Predicting a record-breaker
Mark my words. In exactly ten days time, The Irish Poker Open Main Event begins and it is going to be the second largest €1000 ($1097) tournament in Europe in 2025. The €2.5m ($2.7m) guarantee is going to be absolutely obliterated and there will actually be a prizepool generated well in excess of €4m ($4.4m). Players will flock from every county in Ireland, every country in Europe and all over the world for what will be a record-breaking festival of poker on the Emerald Isle.
most of those venues succumbed to capacity issues as the event grew in stature
The Irish Poker Open has gone from strength to strength since moving to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) but there was a time when the Eccentric Club, the Merrion Casino, The Ballsbridge Hotel, the Burlington Hotel, the Citywest Hotel, and even PartyPoker were its home. Down the years, most of those venues succumbed to capacity issues as the event grew in stature and reputation.
In 2003, the Irish Poker Open Main Event attracted over 100 entrants and a six-figure prizepool for the first time. Undoubtedly, a beneficiary of the poker boom, by 2006, the prizepool was seven figures. As the fields grew, so too did the price of admission. In 2008, PaddyPower put up an aggressive €3m ($3.3m) guarantee for a €4500 ($4939) buy-in and Neil Channing walked away with a record first prize of €801,400 ($879,726). Perhaps nobody will ever walk away from the Irish Poker Open with a bigger cheque but, last year, that prizepool was finally eclipsed as the 3,233 entrants competed for a share of €3,152,175 ($3,460,259).
Troubled waters
It was not all smooth sailing for the Irish Poker Open. After a period of economic decline in Ireland post-2008, the tournament struggled with diminishing numbers and an identity crisis of sorts. It had been a major event with a major event price-tag but it just wasn’t possible to attract players at that price point anymore.
For a few years, the Irish Open Main Event fell between stools, choosing a €2000-€2500 ($2195-$2744) buy-in that was not enough to attract overseas interest nor affordable enough for the majority of the Irish market. Then, after a lack-lustre damp squib of a tournament in 2015, it lost its long time sponsor PaddyPower.
the future for Ireland’s iconic poker festival and the oldest tournament in Europe looked bleak
The powerhouse Irish gambling brand had been a tremendous supporter of the event historically but it was in the process of downsizing its poker team and turning the game into a minimal viable product on its platform. Combined with the passing of its owner Liam Flood, the ship seemed rudderless and the future for Ireland’s iconic poker festival and the oldest tournament in Europe looked bleak.
The rebrand
Enter veteran poker operators JP McCann and Paul O’Reilly who took over The Irish Poker Open in 2016. They moved it from the Burlington Hotel to the Citywest Hotel and created a bumper-festival by pairing it with the massively successful Norwegian Poker Championships. The Main Event was rebranded as a €1150 ($1262) buy-in unlimited re-entry tournament.
The lower price-point and multi-entry aspects risked turning the tournament into a less prestigious event but McCann and O’Reilly believed that this was the way to attract big numbers of players. That year, Irishman Dan Wilson outlasted the biggest field but won the smallest first prize since 2005. The jury was still out as to whether this change of direction was for the better.
In 2017, the Irish Poker Open got over a thousand entrants for the first time as Canada’s Griffin Benger overcame a field of 1120 to win €200,000 ($219,547). In 2018, the UK’s Ryan Mandara got €250,000 ($274,434) for being the last person standing from 1340 entrants. In 2019, Ireland’s Weijie Zheng took €300,000 ($329,321) and the title versus a field of 1807.
Proof in the pudding
Two years of pandemic lockdowns then forced the tournament onto the online felt but, since its return, it has showed no sign of slowing. In 2022, there were 2040 entrants and it was won by highstakes legend Steve O’Dwyer for €318,700 ($353,391). In 2023, PaddyPower renewed their support alongside its Flutter-cousin Pokerstars. That helped propel the numbers to 2491 in the first RDS version, the record field eventually whittled down to Scotland’s David Docherty who took home €365,000 ($404,730). In 2024, 3232 players were no match for Finland’s Tero Laurila who won €292,685 ($324,544) and the trophy.
no doubt now that the gamble by McCann and O’Reilly has well and truly paid off
There can be no doubt now that the gamble by McCann and O’Reilly has well and truly paid off and, back in February, the pair deservedly accepted the GPI Global Poker Award for Best Stand Alone Festival Series. (Some say Paul is still in the PokerGo studio doing his speech.) The proof has been most certainly in the pudding and, as I write this, the stage is literally being set for The 2025 Irish Poker Open.
The buzz around the event is undeniable, evidenced by the uptake on satellites which have been running on Pokerstars and PaddyPower for months. In fact, the smart money is on it being the tournament with the most online qualifiers in history. For that reason, I am willing to stake my reputation as a field-size prognosticator that this year’s Irish Poker Open Main Event will get between 4200 and 4500 entries.
