With 35 different tournaments on the schedule and a full roster of entertainment planned for the bars and lounge, players at this year’s Irish Open are set for a fabulous week in Dublin.
The Irish Poker Open is the longest-running No Limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament in Europe and is taking place this year from March 25 to April 1 at the Royal Dublin Society.
This year’s highlights include the €500k guaranteed Mini Irish Open. With a buy-in of just €200, the tournament is set to make Irish poker history as the biggest guaranteed low-buy in event Ireland has ever seen. The number of Mystery Bounty events has also doubled and includes two brand new PLO events. Furthermore, all next year’s side events have been given new structures with four more blind levels added and starting stacks increased for many events.
A whole new dedicated cash game area is also being created with nearly 50 tables running 24/7, its own bar and a new automated registration system.
The Mini Irish Open (Event 2) – starting Monday, March 25
This year’s festival gets off to a cracking start with Day 1a of the Mini Irish Open on Monday, March 25. Last year’s event was already a record-breaker but the massive €500k guaranteed prize pool for this year’s event – coupled with unlimited re-entries and nine different starting flights – is set to create a gigantic field. There are start days for the Mini Irish Open throughout the week giving players plenty of chances to get involved whatever else they’ve got planned. The last Day 1s are on Sunday, March 31 with three starting flights: Day 1G at 11am, Day 1h at 3pm and a final Day 1i turbo at 8pm. The Mini Irish Open final takes place on the very last day of the festival on Monday, April 1, starting at noon and running alongside the final of the Main Event.
The €1 million guaranteed Main Event (Event 11) – starts Wednesday, March 27
The €1,150 buy-in Main Event is a €1 million guaranteed extravaganza running over six days and starting on Wednesday, March 27. Once again, Irish Open sponsors PokerStars and Paddy Power are offering hundreds of opportunities for players all over the world to qualify in online satellites. There are four single-re-entry start flights, running Wednesday, March 27 to March 29, with the final taking place on Monday, April 1.
Last year’s record-breaking Main Event attracted a total of 2,491 entries creating a guarantee-busting €2,428,725 prize pool. More than 620 players won their seats online including champion David Docherty who qualified for just €109 and won €365,000.
Heads-up Championship (Event 5) – starts Tuesday, March 26
The €350 Irish Open Heads-up Championship is always a sell-out so you definitely need to register in advance for this one! The easiest way to secure your seat is buying in via Luxon Pay however if you don’t have a Luxon account, please email info@ipo.sita-dev.com. The four Round 1s and the quarter-final are all on Tuesday, March 26 (starting with Round 1 at noon) with the semi-final and final taking place the following day on Wednesday, March 27. The event is capped at 64 players. Michael Kane was last year’s champion, snagging €6,145 and his first Irish Open trophy after beating Austria’s Alex Moser in the final.
€250 Ladies Championship (Event 18) – takes place Wednesday, March 27
This year’s Ladies Championship on March 27 is set to be a fiercely contested match. Friend of the Irish Open Elizabeth Bennett-Martin won last year’s tournament for €3,690 after beating the UK’s Michelle Bricknell heads-up. Elizabeth, who will be arriving in Dublin buoyed by her best year in poker yet, is determined to defend her title and – as she told us in a recent interview – has been massively upping her game since her 2023 victory. The Ladies event is one of the consistent fixtures on the Irish Open schedule and always attracts a substantial and stellar field.
The €250 “THMC” The Hendon Mob Championship (Event 6) – takes place Tuesday, March 26
The Hendon Mob Championship is another Irish Open regular feature and a definite player favourite – thanks to the tournament’s association with the world-renowned Hendon Mob database and the original Hendon Mob gang. Last year, Stephen Lardner won €16,720 after beating Daniel Smith heads-up. The tournament attracted a massive field of 400 entries setting a record for The Hendon Mob Championship in Dublin. Among those who competed were EPTLive commentator Joe “Stapes” Stapleton, who had a bounty on his head, and PokerStars Ambassadors Benjamin Spragg and Georgina “GJReggie” James. This year’s €250 buy-in Hold’em event is taking place on Tuesday, March 26.
€350 America’s Cup Championship (Event 13) – takes place Wednesday, March 27
The idea for the America’s Cup was a good one: with so many Americans and Canadians making the journey to Dublin every year, why not host a special tournament just for them? However right from the start the tournament was swamped with players from all over the globe. This year’s Irish Open America’s Cup takes place on Wednesday, March 27, starting at 2pm. Last year Italy’s Alessandro Pichierri won €18,035 after outlasting a massive field of 298 entries. Hats off to Marty Gorenc from Reno who was the only player from the Americas to make the final; he finished third for €8,780.
€3k High Roller and €5k Luxon Pay High Roller (Events 8 & 27)
This year the Irish Open is hosting a mini-smorgasbord of two-day High Rollers: a €5k tournament starting on March 26 sponsored by Luxon Pay and a €3k event four days later on March 30. The history of High Rollers at the Irish Open is a history of the event itself. For years, the Main Event buy-in was €3,500 and there was rarely a High Roller on the schedule. However, when JP McCann and Paul O’Reilly took over the running of the Irish Open in 2016, they substantially reduced the Main Event buy-in leaving the arena wide open for a High Roller (or two). Numbers have soared ever since.
Last year Benny Glaser won the €5k Luxon Pay Championship High Roller to scoop a trophy and €106,980 first prize after beating former EPT Prague champion Roberto Romanello heads-up. He has since had a phenomenal year – including winning a record-breaking seven titles during PokerStars’ online WCOOP festival. There were 84 entries in last year’s €5k creating a €389,025 prize pool. In the €3k, Cosmin Chis outlasted a 168-entry field to take €106,640 home to Romania. The total prize pool was €458,640.
€550 JP Poker Masters Championship (Event 26) – starting Saturday, March 30
The €550 JP Poker Masters is another fan favourite at the Irish Open and always attracts HUGE fields. Last year’s event attracted 347 entries with Gerry Walsh taking it down for €23,418. Walsh’s victory – his biggest live cash – came after a five-way ICM deal which then morphed into a three-handed deal. The total prize pool was €155,883.
Mystery Bounty extravaganza (Event 4, 20, 28 & 29) – March 25, 28, 30 & 31
The Mystery Bounty event made its Irish Open debut in 2022 and was an instant hit with players. Last year, we had doubled thenumber of Mystery Bounties and THIS year, we’re doubling it again. We have two brand new PLO events and also laying on a €550 NLH event. The bounty action gets underway on the very first day of the festival with a €550 PLO event. On March 28, it’s a €550 buy-in tourney for NLH fans. On March 30, Event 28 is Day 1 of a two-day €1,100 PLO 8-max tournament and the following day is Day 1 of a two-day €1,100 NLH 8-max tournament.
How to register for 2024 tournaments online
- Sign up to Luxon Pay and verify your account.
- Fund your Luxon Pay account using your preferred deposit method.
- Select ‘Shop’ from your Luxon Pay wallet, and then select ‘Irish Poker Open’. You will then see a list of all the Irish Poker Open tournaments. Click on your desired tournament & buy-in.
- Your buy-in is complete, simply visit the Irish Poker Open registration desk to receive your entry upon arrival.
