Irish Poker Open
Few live poker events have been around for as long as the Irish Poker Open. In fact, it’s the oldest re-occurring Texas No Limit Hold ‘Em tournament ever outside of Las Vegas. With the first event edition held 1980, the Irish Poker Open has a very noble history as the number of players speaks for itself.
Irish Poker Open – A Brief History
It was a different time back in 1980 when the Irish Poker Open first started. Irish bookmaker and overall legend Terry Rogers organized the first ever event and Colette Doherty won it. However, the real breakthrough for the Irish Open came in 1984 when 25 Americans (who Rogers had befriended during his WSOP trip in 1979) travelled to Ireland with the purpose of partaking in the poker tournament. There were a lot of big names amongst the Americans, such as Stu Ungar, Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson. Tony Burne won the tournament and it was evidential that the Irish Open was growing.
When Rogers passed away in 1999, Liam Flood took over the Irish Poker Open with one clear mission: make this live event one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. During his years as the man behind the tournament, he increased the numbers of participators by an average 600.
Fast forward to 2017. This was the first year the Irish Poker Open reached four digits in terms of participators, and they haven’t dropped under 1 000 since. There were very few times since 2006 that the total prize pool has been lower than €1 000 000. Since 2016, the Irish Open has been embossed by the Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann poker philosophy, and these men have proven to be the right duo for the job. One of their first orders of business was to lower the then existing €3 200 back down to €1 150, which was surely a crucial factor in increasing the amount of players travelling to Dublin.
During the years, some big names have joined the Irish Open Poker Winner’s Cub. For example, in 2022 legendary poker player Steve O’Dwyer conquered over 2 040 players and won €318 700. Considering O’Dwyer is American-Irish, this almost felt like win on domestic soil for the EPT-legend.
Last year, online qualifier David Docherty won the event for €365 000. This was the second biggest Irish Poker Open every with 2 491 entrants and a €2 428 725 prize pool.
Historically, the event has been held at various locations in Dublin. It started out at the Eccentric Club that Rogers owned. Merrion Casino, Killiney Castle, the Burlington Hotel, Jury’s and Citywest are all venues that have rolled out the red carpet for the event at least once. In 2023, the event was played at the Royal Dublin Society for the first time, and the event is returning to “RDS” in 2026.
Irish Poker Open 2026
This year, the Irish Poker Open will be played at the Royal Dublin Society, March 26 to April 6. During the week there are many tournaments to choose from, such as Luxon Mystery Bounty, Super Seniors Championship, Mixed 8-Game Championship High Roller and many, many more.
Just like in 2024, the buy-ins are starting from €115 and going all the way up to €5 000; so, there are surely tournaments for all live poker enthusiasts in the Irish Poker Open schedule.
Then of course, it’s also the well-coveted Main Event. The tournament everybody wants to win. In 2026, the Irish Open Main Event has a promised €2,500,000 GTD and €1,150 buy-in. With those kind of numbers, we can safely say it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event. The starting chip stack is 50,000 this time and the levels on Day 1 are 45 minutes long and then move to 60 minute from Day 2 onwards.
Just like last year, the Irish Open has some recommendations regarding your stay on the Emerald Isle. The organizers suggest the Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge, the Herbert Park Hotel, the Intercontinental Hotel, and the Sandymount Hotel.
There’s no doubt that the Irish Open will be the highlight of Irish poker in 2026. If you’d like a sneak peak into the action, check out the Complete Irish Poker Open 2026 Schedule.
Qualify for the Irish Poker Open
To give players the chance to qualify online, the Irish Poker Open has partnered up with PokerStars and PaddyPower Poker again for 2026.
The PokerStars qualifier for the Irish Open guarantees no less than 20 seats a week. Right now, satellites with feeders are now live in the lobby daily,
On PaddyPower Poker, there are satellites, each with three guaranteed Main Event seats on these upcoming dates 28th of September, 26th of October, and 30th of November. Each of the satellites has a €100 buy-in.
The iPoker Network was also a go-to site for online qualifiers in 2025 and we don’t doubt they’ll return for 2026.
Buy-In for the Irish Poker Open
There are a few methods to choose from when buying into the Irish Poker Open. Cash, credit and debit cards, as well as PokerStars and PaddyPower account are acceptable means of payments. The most preferred method however is LuxonPay. The Irish Open has been partner with LuxonPay for a couple of years now and it’s a smooth tool for the purpose of buying in to live poker tournaments. Players can buy tickets for tournaments on the Irish Poker Open website and the payment will be processed through LuxonPay.
What’s awesome about LuxonPay is that the players can then get the payout back to their LuxonPay wallet. The Irish Open-LuxonPay collaboration is a good one, considering all players who buy in through the website/LuxonPay will be automatically entered into a draw to receive their €1 150 Main Event entry fee back!
