PokerStars has launched a colossal schedule of satellites for next year’s €1 million guaranteed Irish Open Main Event, starting December 17 and running right up to Sunday, March 24, just before the festival kicks off on March 25.
A total of 350 players qualified for this year’s event on PokerStars including champion David Docherty who won €365,000 after snagging his €1,150 entry in a €109 qualifier.
Among the first players to win a PokerStars satellite was Nick Newport, a serial qualifier who has already urged would-be entrants to play the online satellites. He has been playing the satellites on Paddy Power since they started in early November and was first through the gate when satellites started on PokerStars last Sunday. He said: “It just makes sense to play satellites! They tend to be a little bit softer than regular tournaments and it’s a great way to get into bigger buy-in tournaments for cheap.”
The PokerStars qualifiers guarantee that hundreds of players will win seats or packages to next year’s Irish Open which is taking place March 25 to April 1 at the historic Royal Dublin Society. PokerStars is hosting weekly qualifiers at €109 – with up to six seats guaranteed on Christmas Eve – and feeder satellites costing €1.10, €5.50, €11 and €16.50. PokerStars is also offering “free buy” satellites offering a free entry for the first bullet, followed by micro stakes rebuys (€0.11) and add-ons after that.
Ramping up the satellite schedule
From Christmas Day onwards, there will be 20 Irish Open seats guaranteed every single week: four ‘seat only’ satellites on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays plus qualifiers every Sunday guaranteeing eight ‘seat and expenses’ packages. As the event draws nearer, PokerStars will be ramping up the schedule still further with two consecutive “16 seats guaranteed” mega satellites on Sunday, March 10, and Sunday, March 17.
Players can win multiple tickets for the Main Event. The first ticket is a MUST play but all further tickets will be credited as ‘players choice’ tickets and can be used in various ways – including as re-entries for the Main Event or combined to be used for one of the bigger buy-in events. Irish Open Power Path silver passes will also be available to be redeemed in late December. Satellites are running on PokerStars.com plus regional sites PokerStars.it, .fr and .es.
The partnership with Paddy Power and PokerStars will also see both brands promote the event extensively and, as in 2023, the tournament will be live-streamed on PokerStars and Paddy Power platforms.
Cedric Billot, Associate Director of Live Events, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Irish Open in 2024. Players loved the 2023 Irish Open, with plenty of action at the tables and a great time for everyone, and they have come up with some innovations for the 2024 edition, including a great €200 event with a €500,000 guarantee. We hope to see many players from all over the world come and experience the Irish Open and discover the great city of Dublin.”
Event organiser Paul O’Reilly said: “Last year the Irish Open broke all records and that’s certainly down to our amazing partnership with PokerStars and Paddy Power. A total of 350 players qualified on PokerStars for 2023 – the highest number of players that PokerStars has ever qualified for a partner event. PokerStars offers players so many options, with a great mix of seat-only and full prize packages running several times a week. Last year’s winner David Docherty won his ticket online on PokerStars for $109 and turned that into a huge €365,000 first prize so it definitely pays to try to win your way into the event and experience the Irish Open craic.”
Breaking records
This 2023 festival attracted record-breaking fields in almost every tournament. The 2024 event will be the 40th live edition of the Irish Open which is the longest-running No Limit poker tournament in Europe. As well as the €1,150 Main Event, next year’s schedule also includes the Mini Irish Open. This ground-breaking event only costs €200 to enter but guarantees a whopping €500k prize pool – the largest guarantee for a buy-in of this size in Irish poker history. Click here for the full 2024 schedule.
