A ton of fun is in store for Ladies at next year’s Irish Open with not only the traditional €250 Ladies Championship, but two brand new events that promise tons of action.
For the first time, the Irish Open schedule will feature a €1,150 Ladies High Roller Championship and we’ll also be hosting a new tourney called Kings and Queens which will pit men against women in a unique format.
€1,150 Ladies High Roller
The two-day, single-re-entry €1,150 Ladies High Roller is already being warmly welcomed by female players. The tourney, which gets underway on the penultimate day of the festival, features a generous 50,000 starting stack and 30-minute clock.
KerryJane Craigie, PokerStars’ Ambassador for Women in Poker, is thrilled about the new High Roller. She said: “Ladies’ High Rollers give women a platform for growth and comfort – and the change to elevate their game to the next level. It’s a great stepping stone for progressing and playing higher stakes in mixed arenas.
“Since we held the first Ladies High Roller during the PokerStars Women’s Winter Festival at the Hippodrome last year, we have seen an increase throughout 2025. Having a dedicated event at the Irish Open is indicative of the direction women are progressing in. There needs to be more opportunities for women to have milestone tournaments to play as a pathway to higher buy-in mixed arenas.”
Hippodrome Ambassador Lydia Cugudda, who was runner-up in the 2025 Ladies Championship, is also enthusiastic. She said: “So how do I feel about the idea of a women’s High Roller? In a word, excited! Women’s games have come a long way over the years and we need to change gears so we don’t stall progress. I have found that moving up the stakes has helped my game develop and playing against people we perhaps perceive to be better than us is a great way to build confidence. We can then hopefully transition this into the mixed fields.”
Irish Open Ambassador Karen Muir, who will be hosting next year’s Ladies Championship, said: “I do tend to play a lot of £1k events as they tend to have smaller fields but higher prize pools. I know there are still not many ladies at all at this level. I hope having a dedicated Ladies High Roller will give women the confidence to enter these tournaments regularly.”
Kings and Queens
The new Kings and Queens tourney starting on March 29 will also give female players a chance to flaunt their skills – pitting them up against the men in a unique format. The tourney – a true battle of poker royalty – will feature equal numbers of men and women taking part both on Day 1 and on Day 2. Unlike some 50/50 events, there will be no need for men and women to rush around trying to find a “partner.” And it’s also not a team event – just one with balanced numbers of male and female participants. The Ladies’ flight will take place first and the number of female entrants will determine how many can enter the subsequent Men’s flight. See our Kings and Queens story for full details.
Lydia Cugudda has competed in several 50/50s at the Pokerstars Women’s Winter and Summer Festival. She said: “The 50/50s were electric and the Irish Open format is something I’ve not seen before. Hopefully, those men who are always grumbling: “Where’s the men’s only event?” will find themselves sitting at a table which is all men and realise it doesn’t feel any different to what they are used to!! And those that progress to Day 2 will then see what it is that women bring to the game … exactly the same as them but with added fun and laughter!”
€250 Ladies Championship
The prestigious two-day Irish Open Ladies Championship is event is kicking off on Thursday, April 2 with a two-day, €250 buy-in, single re-entry tournament. The event starts at 1pm and features an increased starting stack of 30,000 and a 25-minute clock.
The 2025 Ladies Event attracted 163 entries creating a total prize pool of €34,168. American entertainment lawyer Michelle Skinner won the €6,700 first prize after beating Hippodrome Casino Ambassador Lydia Cugudda in a short but entertaining heads-up battle. It was Skinner’s first visit to the Irish Open, first live tourney victory, first trophy and her biggest cash to date! She said: I loved the event so much – it has a great atmosphere and a lot of people there enjoying themselves. The Craic Den was a particular highlight. My favourite moment was probably playing cash with friends after I’d won the Ladies event – drinking beer and using my trophy as a card protector.”
Paul O’Reilly, co-organiser of the Irish Open, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding the number of dedicated tournaments for women at next year’s event. We believe there are a lot of female players who will relish the chance to compete in a women-only €1k and the feedback so far has been really positive. We’re also really looking forward to the new Kings and Queens tournament! I imagine that one is going to get very tense indeed if the women start pulling ahead on Day 2. Going to be exciting!”