Irish Poker Open – All Main Event Winners
| Event | Winner | Payout | Total Prize Pool | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Poker Open 2025 |  Simon Wilson | €600,000 | €4,447,950 | 4,562 |
| Irish Poker Open 2024 |  Tero Laurila | €292,685 | €3,152,175 | 3,233 |
| Irish Poker Open 2023 | David Docherty | €365,000 | €2,428,725 | 2,491 |
| Irish Poker Open 2022 |  Steve O’Dwyer | €318,700 | €1,989,000 | 2,040 |
| Irish Poker Open 2020 |  Pavel Veksler | €265,999 | €1,880,000 | 1,880 |
| Irish Poker Open 2020 |  Pablo Silva | €462,100 | €2,945,000 | 2,945 |
| Irish Poker Open 2019 | Weijie Zheng | €300,000 | €1,805,870 | 1,807 |
| Irish Poker Open 2018 |  Ryan Mandara | €250,000 | €1,347,164 | 1,340 |
| Irish Poker Open 2017 |  Griffin Benger | €200,000 | €1,128,295 | 1,120 |
| Irish Poker Open 2016 | Dan Wilson | €150,000 | €801,500 | 802 |
| Irish Poker Open 2015 |  Ioannis Triantafyllakis | €200,000 | €1,027,000 | 321 |
| Irish Poker Open 2014 | Patrick Clarke | €200,000 | €822,000 | 411 |
| Irish Poker Open 2013 | Ian Simpson | €265,000 | €1,010,000 | 505 |
| Irish Poker Open 2012 |  Kevin Vandersmissen | €420,000 | €1,606,400 | 502 |
| Irish Poker Open 2011 | Niall Smyth | €550,000 | €1,968,000 | 615 |
| Irish Poker Open 2010 | James Mitchell | €600,000 | €2,265,200 | 708 |
| Irish Poker Open 2009 |  Christer Johansson | €600,000 | €2,240,000 | 700 |
| Irish Poker Open 2008 | Neil Channing | €801,000 | €3,000,000 | 667 |
| Irish Poker Open 2007 | Marty Smyth | €650,000 | €2,336,500 | 708 |
| Irish Poker Open 2006 | Vincent Melinn | €350,000 | €1,068,000 | 356 |
| Irish Poker Open 2005 | John Falconer | €146,000 | €368,000 | 174 |
| Irish Poker Open 2004 | Ivan Donaghy | €65,800 | €170,500 | 107 |
| Irish Poker Open 2003 | Joe Beevers | €50,375 | €126,000 | 104 |
| Irish Poker Open 2002 | Nick Beirne | €19,800 | €46,192 | 66 |
| Irish Poker Open 2001 | Jenny Hegarty | £28,045 | £68,400 | 92 |
| Irish Poker Open 2000 | Alan Betson | £22,140 | £20,250 | 79 |
| Irish Poker Open 1999 | Liam Barker | £19,065 | £46,500 | 76 |
| Irish Poker Open 1998 | Mickey Finn | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1997 | ||||
| Irish Poker Open 1996 | Liam Flood | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1995 | Charlie Power | £2,500 | £4,000 | 44 |
| Irish Poker Open 1994 | Mickey Finn | £15,000 | £30,000 | 39 |
| Irish Poker Open 1993 | Christy Smith | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1992 | ||||
| Irish Poker Open 1991 | Colette Doherty | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1990 | Liam Flood | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1989 | Noel Furlong | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1988 | Jimmy Langan | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1987 | Noel Furlong | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1986 | Bryan McCarthy | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1985 | Irene Tier | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1984 | Tony Byrne | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1983 | Jimmy Langan | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1982 | Frank Conway | |||
| Irish Poker Open 1981 | Sean Kelly | £13,600 | ||
| Irish Poker Open 1980 | Colette Doherty |
Irish Poker Open FAQs
What is Irish Poker Open?
Irish Poker Open is the oldest running Texas No Limit Hold ‘Em poker tournament in Europe. The tournament was played for the first time in 1980.
Where is Irish Poker Open played?
Irish Poker Open 2026 will be played at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) in Dublin. Historically, the event has been played at various venues in Dublin.
What is the Buy-In for the Irish Open Main Event?
The Buy-in for the Irish Poker Open 2025 Main Event is €1 150. In 2025, David Docherty got €600,000 for winning the tournament.
How can I qualify to Irish Poker Open?
You can qualify for the Irish Poker Open online through PokerStars, PaddyPower Poker, as well as all poker clients that are connected to the iPoker network.
What is Power Path?
PowerPath is a PokerStars promotion through which players can win packages to live poker events. Players can win either bronze-, silver- or gold passes through the Power Path.
