The Irish Poker Open Goes Global
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As you’re reading this, the Irish Open is having one of its best seasons to date at the Craic. The second week of the tournament brought us another batch of high rollers, out-of-the-box events and one announcement none of us expected: the Irish Poker Open (IPO) is going global. In an official announcement that came Friday night, the organizers unveiled three international destinations the IPO will be visiting in the 2026/27 season.
Here’s what we know so far.
From the Craic to Across the Globe
Currently in its 46th season, the Irish Open is one of the staples of European poker. Year in, it draws in players to Dublin from every corner of the globe, with the 2025 edition recording participants from over 80 countries. If you go off just this date, the expansion shouldn’t come as a shock and the organizers are well aware.
Even though they know Irish hospitality and the Craic Den are much of the reason for their numbers increasing year after year, they also know the IPO is first and foremost, an international affair:
The Irish Open has been held in Dublin since 1980 – it’s the oldest No Limit Hold’em event in Europe. But the game itself came from America – introduced by Terry Rogers after he met Benny Binion in Vegas – so being “international” is in our DNA. We are also passionate about innovation so exporting the brand – taking the Irish Open global – is a very logical next step.
It’s also a step that’s been in the works for some time, as co-owner JP McCann added:
The Irish Open Internationals is something I’ve been developing for several years, and with our 50th anniversary on the horizon in 2030, the plan is to expand worldwide.
The organizers hand picked three stops as the starting point of their international journey: Australia, Marrakech and the United States. Here is how that’s going to look:
| Location | Venue | Date | Duration | Main Event Buy-in | Main Event Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Australia | Poker Palace | 6–15 September 2026 | 10 days | $2,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Marrakech, Morocco | Casino de Marrakech | 10–15 November 2026 | 6 days | €1,150 | €500,000 |
| United States | – | 2027 | – | – | – |
As you can see, it all begins in Sydney, Australia at the end of summer, with ten days of competition and $1,000,000 guaranteed for the Main Event. The tour will then go back up north to Marrakech, Morocco, where a six day event will see players compete for half that guarantee in the Main. As far as the US goes, the IPO is keeping that part under wraps for now, with the promise of more information to come as the 2027 season draws nearer.
With several month to go before the Irish Poker Open makes its first international stop, we’ll leave you with a teaser of what’s to come:
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