Recap #3: A Little Midweek Madness at Irish Open 2025

Michal Havavka Wins Record-Breaking Hendon Mob Championship

Slovakia’s Michal Havavka made it two-for-two at the Irish Open, claiming the largest-ever European edition of The Hendon Mob Championship after cutting an ICM deal with Charlotte Waters and then sealing the win heads-up. The €37,348 payday and a trip to Cape Town were sweet, but Havavka may need to expand his IKEA search — this is his second trophy here in as many years.

The final table was a showcase for Charlotte Waters, who arrived 8th in chips with just 11 big blinds and proceeded to eliminate six of her eight opponents. She rocketed into the chip lead after calling off a four-bet shove from Petar Petrov with pocket kings, holding against his push and claiming nearly a fifth of all chips in play in one hand.

Havavka chipped away steadily, knocking out Kwan Chan in third and battling Waters in a long, seesaw heads-up match. After three hours of back-and-forth, they paused to chop the remaining prize pool, with Waters locking up €40,000 and Havavka €37,348. The trophy, however, still needed a winner. Waters shoved ace-nine, Havavka called with ace-king, and a rivered king sealed it for the Slovak.

Final Table Payouts – The Hendon Mob Championship

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Michal Havavka		€37,348*
2nd	Charlotte Waters		€40,000*
3rd	Kwan Chan		€21,150
4th	Stuart Taylor		€16,250
5th	Christoph Huber		€12,500

Nils Pudel Peels Off a Victory in the €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty

Decorated potatoes, three-way deals, and a million-euro prize pool — the €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty had it all. Germany’s Nils Pudel emerged from a 1,222-entry field to bank €67,510 and a trophy after making a dramatic comeback at the final table. A late deal with Nikolaos Konstas and Fabian Rolli split the top prizes, but it was Pudel who lifted the hardware.

Down to just a few big blinds at three-handed, Pudel doubled twice and snatched the chip lead, forcing a deal soon after. From there, he closed it out in style — all while carrying a good luck charm in the form of a smiley-faced potato, gifted by fellow German pro Felix Schneiders.

Bounties were generous, with Jorge Rios drawing the biggest of them all (€102,600). But it was Pudel who proved that sometimes, all it takes is a spud and a heater.

Final Table Payouts – €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Nils Pudel		€67,510
2nd	Nikolaos A. Konstas		€71,090
3rd	Fabian Rolli		€73,480
4th	Yannick Jobin		€35,080
5th	Patrick Eagers		€27,000

Krumins Makes it Two at the Irish Open in the €350 Heads-Up Championship

Latvia’s Eriks Krumins secured his second Irish Open title after coming out on top of a sold-out €350 Heads-Up Championship. The 128-player bracket saw Krumins defeat Cameron Dhaliwal in the final round to claim the €10,000 top prize.

Krumins, who won the JP Masters here in 2024, navigated a tough bracket that included Mark Roovers, Timothy Francis, and Isaac Barker. Dhaliwal had a fairytale run of his own, making it to the final despite being better known for marketing and content creation. In the end, Krumins pulled away with an early lead and finished the job when pocket nines held against ace-deuce.

Speaking to PokerListings after the win, Krumins said the toughest match came when there were just eight players left.

Final Payouts – €350 Heads-Up Championship

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Eriks Krumins		€10,000
2nd	Cameron Dhaliwal		€5,888
3rd	Alexandru E. Baciu		€3,400
4th	Isaac Barker		€3,400
5th	Steinn Karlsson		€2,000

Photo Credits: Danny Maxwell & Brian OhEideain