Elizabeth Bennett-Martin has been coming to the Irish Open since 2016, and her colourful personality has made her a familiar face around the poker tables. But there is much more to Elizabeth than poker, and her story reaches far beyond the felt.
Originally from Toronto, Elizabeth has a background in law and mediation, a love for travelling and the outdoors, and a passion for making a real difference in the lives of others. She co-founded CLEW (Cambodian Legal Education for Women), an organisation helping young women in Cambodia access higher education and build a better future.
We caught up with Elizabeth to talk about her poker journey, the friendships that keep bringing her back to Dublin, life outside the game, and what she is looking forward to at the Irish Open in Marrakech.
Your first ever registered tournament cash was during the PCA Main Event where you finished 25th. Not a bad tournament to start your career with! Looking back, did you ever imagine poker would become such a big part of your life?
I never imagined poker would become such a big part of my life. After my first PCA, I was hooked and somehow managed to win a package seven out of the next ten years. Meeting Irish Poker Open Tournament Director, Nick O’Hara, eventually led June Jenkins, Kim Kilroy, Julie Murphy, and I to the 2016 Irish Poker Open. We loved the poker, the craic, and especially the wonderful people who made us feel at home. We were already planning our return before we were even on our flight home.
>> Check out the Full Schedule of Irish Open Marrakech 2026 <<
You have a background in law and mediation. Do you think your professional experience has influenced the way you approach poker, particularly when it comes to reading people, handling pressure or making difficult decisions?
Absolutely. I think my background in law and mediation has influenced how I approach poker, particularly when it comes to reading people, handling pressure, and making difficult decisions, although I certainly don’t get it right all the time.
For more than 30 years, my work involved assessing evidence, questioning witnesses, evaluating credibility, and helping people resolve difficult disputes. You learn to pay attention to body language, inconsistencies, changes in behaviour, and sometimes what isn’t being said.
Those skills are useful at the poker table. I watch for patterns, and try and make decisions based on that information during the game. Of course, poker players can be a little harder to cross-examine than witnesses, and they rarely answer truthfully. Reading people is never an exact science, but my professional experience has certainly helped me develop that skill.
You first came to the Irish Open in 2016 and finished runner-up in the Mini Irish Open. Nearly ten years later, what keeps bringing you back? Has the event come to mean something different to you over the years?
Over ten years later, the Irish Poker Open means so much more to me than poker. It’s a special time of year, a chance to return to a place I love and where I truly feel I belong.
My Irish roots run deep, my great-grandfather left Ireland for Newfoundland in the early 1900s. When I first visited in 2016, I knew I would love Ireland, but I never imagined Ireland would become so dear to me or that I’d make so many wonderful friends from around the world.
The warm welcome when I return to Dublin touches my heart every single year. The Irish Poker Open has truly become a part of my life, and part of my heart.
You won the Irish Open Ladies Event in 2023, but you’ve also had plenty of other deep runs. Is there a particular poker moment that means more to you than the results or prize money would suggest?
In poker for many years , I was the bridesmaid and never the bride, with multiple runner-up finishes. Wining my first trophy in the 2023 Irish Poker Open Ladies Event was special. The prize money was not significant but the trophy meant the world to me.
The Irish Open is about more than poker as you know. The Craic Den brings the RDS to life every year. Can you tell us a bit about your experience in this?
I sing, dance, and laugh so much in the Craic Den that I sometimes leave Ireland without a voice. The Irish drinking games always crack me up, and the two Phils are endlessly entertaining. If their antics and games/shows don’t have you laughing, then something is seriously wrong. Perhaps taking life a little too seriously? There’s truly nothing like the Craic Den in the poker world.
Poker can be a very individual game, but your story seems to involve a lot of friendships and shared experiences. What’s one memory from your poker travels that has absolutely nothing to do with winning or losing?
Poker has given me wonderful friendships around the world, but one of its greatest gifts was the chance to share a cause very close to my heart: CLEW, Cambodian Legal Education for Women.
