A dream became reality
An exhilarating final table at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) concluded in the most scintillating manner possible as local man Simon Wilson was crowned the Irish Open champion for 2025. The young poker phenom is part of a new generation of talented Irish players who take no prisoners on the felt, approaching the game with a fierce intensity and executing with forensic precision.
twelve hours later, that dream would become a reality
Nineteen players returned for Day 4 of what was a record-breaking event in the Irish capital and Wilson could so easily have been the first elimination. Set under set versus Umberto Ruggeri should have sent him to the rail, but the Italian let him off the hook. Instead of hitting the showers, he was left with ten big blinds and a dream. Twelve hours later, that dream would become a reality as he defeated Ruggeri heads-up.
When the final river card fell, Wilson, ever the sportsman, graciously shook hands with his opponent before turning to his packed rail and Superman-diving headfirst into it as beer was sent unceremoniously and ceremoniously into the air. There were 4,562 entries in this year’s edition of Europe’s oldest poker tournament, but, to echo the words of the joyous and songful railbirds in attendance, there’s only one Simon Wilson.
The path was cleared for Wilson
Going into the final session of Day 3, there were about 30 players left and plenty of notables, including former champion Ian Simpson, WPT champion Soheb Porbandarwala, RunGood Poker Series champion TJ Reid, Irish Poker Festival champion Michel Molenaar, and WSOP bracelet winner Carl Shaw. However, by the time the final table was set, all would fall by the wayside, clearing a path for Wilson to move into the ascendancy.
First to bust was Irish veteran Joe O’Donaill, whose loose and swashbuckling style had made life difficult for his opponents. His pocket Nines ultimately succumbed to the pocket Kings of Georgios Skaparis. Next to exit was the Romanian Robert Fluereci, followed by the Greek Panteleimon Pontos and Englishman Brandon Harris, all of whom had battled gamefully on a short stack.
It was at that point that Wilson hit the front. He made a terrific read to 3-bet/5-bet jam pocket Tens versus Ruggeri’s Jack-Ten off. He was gifted another pot when Skarparis heroed him with King-high. The Swede Michel Karim fell in 5th and then came the crucial hand when Wilson rivered a straight versus Ignotas Kirsis’ two pair. From the box seat, he sent Skarparis out in 4th, setting up the perfect three-way affair with both opponents on the ropes.
Three to one
Wilson seemed unstoppable and the crowd smelled blood. With every blind steal, a chorus of “pump it up” rang around. He was creating a race for second scenario, using the ICM pressure to put both Ruggeri and Kirsis in the bin. Eventually, both players made their stands, calling it off good against the wide range of Wilson. Both got their double-ups, but some more relentless pressure from Wilson kept them caged.
heads-up in the Irish Open with a 3-to-1 chip lead
Kirsis drew his line in the sand once more, calling with pocket fives versus Wilson’s blind versus blind shove with King-Nine. The board ran out A♣️J♣️9♦️A♦️4♣️ and it was party time once more on the rail with shots of gin and tequila being slammed in celebration. The Irishman was heads-up in the Irish Open with a 3-to-1 chip lead over the Italian.
Wilson stretched out that lead right away before deciding that the 6♦️5♦️was pretty enough to 3-bet shove over Rugerri’s min-open. Rugerri made the call with A♥️T♣️ and the title was on the line. The flop came 7♠️6♣️3♥️ and the crowd erupted. Wilson remained stoney-faced, however, waiting for the turn and river. The K♥️ left Rugerri with just six outs. The Irish contingent cheered, but again, Wilson stayed calm. After a dramatic pause, the river 2♠️ landed safely on the desk and pandemonium ensued.
Generational talent
In the lead-up to the event, Wilson’s family and friends, old schoolmates, and rugby teammates bombarded the Paddy Power website, placing max bets on him at 225-1. On a couple of occasions, the option to back him was locked. All told, a couple of hundred people put fivers and tenners on the Ashbourne native, testament to the popularity of the man and the genuine belief in the poker community that he is a generational talent.
said that he is now calmer and more collected at the table
Wilson has an intimidating table presence, a jock and nerd with a Rasputin stare that is both piercing and icy. He took some devastating lines over the course of the tournament’s four days, putting on a poker tour de force. Learning from his 17th place finish in last year’s Irish Open, he said that he is now calmer and more collected at the table, better able to take in the physical information than he used to be and more patient when it comes to spot-taking.
Wilson also acknowledged the rub of the green that is always needed in big-field tournaments. “I needed to get incredibly lucky to be here,” he said, “and I also needed all that incredible support that I got”. With family and friends in his corner and his parents watching the livestream from home, he called this result “extra special.”
Pump it up
Ireland has produced some exceptional poker players, but Simon Wilson is as prodigious as I’ve ever seen. A regular on the Unibet Poker tables on his way up, I had the privilege to watch him improve and the misfortune to have him take pots off me time and time again. That is why, at the beginning of Day 3, with about 84 players left, I broke the commentator’s code and predicted a Simon Wilson victory on the livestream.
Speaking with him in the bar after his historic victory, Wilson told me that he had listened to the clip and didn’t want to make a liar of me. Draped in the Irish flag with his trophy in hand, he was posing for selfies, humbly accepting the congratulations that were coming at him from all angles. There is an atmosphere at the Irish Open that cannot be matched and this felt like the end of a huge sporting occasion.
At the moment of victory, Wilson was engulfed in a scrum, the trophy was lifted, songs were sung, speeches were spoken, and champagne was sprayed. The party went on until the wee hours, from the bar in the Craic Den to the bar in the cash game room to the hotel bar to some next morning hair of the dog in the Horseshow Bar opposite the RDS. It’s probably still going right now. And why not? The Irish Open has just had its first Irish winner of the decade and that’s a great reason to pump it up.
