Noel Murphy Triumphant at WPT Global International Poker Open 2025

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Murphy versus Muldoon

On Monday night, it boiled down to two veterans of the Irish poker circuit as Noel Murphy and Mick Muldoon sat opposite each other under the lights of the livestreamed International Poker Open (IPO) final table. Swashbuckling poker had entertained the audience for days, and so it was fitting that the two biggest prizes of the 843-runner IPO would go to two of the most aggressive players.

a hyper speed wrecking ball

Murphy was the overnight chip leader, coming into Day 3 having expertly spun back from three big blinds. With his back to the wall, he never gave up, showed composure, picking his spots well to first regain a foothold in the tournament, and then to kick on. Muldoon, for his part, was a hyper speed wrecking ball, a 70% VPIP ensuring volatility as he oscillated wildly from biggest stack to average stack throughout an engrossing Day 2.

A bit of business was done ahead of the heads-up showdown, locking up big paydays for Murphy and Muldoon, but with a chunk of money and the title on the line, no prisoners would be taken in the final clash. After just a few hands of back and forth, a cold deck was dealt, with Muldoon turning a straight while Murphy turned a set of fives. The board-pairing nine filled Murphy up and that was all she wrote.

WPT Global, O’Hara put on a great show

Nick O’Hara is more than a poker event organizer. When it comes to the IPO, he considers himself the custodian of a beloved 20-year-old brand that has an important legacy as the people’s festival in Ireland. At an affordable price point, the Main Event bridges the gap between pub games/casino nightlies and the circuit’s higher buy-in festivals.

understands how the live stream feature table brings a bit of glitz and glamor

Delivering the highest standards is of the utmost importance to O’Hara, who only hires the best dealers and floor staff, who offers generous structures, and who understands how the live stream feature table brings a bit of glitz and glamor. He also knows that maintaining those standards is only possible with the support of an online operator who sees the opportunity in synergizing with the IPO.

This year, WPT Global was more than happy to collaborate, and a successful satellite campaign produced almost 100 qualifiers. The room was elegantly dressed with WPT branding extending to a new, and might I say, beautiful Main Event chip set. WPT Global’s dynamic duo, Cameron Soane and Thomas Murphy, were also on hand all week, helping players, fielding questions, creating fun videos, and handing out merchandise.

Trophies aplenty

Elsewhere at the festival, loads of trophies were handed out as players competed fiercely in Dublin’s Bonnington Hotel. Stephen Harper won “The Chip Race” Second Chance, defeating local legend Tommy Geleziunas heads-up. Dave Kingston binked the Bounty Event, Jones Wilson was victorious in the Turbo, Andrew McCormack was first in the Deepstack, and Tomas Brady won the Last Chance.

Having busted out of the Main Event final table in 8th place, the irrepressible Helio Neto jumped into the PLO event and outlasted his competition to bring home some deserved silverware. He was joined in the winner’s enclosure by John Farrell, who took down the Mini-Main.

Ahead of the Leslie McLean High Roller, Canada’s finest June Jenkins was laser-focused as she called her shot in the tournament. A tough field did its best to deny her, but nobody was a match for her spot-picking and well-timed aggression on the final day. Heads-up, she defeated Frankie McPartland to claim the €7,775 ($9,022) first prize.

Joe Mullen wins Super High Roller

The biggest buy-in of the festival was the €1100 ($1,276) LuxonPay Super High Roller, which took place across Friday and Saturday. Another tough field included Irish poker luminaries like Eoghan O’Dea, Jamie Flynn, Michael Dwyer, Cathal Shine, and Ivan Tononi, but all would fall short of the money, as would the unlucky chipleader-turned-bubble-boy Nick Newport.

The reigning Irish Open champion, Simon Wilson, was putting his opponents to the test, his relentlessly loose and badgering style constantly probing for chinks in the armor. Up to the task, at least on this occasion, were Ireland’s cashiest live tournament pairing of Dara O’Kearney and his dashing “Chip Race” co-host David Lappin, who locked up podium spots after the eliminations of Wilson in fifth and Ruairí McLaughlin in fourth.

Joe Mullen got his nose in front with four left and dropped the hammer, pulling away from the chasing trio. Lappin finally drew his line in the sand with Ace-Two suited blind versus blind, bowing out in third when Mullen’s Ten-Nine made two pair. O’Kearney had been both the shortest stack and the biggest stack at different points of the final table, and when he got heads-up, he had an uphill climb before him. The comeback was on after two pots were shipped the way of the short stack maestro, but in the end, Mullen found Ace-Ten when O’Kearney shoved Ace-Five suited. The flop of King-Queen-Jack all but sealed it. The river Nine did, and he claimed the €11,220 ($13,019) top prize.

Fourteen-to-one

Fourteen players returned for Day 3 of the Main Event, including Irish Open and Unibet Open final-tablist Ray Wheatley, who was the last remaining player with a WPT Global Golden Ticket. The chip leaders of all the online satellites at the moment they ended received a “Golden Ticket” worth a potential €100,000 ($116,035) bonus if they went on to win the Main Event. That meant an almost €150,000 ($174,053) potential payday for Wheatley should he triumph. Sadly, he lost a flip to hit the rail in 7th place.

no business getting to a flop, let alone a river

Other notables to be eliminated on Day 3 were PLO boss Zeik Tuit and Simon Wilson, whose crucial hand was the stuff of nightmares. The Irish Wunderkind opened pocket Aces, got three ways to a flop, and somehow got dogged by the Five-Deuce offsuit of Keith Smith, who had no business getting to a flop, let alone a river after facing a raise on the turn. The Deuce looked like a blank to Wilson, who value-owned himself for most of his remaining stack.

That pot and many others helped to propel Smith into pole position down the home stretch. With four left, he was in the ascendancy, and after the departure of Chris Cooke in fourth, he was in good shape to make it to heads up. In the end, though, it was Murphy and Muldoon who pummeled away and ultimately fought it out for the title.

In his winner’s interview, Murphy was gracious and appreciative, pointing out how satisfying it was to triumph after busting in 8th place last year. He gave credit to the staff, the organizers and, very kindly, to “The Chip Race” podcast, an episode of which he now stars in thanks to this fantastic result.