2025 Irish Poker Open Sets to Break All Records

Time is flying by, and it’s soon time for one of the biggest highlights on the live poker calendar. Of course, we’re talking about the Irish Poker Open.

This Irish Poker Open was first held in 1980. Colette Doherty—who sadly passed away in February 2025—won the inaugural tournament. Since then, the Irish Poker Open has grown bigger and bigger, and it was voted the best stand-alone Festival at the 2025 GPI Awards.

The 2025 Irish Poker Open seeks to break all previous records, and the schedule offers a lot to look forward to. Let’s dissect the schedule and pinpoint some of the best tournaments.

• Read more: Irish Poker Legend Colette Doherty Has Passed Away
• Read more: The Legacy of the Irish Poker Open: More Than Four Decades of Poker Excellence

€2,500,000 Guarantee in the Main Event

The 2025 Irish Poker Open will be played April 10-21, and just like the last couple of years, it’s the Royal Dublin Society that will be filled with green, oval poker tables. PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker are the sponsor partners of the event, and it’s a fact that the Irish Poker Open has grown to become one of the biggest live poker events of all time. Their GPI Awards win was most certainly well deserved.

With roughly 70 unique events on the schedule (you will find the full schedule at the bottom), there’s no doubt there’ll be immense action in Ireland this April. What will receive the most attention is, of course, the €1,150 Main Event. With a whopping €2,500,000 guarantee, the winner can expect life-changing money. Such was the case of the 2024 Main Event winner Tero Laurila, who navigated through a field of 3,233 entries before he was rewarded with €292,735.

• Read more: Laurila Triumphs at the Historic 2024 Irish Open in Dublin

This year, there are five Day 1 flights, and players can do a single re-entry per flight. It’s not possible to buy in from Day 2 and onwards; one must advance from any of the initial flights in order to advance.

Qualify for the 2025 Irish Poker Open

The number of entries in the 2024 Irish Poker Open Main Event was sky-high, and many players secured their seats at the table through online satellites. The opportunities to qualify for the 2025 Irish Poker Open are many, and sub-satellites are running from as little as €0,25.

Players can qualify through all sites connected within the iPoker network (ChampionPoker, RedStar Poker, bet365, Betsson, Betfair, or Betsafe). From your preferred iPoker client lobby, you’ll be able to find €50 seat-only satellites, as well as €150 package satellites valued at €2,250 a package. It’s also possible to qualify for the €250 Mini Main Event for as little as €10.

The aforementioned €2,250 package includes the Main Event buy-in, as well as €1,100 for travel expenses. The sub-satellites start from as little as €0,25, so players have great opportunities to qualify for the poker adventure of a lifetime for a very cheap buck.

1

€365 Welcome Bonus + Free Tickets

Sign-up for the best bet365 deal!

4.3

Play Now Read Review

New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply

Of course, players can also qualify for various tournaments on-site in Dublin during the Irish Poker Open; there are several Main Event satellites to be found in the schedule, with five seats guaranteed.

More Gems in the Schedule

Co-owner of the Irish Poker Open, JP McCann, is beyond excited for this year’s event, and he reveals that the Irish Poker Open is reaching new heights this year:

“The 2025 Irish Poker Open is set to be the biggest and most exciting yet! With new tournaments like the €1 million Mystery Bounty, a new High Roller Series, along with a fantastic Mixed Game Series for the first time ever, it’s going to be a poker festival like no other. On top of that, we have a €1,000,000 GTD Mini Main event for just €250 entry!
Plus, we’ve got incredible entertainment lined up off the tables, ensuring this year’s Irish Open will be an unforgettable experience for everyone.”

The aforementioned €250 Mini Main Event was the biggest tournament of the 2024 Irish Poker Open in terms of entries; 5,320 entries created a total prize pool of €881,790, with the biggest slice of the cake – €43,300 – going to Joseph Carey. This year, there are 13 Day 1 flights, and on the contrary of the Main Event, Unlimited Re-entry applies. The Mini Irish Open holds a €1,000,000 guarantee, and presumably, this year’s edition will be even bigger.

Last year, the €5,000 High Roller received a lot of media attention as Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot was the one to lift the trophy and collect a hefty €134,279 pay-check. The field was a who’s who of respected, merited poker players with names such as Bert “Girafganger” Stevens, Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, Dominik Nietzsche, and Fintan “EasyWithAces” Hand in the competition. Another star-spangled line-up is to be expected this year as well.

Then, there’s also the €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty. We’ve said it before: Mystery Bounty is an exceptional live poker tournament format, and with a €1,000,000 guarantee, it’s only fitting that this event will kick off the 2025 Irish Poker Open. There are four Day 1 flights, and the tournament is a four-day event that will finish on Tuesday, April 15.

This would turn into a smaller book if we were to hype up every event in the schedule. With other tournaments such as the €350 Mixed 8-Game Championship, the €5,000 PLO High Roller Mystery Bounty, the €350 Deuce-to-seven Triple Draw Championship, and the €350 Liam Flood Memorial, there’s no doubt the tournament schedule is like a glorified continental breakfast that offers everything you can dream about.

The masterminds behind the Irish Poker Open – Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann – work day and night to elevate the event, making it better and better every year. The numbers speak for themselves, and undoubtedly, the 2025 Irish Poker Open will go down in history as an extraordinary event. Bring it on!

2025 Irish Poker Open Full Schedule

1

200% up to €200 Welcome Bonus

Sign-up for the best betfair deal!

4.0

Play Now Read Review

New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply