It is often high-stakes poker tournaments that the poker community and media focus their attention on, leaving low-to-mid-stakes grinders' achievements unknown to the masses. That will change today because PokerNewsis shouting from the rooftops about Ireland's Paul Carr whose brace of titles at the recent Irish Poker Tour Galway Winter Festival capped off an impressive 2024.
Those PokerNewsreaders of a certain age may remember Carr was the runner-up to James Mitchell in the 2010 edition of the Irish Open Main Event. Carr walked away with €312,600 that day in what was only his sixth recorded live score.
Despite that huge score, Carr continued mostly grinding low and small-stakes live tournaments, particularly those taking place at the Eglinton Card Club in Galway. It was quite fitting that Carr's latest victories came at the club where he loves to get his grind on.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Carr | Ireland | €4,325* |
| 2 | Barry O'Sullivan | Ireland | €4,000* |
| 3 | Andrew Carney | Ireland | €3,100* |
| 4 | Everaldo De Oliveira | Ireland | €2,920* |
| 5 | David Cleary | Ireland | €1,775 |
| 6 | Killian Farrell | Ireland | €1,400 |
| 7 | Peter Finnerty | Ireland | €1,150 |
| 8 | Padaig O'Loinseach | Ireland | €950 |
| 9 | Mossie Fitzgerald | Ireland | €800 |
*reflects a four-way deal
The €200 No-Limit Hold'em Eglington Poker Cup, the Main Event of the Irish Poker Tour Galway Winter Festival, saw 144 entrants create a €23,620 prize pool. The top 15 finishers shared that pot, fighting it out for a €5,550 top prize.
Carr reached the final table second in chips behind David Cleary. When Clearly busted in fifth for €1,775, the remaining four players, Carr included, struck a deal to lessen the pay jumps. Not long after, Carr found himself sat behind all of the chips, earning himself €4,325 and the winner's trophy.
In addition to his prizes, Carr picked up valuable Irish Poker Tour Leaderboard points and climbed to second place in the standings. He trails Hugh Smyth by 540 points with only three qualifying tournaments remaining.
The top three players on the leaderboard on Christmas Day share 25% of the leaderboard's prize pool, which currently stands at over €56,000 thanks, partly, to Paddy Power Poker adding €10,000 to it. The top 16 finishers enter a playoff for the remaining 75%, with the top three scooping a €1,500 package to the Glasgow Poker Festival in 2025.
Last year, Carr topped the leaderboard and banked €10,000 from the playoffs so will be looking for a repeat performance this time around.
Amazingly, the Main Event victory was not the only one Carr enjoyed. He triumphed in the €150 No-Limit Hold'em 12K in a Day, taking home €2,350 after another four-handed deal.
Zeke Tuit also won two events. Tuit became the champion of the €200 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Max and the €100 Pot-Limit Omaha 7-Max. There was also a win for the Irish Poker Tour founder Fintan Gavin, who secured a €200 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Max trophy.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €200 NLHE Eglinton Poker Cup | 144 | €23,620 | Paul Carr | €4,325 |
| €150 NLHE 10K in a Day | 84 | €10,130 | Michael Ryan | €3,150 |
| €150 NLHE 12K in a Day | 105 | €12,660 | Paul Carr | €2,350 |
| €200 PLO 7-Max | 29 | €5,000 | Fintan Gavin | €2,800 |
| €200 PLO 8-Max | 33 | €5,570 | Duaine McDonnell | €2,400 |
| €150 NLHE Monsterstack | 47 | €5,670 | Michael Kennedy | €1,950 |
| €200 PLO 8-Max | 32 | €5,400 | Zeke Tuit | €1,925 |
| €100 PLO 7-Max | 70 | €5,405 | Zeke Tuit | €1,450 |
| €100 NLHE Saturday Night Turbo | 24 | €1,850 | Rodrigo Diaz | €900 |
Mark Buckley Keeps the Irish Poker Festival Trophy on Home Soil (€177,000)
Carr won almost $145,000 from live poker tournaments in 2023, with a sizeable chunk stemming from Irish Poker Tour events. It has been a similar story in 2024, with Carr helping himself to almost $135,000 in prize money despite his low average buy-in. Some of Carr's 2024 results include:
| Date | Event | Rank | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1st | £1,650 IPT London Omaha Championship | 3rd | £18,302 |
| April 24th | £300 IPT Connacht PLO | 1st | £3,250 |
| May 17th | €250 IPT Siege of Clonmel | 6th | €3,040 |
| June 30th | €150 IPT PLO 4/5/6 Card | 1st | €2,300 |
| July 26th | €300 IPT Northern Festival Cup | 3rd | €8,000 |
| September 6th | £1,000 IPT London £1k One Dayer | 2nd | £5,750 |
| September 27th | €1,000 IPT Killarney 1K One Dayer | 3rd | €9,610 |
| November 29th | €150 IPT Cork | 1st | €4,450 |
| December 6th | €150 IPT Galway 12K in a Day | 1st | €2,350 |
| December 7th | €200 IPT Galway Main Event | 1st | €4,325 |
There's no doubting Carr will head to McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris on December 21 for the Irish Poker Tour Clairemorris €25K in a Day. The showpiece event is a €200 buy-in, €20,000 guaranteed Main Event, backed up by a €120 No-Limit Hold'em and €150 PLO 7-max tournament, all concluding in a single day.
From there, the IPT heads to Green Isle Hotel in Dublin for the Irish Poker Tour Final, which includes a Main Event with a €125,000 guaranteed prize pool for only a €200 buy-in. The festival runs from December 27-29. Online qualifiers are available exclusively at Paddy Power Poker.