During the 2015 PCA, PokerStars featured the charity I co-founded in its shows of the tournament coverage. My deep run was exciting, but seeing CLEW’s work shared with a global audience meant far more to me than any poker result.
CLEW gives young women from extremely poor rural families in Cambodia the opportunity to earn a four-year law degree at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh. For all of our students, that scholarship opens a door to higher education, and a future that would remain out of reach.
For almost 19 years, CLEW has supported the whole student, not simply paid tuition. We provide books, safe accommodation, living expenses, healthcare, and English lessons. So far, 139 women have graduated and another 32 are currently studying, each one given the support to focus on her education and build a strong foundation for life after university.
Today, our graduates are lawyers and professionals in banking, insurance, business, government, and other fields. Their education helps them support their families, strengthen their communities, and break the cycle of poverty. That is why support for CLEW matters: it does more than fund a degree—it helps a young woman to live her dreams, and turn the opportunity into lasting change.
That’s what made the 2015 PCA so unforgettable for me. In a world where so much attention is focused on cards, chips, and prize money, poker gave me a platform to shine a light on something far more meaningful. It was a reminder that the connections we make through poker can reach far beyond the felt and create a lasting impact in the real world. And quite honestly, that’s a win that means the world to me.
You’ve encouraged many players from North America to come to the Irish Open. What do you think makes this festival special, and what do you get out of sharing the experience with friends rather than travelling and playing alone?
It’s easy to encourage people to attend the Irish Poker Open when I love it so much. When Ralph, Tim, Brian, and I were appointed ‘Canadian Friends of the Irish Poker Open’, we were honoured. However, along with our other Canadian friends, we had all been promoting the Irish Poker Open for years, and so we just continued to share our enthusiasm with everyone we could.
The poker is fantastic, but it’s the warm welcome, the friendships, and the craic that make the festival truly special. Everyone feels included, whether they’re a seasoned professional or attending their first poker event.
Sharing that experience with friends is especially rewarding. Seeing them discover the Irish Poker Open for themselves, and love it as much as I do, means a great deal to me. We share laughs, create stories, and make memories that last long after the final hand.
That’s the magic of the Irish Open: you may arrive for the poker, but you return for the people, and before long, you’re encouraging everyone else to join you. What JP says is true – when you come to the Irish Poker Open win or lose you are leaving with a smile on your face.
How would you describe the difference between poker in Canada, and during the Irish Open?
For me, the biggest difference is the overall festival experience. I live in Ontario, where there are very few live-poker festivals, so the energy and excitement of the Irish Poker Open feels especially meaningful.
Canada does have some excellent poker destinations. Poker Playground in Quebec is a favourite for many players, Deerfoot in Alberta hosts popular WSOP Circuit events, and Toronto has also held a WSOP Circuit event. When the Toronto poker event clashed with the Irish Open, many of our regular Canadian players still chose Ireland, which says a great deal about how special it is to us.
What truly sets the Irish Open apart is its spirit. The poker is wonderful, but so are the warm welcomes, the laughter, and the chance to reconnect with old friends while making new ones. From the moment I arrive, I feel part of something much bigger than a tournament.
That’s why so many Canadians return year after year. We may travel across the pond for the poker, but we come back for the people, the atmosphere, and the craic. The Irish Open has given me friendships and memories I will treasure for a lifetime, and once you’ve experienced that sense of belonging, every other festival has a very tough act to follow.
The Canadian clan that comes to the Irish Open every year is growing and growing. What’s the biggest similarity between the Irish and the Canadians?
Well, I don’t think it’s the drinking, although the Canadians are getting better at keeping up with the Irish! More importantly, our Canadian group has really bonded over the years, and I think we’ve become more relaxed and social, much like our Irish friends. Together, we’ve created one big poker family from two countries who genuinely enjoy spending time together.
If you had to describe Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann, organisers of the Irish Open. How would that go?
Paul and JP are two of the most down-to-earth, friendly, and genuinely caring men I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. They treat everyone the same, no matter who they are or where they come from, and always make time for people. With these two, what you see is what you get! Whatever comes out of their mouths, good or bad, and trust me, it’s not always good, but you know it’s sincere. They tell it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not.
Take Paul, for example. One year I walked into the Craic Den, and he didn’t like what I was wearing, and he certainly wasn’t going to keep it to himself! He made sure I, and everyone who came in, knew exactly what he thought. He took one look at my lovely green sweater and labelled me a highlighter for the entire event. I’ve never quite forgotten that one or forgiven him!
But beneath all the banter and cheekiness are two truly wonderful people who care deeply about the poker community and everyone in it. Paul and JP are the heart and soul of the Irish Open and a huge part of what makes it such an incredible festival. They’ve created something that goes far beyond poker, a place where people feel welcome, friendships flourish, and players from around the world feel they belong. The Irish Open simply wouldn’t be what it is today without them, and I feel very lucky to call them my friends.
Now, if they could just bring the Irish Open to Canada, that would be the icing on the cake! All of us Canadians who happily cross the pond year after year would be thrilled. Paul and JP, consider that your next challenge!
Poker isn’t everything in the world. What keeps Elizabeth busy in her daily life?
I absolutely love being outdoors, and I’m so happy to have recently built an all-season home on my lakefront property north of Toronto. It truly feels like my own little piece of paradise, a place where I can slow down, breathe, and recharge whenever I’m not travelling the world.
What makes it most special is sharing it with family and friends. I love hiking, biking, swimming, boating, wakeboarding, or simply sitting by the water and enjoying the moment. It’s where I reconnect with the people I love, embrace the outdoors, and make wonderful memories away from travel and the poker tables. I feel incredibly fortunate every time I’m there.
What’s the best thing you like about Ireland outside poker?
One of the things I love most about Ireland is the freedom to just get out and enjoy everything. Being able to walk everywhere, listen to great music, spend time with friends, and enjoy the ocean. There’s something so special about the atmosphere in Ireland.
You’re now going to experience the Irish Open in Marrakech, a very different setting from Dublin. Have you ever been to Marrakech before? What events are you planning to play?
It is my first time to Marrakech. I will most likely play poker every day during the event, and what games depend on how well I do in other games if there are multiple days. For sure, the main event, ladies, seniors, Mini Irish (one bullet), and other side events as time permits.
What do you know about Morocco?
I know the Irish Open is going there, so naturally I have to follow! I still have a great deal to learn about Morocco, but I’m excited to experience a country with such a rich history and deep-rooted traditions. I want to be thoughtful and respectful of local customs while experiencing as much as I can of the culture. Friends who have visited describe Morocco as fascinating, with deserts, mountains, and both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines. They have recommended I go for a hot-air balloon ride, and a night in the Sahara, so they are high on my list, and I may even try a camel ride, if the camel is willing.
With the dates and most of the schedule for the Irish Open Dublin 2027 now announced, what are you looking forward to most about coming back? After all these years, is there still something you want to achieve at the Irish Open, or is what matters to you now different from when you first started?
The first thing I look forward to is seeing everyone again. I love catching up with old friends, sharing hugs and laughs, and being reunited with my wonderful poker family in Ireland. Of course, the poker comes a very close second. I still feel that excitement every time I sit down at the table and wonder what the festival might have in store for me.
I’m definitely still chasing my poker dreams, and I would love to win a trophy in an open event. It’s still very much on my bucket list, and making it happen in Dublin in 2027 would be incredibly special. The friendships and memories mean more to me now than ever, but the competitive fire is still there, and I’ll certainly give it my best shot!
See You at the Irish Open!
Elizabeth’s story is a reminder that poker can be about so much more than the usual subjects such as victories, bad beat stories, GTO, and so on. Poker can bring people together, create lifelong friendships and even provide a platform for making a difference far beyond the poker tables.
The next stop is Marrakech, where the Irish Open will take place from November 10–15, 2026. And for those already looking forward to returning to Dublin, the Irish Open 2027 will run from March 18–29, 2027. Check out the schedule here!
