The Irish Open is heading down under for the very first time this Summer – and it’s arriving in Sydney with a bang!
The debut Irish Open Sydney festival takes place from August 31 to September 14 at the celebrated Poker Palace casino with a huge 15-day schedule featuring more than 40 tournaments and close to A$2,000,000 in guaranteed prize pools.
The Irish Open’s first-ever international festival will be introducing a whole new audience to a unique mix of serious poker and unforgettable “craic” that has made the Dublin edition a multiple award-winner, attracting thousands of players from all over the globe.
A$1 million guaranteed Main Event
At the heart of the Sydney festival is a blockbuster A$1 million guaranteed Main Event – already shaping up to be one of the standout poker tournaments on the Australian calendar.
Starting on Sunday, September 6, the flagship Main Event features a A$2,000 buy-in and six different starting flights – including two turbo flights. Players will also have a ton of chances to win their way into the event with 18 super satellites taking place at the Poker Palace, guaranteeing a total of 170 Main Event seats.
Irish Open Ambassador Chris Dowling was one of four players who made it through to Sydney Day 2 after taking part in a remote Day 1 in Dublin in April. Dowling continues his Main Event campaign with 275,000 in chips. The current Sydney chip leader is rising UK start Oliver Hutchins with 602,000.
Mini Irish Open features A$500,000 guarantee
In addition to the prestigious A$1m guaranteed Main Event, several other Sydney tournaments come with whopping guarantees.
The Mini Irish Open, which saw a record-breaking field of 7,349 entries in Dublin in April, comes with a A$500,000 guarantee. There are eleven Day 1s for the A$360 buy-in Sydney edition, starting from the very first day of the festival on August 31 through to a final day on September 11.
Making its Irish Open debut in Sydney is the A$250,000 guaranteed Lucky 8s tournament. The number 8 is considered extremely lucky amongst Asian players who will prize the A$880 buy-in and 80,000 starting stack. There are five Day 1s – including a Day 1e turbo – with the final taking place on September 6.
Another tournament featuring a big guarantee is the inaugural Sydney Poker Open. The A$100,000 guaranteed tournament will be taking place on the final two days of the festival with an A$880 buy-in and two starting flights.
Dedicated tournament for Deaf players
Following the huge success of the tournaments for Deaf players at this year’s Irish Open in Dublin, the Sydney schedule includes a A$360 buy-in Deaf Championship Main Event, taking place on Saturday, September 5. Once again, Irish Open Ambassador Darren Chow will be championing the event to a global audience of Deaf players.
Tons of side events!
The Sydney schedule includes a brand new event for the Irish Open – the A$600 buy-in Asia-Pacific Cup.
Sviten Special and the Mixed 8 Game High Roller Championship proved huge successes for their debut outings in Dublin and will be taking place once again in Sydney.
Other exciting tournaments on the schedule include the A$200 buy-in Ladies Championship and the two-day, A$10,000 buy-in Super High Roller plus the PLO 4/5/6 tournament, The Hendon Mob Championship, the Seniors Championship and the Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Championship which all feature a A$600 buy-in.
For all the trophy events at the Irish Open, 15% of the field will get paid; the Mini Irish Open will play down to 5% of the field on each of the Day 1s.
Taking the Craic down under
One of the biggest attractions at the Sydney Irish Open is certain to be the festival’s legendary Craic Den player lounge. The Craic Den is the beating heart of the Irish Open and takes the concept of ‘off-the-felt fun’ to a whole new level. Just as at the Dublin edition, Sydney will feature a frenetic roster of games, contests and live music hosted by legendary entertainment supremo Phil Baker.
JP McCann, who co-owns the Irish Open with Paul O’Reilly, said: “We’ve always believed poker should be serious at the tables and great craic everywhere else, so bringing the Irish Open to Sydney felt like a natural fit – plus I’ve never been to Australia and thought it would be nice to go there! Australians and Irish people have a lot in common – we both enjoy a good story, a good pint, and blaming bad beats on absolutely anything except our own decisions.
“Sydney also gives us the chance to connect with the growing Asia-Pacific poker community while bringing a little bit of Ireland with us. The Irish Open has always been about atmosphere as much as poker, and we can’t wait to bring that energy to Australia.”
Poker Palace co-owner Lauren Mooney said: “As someone who grew up in Ireland and now calls Australia home, it’s incredibly special to help bring the Irish Open to Sydney for the very first time. The Irish Open has such a rich history and holds a unique place in the hearts of Irish poker players, so to see it expand to my second home is something I’m immensely proud of. Sydney has a fantastic poker community, and I can’t wait to welcome players from Australia, Ireland and around the world to what promises to be a truly memorable inaugural event.”
As well as the debut international Irish Open in Sydney, the Irish Open will also be hosting events in Marrakech in November and the United States in 2027. For more information on our international events, please check out our story here.
Discount rates for hotel accommodation
We are delighted to be able to offer special promo rates for Irish Open Sydney at both the Novotel Sydney Cabramatta and the Mercure Sydney Liverpool.
The Novotel Sydney Cabramatta is a super-stylish 5* hotel only 12 minutes’ drive from the Poker Palace. Hotel amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, restaurant and bar along with room service, a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi. All rooms are air-conditioned with a desk, an electric tea pot, fridge and flat-screen TV. The preferential discount code AP916AU765 gives you a double room – for two guests – from A$215 per night.
The Mercure Sydney Liverpool is a modern property featuring 192 beautifully-appointed rooms plus unbeatable facilities including a resort style pool and professional gym. The hotel even has its own ice rink (!) and one of Sydney’s best indoor playgrounds. Every room features a luxurious bathroom, air conditioning, LCD TV, cable TV and a work space with internet access. Only 16 minutes’ drive from Club Marconi, the Mercure is the ideal location for the Irish Open Sydney festival. The special preferential rate offers a double room – for two guests – from A$184 per night. To book, please email will@pokerpalace.com.au.
Useful info
Currency
The AUD$ is valued slightly lower than the US dollar. Approximate exchange rates (in June 2026) for A$100 are US $70, €61 and £53.
Climate
September marks the start of Spring down under and is the perfect time to visit Sydney. Think warm weather and sunny days! September is also one of the driest months so perfect for sightseeing if you can tear yourself away from the poker tables.
Time difference
Sydney is eight hours ahead of Paris and Madrid, and nine hours ahead of London and Dublin. It is 14 hours ahead of New York and Toronto.
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About the Irish Open
The Dublin edition of the Irish Open is the longest-running poker tournament in the world outside of Vegas and celebrated its 46th year in April with a record-breaking festival featuring 89 different events and more than 32,000 tournament entries. The Dublin edition of the Irish Poker Open has won several awards including Best Stand-Alone Festival at the Global Poker Awards, the SiGMA award for Best Live Poker Event and Competitive Entertainment Event of the Year at the 2026 Irish Enterprise Awards. The Irish Poker Open is owned by Paul O’Reilly & JP McCann.
About the Poker Palace
Since it first opened as a dedicated poker venue in 2008, Sydney’s Poker Palace has built up a solid reputation as one of the premier poker rooms in Australia. The Poker Palace is located at Sydney’s celebrated Club Marconi, just 30 minutes’ drive west from Sydney International Airport (SYD) and about 35 minutes’ drive from Sydney’s Central Business District and major tourist attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden and Bondi Beach.
