The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas Hold ’em poker tournament in Europe and the second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker. 2024 will mark the 44th year of the event with a festival running March 25 to April 1 at the Royal Dublin Society – check out our schedule page for full details.
The Irish Open has a long and illustrious history – from the earliest days when maverick bookmaker Terry Rogers launched the event in 1980 to the many years when the late Liam Flood – a two-time Main Event champion – was at the helm. Flood passed away in 2014 and since 2016, the event has been run by Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann. (For a full history of the Irish Open, click here.)
O’Reilly and McCann have grown the Main Event from a field of 802 players in their first year to nearly 2,500 entries last year. Following in the footsteps of Rogers and Flood, the pair imbue the event with a very personal touch. Their fervent wish to ensure everyone has a great time and, for them, enjoying the “craic” is just as important as the poker. Every night the bars and player lounge are jam-packed with players enjoying live music, bar games and lots of competitions. Lifelong friendships are forged at the Irish Open and it’s no surprise that many players consider it their favourite event of the year.
The Irish Open today is a deftly-organised blend of superbly well-run and professional poker combined with a truly fun element away from the tables. The 2024 Main Event promises to break records yet again and the €500k guaranteed Mini Irish Open – which has a buy-in of just €200 – is also set to draw enormous numbers and make Irish poker history as the biggest guaranteed low-buy in event Ireland has even seen.
As always JP and Paul will be overseeing every aspect of the event, supported by a passionate and experienced team. Many players have been competing at the Irish Open for decades alongside staff members who have been working the event for nearly as long.
In 2023, the Irish Open joined forces with PokerStars, Paddy Power and iPoker enabling hundreds of players to win their way into the Main Event. Check out our satellite page for more info on how to qualify online for this year’s event.
For many players at the Irish Open, the lively cash game scene is one of the big attractions of the festival. For the 2024 festival, cash games will enjoy a huge space all to themselves with nearly 50 tables running 24/7. The cash games area will also have its own dedicated bar. Work is also underway to introduce a number of innovations to improve and automate elements of the cash game registration system. Cash games are available for every stake from €1/€2 to €25/€50 and higher based on demand.
