6 | €9,400 |
The third and final day, Day 3, kicks off at 1.pm. local time on Monday, October 28. Blinds will start at 30,000/60,000 with a big blind ante of 60,000. Levels will now be increased to 60 minutes in length, and the plan for tomorrow is to play down until an eventual champion is crowned.
That concludes coverage of Day 2 of the IPO Main Event, be sure to tune back in to PokerNews tomorrow for all the action, directly from the tournament floor.