The busy opening days of the Irish Open at the Royal Dublin Society were an indicator of what was to follow, yet the new attendance record of the 2024 Irish Open €1,150 Main Event is still exceptional. Each of the four starting days surpassed the figures of the previous year with Day 1a in particular attracting a massive field of 1,459 entries, by far the most ever in a single starting flight at the Irish Open and more than the total field size of any edition up until 2018!
One year ago, 2,419 total entries made for an impressive figure but that was obliterated just one year later. More than 800 players had won their entry to Ireland’s poker event of the year via PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker. The end result was stunning: Across four starting days, 3,233 entries made for a prize pool of €3,152,175 to more than triple the initial guarantee. Some 743 players survived their respective flight and 14 levels to return for Day 2 at 12pm local time today.
Let’s have a look at the figures for each Day 1
Day 1a: 379 entries / 72 players advanced
Day 1b: 833 entries / 169 players advanced
Day 1c: 1,459 entries / 319 players advanced
Day 1d: 562 entries / 185 players advanced
The initial €1,000,000 guarantee was already surpassed after the first two starting days, yet Day 1c more than doubled that figure before the final turbo heat with 20 minute-levels attracted another very solid turnout.
All players who bagged and tagged chips will return for level 15 at noon, which features blinds of 2,000-4,000 and a big blind ante of 4,000. The prize pool information will be released prior to the restart and all survivors then know what they need to aim for. No longer in contention is defending champion David Docherty, who was eliminated on Day 1c. Likewise, the 2013 Irish Open winner Ian Simpson failed to advance to Day 2 as well.
As of Day 2, the level duration increases to 60 minutes each and at least eight levels are expected to be played today. Big stacks heading into the day belong to Henk Pol (426,500), Simon Maher (415,000), and Samuel Goodman (411,500), all of which topped the leaderboard on Day 1c. Glenn Keogh is the best-placed Irish contender in fourth place with 393,000.
Team PokerStars will be represented by Fintan Hand (252,000), Georgina “GJReggie” James (173,500), Benjamin Spragg (105,000), Sebastian Huber (85,000), Felix Schneiders (66,500), Marle Spragg (52,000), and Parker Talbot (34,000) to name a few of those wearing the red spade patch. Paddy Power sponsored pro Conor O’Driscoll returns with 88,000 in chips.
If you want to check out the live stream action, head over to the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channel or follow the live updates on PokerNews.
For everyone that didn’t make it through, there are still plenty of other events to compete in and scoop one of the Irish Open trophies. Let’s have a look at today’s schedule:
- €200 Mini Irish Open Championship Event Day 1E at 11 am
- €1,150 Irish Open Main Event Day 2 at noon
- €650 Milestone Satellite to €3,000 High Roller at 1pm
- €550 JP Poker Masters Championship Event Day 1 at 2pm
- €3,000 Irish Open High Roller 8-Max Championship Event Day 1 at 4pm
- €200 Mini Irish Open Championship Event Day 1E at 6pm
- €1,100 PLO Mystery Bounty Day 1 at 8pm
Two flights of the bargain €200 Mini Irish Open Championship give recreational players a chance to join the action. Ten levels of late registration with a clock of 20 minutes are available, and each of the starting days plays down to the money.
The €550 JP Poker Masters Championship features 30-minute levels and a single re-entry is available during the first eight levels. Day 1 of this two-day competition will play a total of 18 levels and determine a champion tomorrow.
One of the more expensive tournaments on the schedule kicks off two hours later at 4pm local time in the large poker arena at Royal Dublin Society. With a price tag of €3,000, the Irish Open High Roller 8-Max Championship Event is geared more towards to the professional poker players who didn’t run well in the Main Event. All levels last 40 minutes each and eleven of them are scheduled for today. An elevated starting stack of 50,000 gives plenty of wiggle room to make some moves, unlimited re-entries are available in the first ten levels.
Another flight of the €200 Mini Irish Open Championship follows at 6pm local time and follows the same procedure as all flights prior. Last but not least, one of the more fun events on the schedule concludes the festivities for today.
Four cards mean more fun by default, so why not put Mystery Bounties on top of that? That’s what Event #28 €1,100 PLO Mystery Bounty is about. Reaching the final day tomorrow when the random cash boosts are up for grabs for each knockout is the main goal for today. Of each entry, €500 go to the cash pool and €500 are allocated for the Mystery Bounty pool. The registration is open for all 10 levels of 30 minutes each and all participants receive 30,000 in chips.
As you can see, there are plenty of tournaments to jump in for today in case the Easter Egg search on a shiny Saturday in Dublin ends early. There will be plenty of craic and Guinness too, as well as cash games if tournaments aren’t your thing.
