With 20 cashes Irish Open cashes to his name – including five at last year’s festival alone – Jamie “JamFly” Flynn now sits atop the Irish Open’s “most cashes” leaderboard.
It’s an extraordinary record built over just a decade of competing at the award-winning festival. Consistent almost every year he’s played, Jamie has amassed more than €54,000 in Irish Open winnings — and that’s just one line on a résumé that stretches around the globe.
Hot on Jamie’s heels is a formidable chasing pack with a slew of other Irishmen just a few cashes behind. They include fisherman Zeik Tuit with 17 cashes, award-winning podcasters Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin with 16 each and Ireland’s highest-earning tournament player Andy Black with 15. The stage is perfectly set for a charge at the top spot in 2026!
From 45 to final tables
It was Jamie’s grandmother who first got Jamie into cards with games like “45” and Old Maid. As a young teenager, he was also a keen chess player but the poker boom was already underway and dominating late-night television. Chess players who were just a few years older than Jamie were already switching to poker and it wasn’t long before he followed them.
The student champ
Jamie’s first Irish Open came in 2011 when, at the age of 18, he won the Paddy Power-sponsored Student Masters event. In addition to his €5k first prize, the Limerick teenager also won a €3,500 buy-in to the Irish Open Main Event which was being held a few weeks later. He said: “I was a bit nervous and, looking back, I was a bit out of my depth but sure that’s how we learn and gain experience!”
While studying at the University of Limerick, Jamie continued to play poker “semi-professionally” and, as soon as he graduated in 2016 (with a BA in Economics and Sociology), he turned pro.
He said: “I never got a ‘proper job’, but I’m all too aware how tough a gig poker can be. Thankfully, it’s all worked so far.”
2016 also marked his first success at the Irish Open when he finished fourth in a €150 NLH Scalps tourney for €695. Each successive year that he competed, he racked up yet more winnings including runner-up in the 2024 €1,100 PLO Mystery Bounty for €10,620.
Now aged 33, Jamie has more than $1.2 million in live tournament winnings to his name and is recognised as one of Ireland’s most accomplished players. He’s currently ranked #20 on Ireland’s all-time tournament leaderboard.
So how does he feel about topping the Irish Open cashes leaderboard? He said: “It feels good! Poker – or more specifically, professional poker when you’re playing for a living – is supposed to be all about the money and the bottom line. But these non-monetary accolades are fun and I love the competition.”
For Jamie, the Irish Open is way more than just another stop on the circuit. He added: “My life is fairly unconventional and I wouldn’t fit too neatly into many boxes. But two things I do identify with are being Irish and being a poker player. The Irish Open brings these two things together in the best way. I’ve played poker all over the world and some things are common to all poker stops. But I love the Irish Open because, as well as all the elements that you’d get at any big event, you’re also seeing all the grassroots Irish players. It’s still accessible to the many Irish people that love poker.
And favourite moments?
“I still remember walking into the Burlington Hotel on Good Friday for my first Irish Open. There was a band playing music in the lobby and the excitement was palpable as people were making their way to register. I remember thinking, there’s absolutely nowhere else in the world I’d rather be at this moment.”
And then there was last year. He added: “Simon Wilson’s win last year was also brilliant. I’d spent a good bit of time travelling the circuit with Simon and you’re always hopeful someone in your extended group will get a run at the Irish Open. Simon was the perfect man for that moment and it was incredible to see.”
Jamie now plays poker all over the world with major cashes in places like Vegas and at PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo. In 2024, he launched his own card room – Doyles – in Limerick. He said: “I wanted to get some experience in business and thought I might as well start in an industry I understood and could perhaps bring some value to. It’s been quite an experience so far and I’ve learned a lot. We’re very lucky to have a great manager and staff and the customer base makes it a proper club vibe.”
For the 2026 Irish Open, it’s playing poker that Jamie is most looking forward to. “The craic, the people, everything surrounding the festival is great – but sitting down at the table and playing poker is still the highlight.”
The 2026 Irish Open festival is taking place from March 26 to April 6 at the Royal Dublin Society with 86 different tournaments including the €2.5million guaranteed Main Event, €1m guaranteed Luxon Pay Mystery Bounty and €1m guaranteed Mini Irish Open.
You can follow Jamie on Instagram.
See also our story about Zeik Tuit, the trawler fisherman currently in second place on the cashes leaderboard.
