Irish Poker Open

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas hold 'em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker.

First organised in 1980 by Terry Rogers, a well known Irish bookmaker,^[1] the event now attracts thousands of players every year and has become a major fixture on the international poker calendar. It is traditionally held over the Easter weekend and prides itself on its friendly atmosphere, wide range of different poker tournaments and the chance for players to have fun, enjoy the craic and sample some of Dublin's legendary hospitality.

After Terry Rogers' death in 1999 the tournament, originally held in Dublin's Eccentric Club, was subsequently hosted by tournament director and poker player Liam Flood and the Merrion Casino.^[2] Paddy Power Poker began sponsorship of the event in 2005 and oversaw a period of huge growth. By 2006 the event, with 339 players, had outgrown the Merrion Casino and was held in Jury's Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin. In 2007 the venue was changed to the Burlington Hotel, Dublin to accommodate the bigger fields, while in 2008 and 2009 the Irish Open venue was Citywest Hotel, Dublin. In 2010 the tournament returned to the Burlington Hotel but numbers were declining, in line with trends and decline in the online poker industry. Liam Flood died in 2014; The Liam Flood Memorial tournament was launched in 2015 and is held in his memory every year.

In 2016, Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann – who both had extensive experience in running major poker tournaments - took over the organisation of the Irish Poker Open. They took the event back to the Citywest Hotel for a week-long festival from March 21 to 28 culminating in a €1,150 buy-in Main Event with a €500k guaranteed prize pool. Their vision for the event was a true festival of poker that would appeal to players of all kinds. Their vision was realised; the first event smashed the €500k guarantee and attracted 802 players, generating a prize pool of over €800k. Dan Wilson won the Main Event for €150,000.

The event was held online for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic but was back as a live event in 2022 and attracted a huge field of 2,040 entries. American-born professional poker player Steve O’Dwyer, who had been living in Dublin for ten years, won the first prize of €318,700 in a stunning display of poker acumen. O’Dwyer bulldozed his way to victory and single-handedly eliminated all eight of his final table opponents. O'Dwyer is immensely proud of his Irish roots and, despite 30 major tournament victories and more than $33 million in live tournament winnings to his name, he said that winning the Irish Open meant more to him than any other tournament.

Steve O’Dwyer also attended the 2023 event but it was Scottish professional David Docherty who won it for a first prize of €365,000. Docherty, who won his seat online on PokerStars, outlasted a record field of 2,491 players. The event was held at the prestigious Royal Dublin Society from April 3–10 ^[3] and sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power with more than 622 players winning their way into the Main Event in online satellites. The 2023 Irish Open was also the launch event for the 2023 season of PokerStars' UK and Ireland Poker Tour and, after a year of successful performances at UKIPT events, Docherty won the tour's Player of the Year contest and £15,000 prize package.

Dates for the 2024 Irish Poker Open have been announced with a total of 35 tournaments taking place at the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin between March 25 and April 1. The 2024 schedule includes a brand new Mini Irish Open tournament with a €200 buy-in and €500,000 guarantee, the largest guarantee for a poker tournament of this buy in level in the history of Ireland.