In a remarkable comeback, Vitalijs Polukejevs rose from the bottom of the pack and, facing elimination with only card remaining, turned it into victory to claim the title of champion of the 2024 International Poker Open Main Event, held at the stunning Bonnington Dublin Hotel.
The Latvian cash game player, who currently resides in Ireland, emerged victorious from a field of 909, claiming the lion's share of the €274,745 prize pool. Victory saw Polukejevs secure his biggest score ever, boost his lifetime earnings into the six-figure region, and propel him into the top thirty on Latvia's all-time money list.
Polukejevs entered the final table joint bottom in chips. Still, after being initially aided by a miracle one out on the river, he put on a short stack spectacle to manoeuvre his way into the chip lead. Ultimately, a five-way ICM deal was reached, allowing him to walk away with the trophy and the largest cash prize of €34,630. Niall Campbell, Rory Liffey, Steven Lee, and Tom Dunne were the other beneficiaries of the deal, all earning over €20,000 for their efforts.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitalijs Polukejevs | Latvia | €34,630* |
| 2 | Niall Campbell | Ireland | €28,900* |
| 3 | Rory Liffey | Ireland | €24,170* |
| 4 | Steven Lee | Ireland | €24,050* |
| 5 | Tom Dunne | Ireland | €20,890* |
| 6 | Kevin Killeen | Ireland | €9,400 |
| 7 | Noel Murphy | Ireland | €6,725 |
| 8 | Sebastian Trela | Poland | €4,790 |
| 9 | Audrius Daugvilavicius | Lithuania | €3,790 |
*denotes five-way ICM deal
Moments after his victory, Polukejevs commented that he couldn't believe he had won the IPO and that he just felt happy.
"I feel overwhelmed; it's just, just happiness. In some stages, I didn't believe it was possible, but now it's just a dream come true."
He said his cash game experience helped him with patience to play his short stack well.
"Patience, I would say, was the most important thing. I am a cash game player. I was trying to navigate what I should do, and luckily, it worked out because I was shipping light!"
Polukejevs said he plans to take a week off from Poker after his victory and relax with his family.
"No poker for a week. My wife and two kids were watching the stream, so I plan to go back to my home in Ireland and see them to have a good time with them, so that will be my celebration."
The day began with 13 players, each within reach of the final table. It took three hours for four players to bust, with Gary Satelle the first to go, followed shortly by John Vogelaar and Mircea Rus. Stephen Henderson ended up as the final table bubble boy, losing a flip with pocket deuces against Campbell’s ace-queen.
The final nine were set, with Campbell still holding the chip lead, just as he had at the start of the day. Early on, he had Polukejevs all-in with only one out heading to the river. Polukejevs was virtually walking out the door just before the miraculous eight of diamonds peeled off, giving him the unlikely winner to double-up through Campbell and begin his rise to the top.
Shortly after, Lithuania’s Audrius Daugvilavicius was the first casualty of the final table, shoving into Lee’s nut flush on the river. Sebastian Trela followed shortly after when his pocket eights couldn’t beat Liffey’s tens.
With seven players left, the short stacks kept doubling up. Noel Murphy flopped a set against Campbell to double up, and then Kevin Killeen was aided by lady luck to beat Campbell’s Big Slick. Two more hours passed without an elimination until Murphy finally broke the stalemate, going out in seventh after losing a flip to Polukejevs.
With the average stack below twenty big blinds, it didn’t take long for the next clash. Liffey went all-in with ace-seven against Killeen’s jacks, and a seven on both the flop and river saved Liffey from elimination while leaving Killeen as the new short stack. Soon after, Killeen took his chances with pocket nines against Polukejevs’ ace-king. An ace on the turn sealed Killeen’s fate, sending him out in sixth and bringing the final table down to five.
After Killeen’s exit, the final five players looked at the ICM numbers. With hardly any back-and-forth, they all agreed on the payouts. Polukejevs, holding the chip lead, was crowned the 2024 IPO Main Event champion, walking away with the trophy, the cash, and the bragging rights.
