With more than 45 years of history behind us, it isn’t easy to choose just 12 top moments from the Irish Open – after all, there have been hundreds! But the following have all been real milestones for the award-winning and record-breaking festival in Dublin. What are your favourites? Just let us know on Instagram or X.
1980: The first Irish Open
When bookmaker and keen poker player Terry Rodgers first decided to emulate the excitement of the World Series in Vegas with a similar event in Dublin, he little imagined that his event would become a true extravaganza and the oldest No Limit Hold’em event in Europe. The inaugural 1980 Irish Open was won by poker legend Colette Doherty, who also became one of the first women to compete at the World Series in Vegas (after Rodgers bought her in). Colette also became a two-time Irish Open champion when she won the event again in 1991. She died in 2025, aged 88.
1984: The Americans arrive!
In 1984, Terry Rodgers invited a bunch of his Vegas friends to take part in the Irish Open. The illustrious group included the reigning World Series of Poker champion Tom McEvoy as well as Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson and two-time World Champion Stu Ungar. The participation of some of the biggest names in poker attracted widespread TV and press coverage and put the Irish Poker Open firmly on the map.
2003: Beevers becomes first non-Irish champion
In 2003, Hendon Mobster Joe Beevers took down the Irish Open Main Event for €50,375 and became the first non-Irish player in history to win the tournament. Beevers, one of the founding members of the Hendon Mob (along with Ram Vaswami and brothers Barny and Ross Boatman) defeated a 105-strong field in the €1,600 buy-in tournament. Marty Smyth, who was to win the event just four years later, came sixth. Beevers has now amassed over $2.6 million in live poker winnings in a career spanning 30 years.
2007: Marty Smyth takes down Europe’s biggest tourney (at the time)
Marty Smyth’s defeated the largest field ever assembled for a European poker tournament when he took down the €3,300 buy-in event in 2007. Smyth, whose victory followed two earlier Irish Open final tables (seventh in 2002 and sixth in 2003) outlasted 707 players. Smyth snagged his €650,000 first prize after beating Roland De Wolfe heads-up. Smyth now has over $3.8 million in live tournament winnings to his name and lies in third place on Ireland’s all-time money list.
2008: Channing wins biggest Irish Open first prize
Thanks to a €4,500 buy-in at the time, Neil Channing remains the Irish Open Main Event’s biggest prize winner. Channing’s €801,400 first prize in 2008 – after defeating a 667-strong field – is also his biggest score to date. Channing, who led the final table from start to finish, pocketed an extra £50,000 after backing himself to win for £500 at 100/1 at the start of Day 2.
2011: Most unusual qualification journey!
Niall Smyth’s road to victory in the 2011 Irish Open involved a string of wins – beginning with a €20 bet on the Grand National. When Smyth’s horse came in, he used the money to enter an Irish Open satellite on Paddy Power. The young qualifier then outlasted a 615-entry field in the tournament (which featured a €3,500 buy-in at the time) to snag a first prize of €550,000. Not only that, but he also won an extra €100,000 for being Paddy Power’s last man standing and represented the site for the next year.
2013: Ian Simpson wins – and proposes to girlfriend Emma
When Ian Simpson won the Irish Poker Open in 2013, it wasn’t just the €265,000 first prize that meant a lot to him because only minutes after lifting the trophy, Ian got down on bended knee and proposed to his then girlfriend Emma. For Ian, this was a defining moment of his life. He said: “The words to describe my feelings then just don’t exist. Not only did I win the Irish Open, but Emma accepted my proposal immediately afterwards. Two astronomically big life events went perfectly at the same time. I was never the same again!”
2016: Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann take over Irish Open
After a long association with the event, Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann took over the running of the Irish Open in 2016. The pair brought the buy-in back down to an affordable €1,150 (from €3,200) and slapped on a massive guarantee. Their vision for the event was a true festival of poker which would appeal to players of all kinds and provide as much fun away from the tables as in the tournament room. Their vision was spot on; the very first event smashed the €500k guarantee and attracted 802 players. The event has grown exponentially ever since.
2022: Steve O’Dwyer takes it down
Steve O’Dwyer’s sensational victory in 2022 was the first time that a player ranked in the world top ten had won the event. O’Dwyer, who has lived in Dublin since 2012, absolutely crushed the final table – busting every single one of his opponents to seize the €318,700 first prize. Although by no means his biggest cash, O’Dwyer said afterwards that his victory at the Irish Open meant more to him than any other. There were hopes of a fabulous double this year when O’Dwyer, who has won more than $47 million in live poker tournaments, made it to the final two tables of the event. He finished 16th for €24,120.
2023: PokerStars qualifier Docherty takes it down
David Docherty won the Irish Open for €365,000 in 2023 after qualifying on PokerStars in a €109 satellite. That year’s Main Event attracted a total of 2,491 entries making it the biggest poker tournament ever held in Ireland. Docherty went on to win the UKIPT Player of the Year title the same year and has now scored nearly $1.7 million at live poker tournaments.
2024: Local hero Simon Wilson wins
Simon Wilson’s victory in 2024 was another memorable moment thanks, in part, to his exceptional support from the rail! Wilson, who lives only a few miles from the Royal Dublin Society, beat a record 4,562-entry field to win €600,000. After taking it down, Wilson threw himself into the enormous crowd who had spent hours cheering him on with “There’s only ONE Simon Wilson!”
2026: Poker legend George McKeever
The 2026 Irish Open certainly had more than its fair share of memorable moments (and hats off to our Main Event champion Narcis Nedelcu!) but our favourite was veteran player George McKeever entering the Super Seniors tournament alongside his 61-year-old son Mark. George, who has been playing the Irish Open since it first began, was well into his 91st year at the start of the 2026 Irish Open but put a very solid performance with a total of three cashes at this year’s event.
