If the JP Poker Masters Championship side event at the Irish Open sounds rather grand, don’t let the name put you off! The €550 buy-in event is a really popular tournament and a lot of fun.
Part of the fun element dates back to the event’s heritage; it was first held by JP McCann as a stand-alone festival back in 2008. Martin Doyle won the inaugural Main Event for €26,650 while Irish Poker Open Ambassador Chris Dowling was runner-up to fellow Irishman Michael Nolan the following year.
In 2012, the JP Poker Masters was incorporated into the Norwegian Championships – a hectic affair which used to be hosted in Ireland and run by McCann.
This year’s Irish Open JP Poker Masters takes place on April 8. The €550 buy-in tournament starts at 6pm and features a 30-minute clock on Day 1 and 40-minute clock on Day 2. All players get a 30,000 starting stack. You can register right now using Luxon Pay.
As anyone who has ever played the Norwegian Championships knows, things can get a little lively when there’s a predominance of Scandi players – and never more so than when that event is also being held in Ireland. Needless to say, the JP Poker Masters has inherited a great atmosphere.
The first version of the JP Poker Masters at the Irish Open was in 2016. There were 388 entries, with Norwegian Mads Haugan taking it down for €30,658; 47 players – nearly all of them Norwegians – took a share of the €189,150 prize pool. In 2017 Germany’s Bjorn Geissert was the champion after beating Liverpool football legend Jon Arne Riise heads-up.
Riise helped Liverpool to win the 2005 World Cup, scoring in the semi-final against Chelsea and successfully converting his attempt in the penalty shoot-out against West Ham in the final.
In 2018 Jack Sinclair won €29,620 after beating a 303-strong field and in 2019 Jonathan Bowers was the champion, winning €28,164, one of his biggest live cashes. The 2019 tournament attracted a staggering 365 entries generating a €177,935 prize pool. Last year, the title finally went back to an Irishman: Martin Noonan won €27,324 after outlasting the 305-entry field. Again, 39 players shared the prize pool which totalled €148,688.
The JP Poker Masters is one of 11 Championship tournaments at this year’s Irish Open alongside events such as the Heads-Up Championship, Hendon Mob Championship, Ladies Event, Liam Flood Memorial, America’s Cup and Mystery Bounty.
How to register for the 2023 JP Poker Masters on Luxon Pay
1. Sign up to Luxon Pay at luxonpay.com and verify your account.
2. Fund your Luxon Pay account using your preferred deposit method.
3. Select ‘Shop’ from your Luxon Pay wallet, and then select ‘Irish Poker Open’ you will then see a list of all Irish Poker Open tournaments. Click on your desired tournament & buy in.
4. Your buy-in is complete, simply visit the Irish Poker Open registration desk to receive your entry upon arrival.
We highly recommend using Luxon Pay, but if you really don’t want to, then please message us directly via the website contact form.
