Entertainment Returns as the Craic Continues at the 2025 Irish Poker Open
After a much-anticipated return, the 2025 Irish Poker Open is back and in full swing. While the series boasts a packed schedule of standard and mixed game tournaments, that’s far from all it has to offer. The Irish Open is a truly unique stop on the poker calendar thanks to its daily lineup of entertainment and side events—making it as much about the craic as the cards.
From darts and shuffleboard to beer pong and beyond, there’s always something happening off the felt. Below is the full list of events taking place today, April 16th.
| Time | Tournament | Buy-In | Chips | Late-Reg | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | Satellite to Irish Open Main Event – Milestone 50K – Unlimited Re-Entry – 5 Seats Guaranteed – SEAT ONLY | €255 | 10,000 | 14:00 | 20 mins |
| 12:00 | Irish Open Main Event – Single Re Entry per Flight – €2,500,000 GTD Day 1/B | €1,150 | 50,000 | – | 45 mins |
| 12:00 | Irish Open NLH Heads-Up Championship Event – 1/4 Final | €350 | 25,000 | – | 20/60 mins |
| 12:00 | The Hendon Mob Championship “THMC”- Single Re-Entry Final | €350 | 30,000 | – | 30 mins |
| 12:00 | PLO 8-Max – Unlimited Re-Entry Final | €1,150 | 50,000 | – | 30 mins |
| 12:00 | OFC Championship- Unlimited Re-Entries | €350 | 30,000 | 16:20 | 30 mins |
| 13:00 | NLH High Roller 8-Max – Unlimited Re-Entry Final | €5,000 | 50,000 | – | 40 mins |
| 13:00 | Satellite to NLH Super High Roller – Milestone 200K – Unlimited Re-Entry – 1 Seats Guaranteed – SEAT ONLY | €1,050 | 20,000 | 16:00 | 20 mins |
| 14:00 | America’s Cup- Single Re-Entry (Open to all Players) Day 1 | €350 | 30,000 | – | 30 mins |
| 15:00 | Irish Open NLH Heads-Up Championship Event – Semi Final | €350 | 25,000 | – | 20 mins |
| 16:00 | NLH Super High Roller 8-Max – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 1 | €10,000 | 100,000 | – | 40 mins |
| 16:00 | Satellite to Irish Open – Milestone 100K – Unlimited Re-Entry – 5 Seats Guaranteed – SEAT ONLY | €140 | 10,000 | 19:00 | 20 mins |
| 18:00 | Mini Irish Open – Unlimited Re Entry – €1,000,000 Day 1/G | €250 | 30,000 | – | 20/30/20 mins |
| 18:00 | Irish Open NLH Heads-Up Championship Event – Final | €350 | 25,000 | – | 20 mins |
| 18:00 | PLO 6-Max Championship – Single Re-Entry Day 1 | €350 | 30,000 | – | 30 mins |
| 20:00 | Satellite to Irish Open – Milestone 100K – Unlimited Re-Entry – 20 Seats Guaranteed – SEAT ONLY | €140 | 10,000 | 23:00 | 20 mins |
Kicking things off in the Craic Den is the ongoing FIFA tournament, running from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PokerStars Happy Hour follows from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., leading into Casino Night from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. To cap things off, No Limits will take the stage with live music from 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
And of course, no night at the Irish Open is complete without a fresh pint of Guinness from its birthplace—served all day, every day.
A Record-Shattering Event So Far
David Dongwoo Ko Wins Irish Open HORSE Championship for €11,000
David Dongwoo Ko just added another line to his already stacked poker résumé, taking down the €350 Irish Open HORSE Championship for €11,000. Originally from South Korea but now living in Canada, Ko’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric—he’s now pushed past $900,000 in career earnings despite only recording his first live cash in December 2022. The 147 entry field generated a prize pool of €44,431 with the top 20 places all paying.
It didn’t take long for Ko to wrap things up heads-up, needing just a few hands to finish off Zexuan Huan. The final blow came when Huan’s stack was whittled down to less than half a big blind. Ko’s pocket sixes held, locking up the title and adding another trophy to his growing collection—which already includes two WSOPC rings, a WPT title, and a runner-up finish at EPT Barcelona in 2024.
Ko admitted after the win that he was eager to close it out before razz came up in the rotation, calling it a “death game” he only likes to play short-stacked. His relentless aggression on the final day left his opponents struggling to find answers, and it paid off in full.
The final table wasn’t short on drama. PokerStars Ambassador Sebastian ‘peace&loove’ Huber fell early alongside Michel Bedos, Bouwe Claushuis, and Siddharth Sudunagunta. One of the most talked-about moments came in a controversial stud hand between Evert Bos and Danielle Noja, where a missing burn card wasn’t noticed until the river. Despite Noja’s protest, the ruling stood and Bos was awarded the pot—though Noja got her revenge shortly after by busting him.
Noja’s run was nothing short of miraculous. After being left with a single chip—less than one big blind—she spun it back up to 120,000 in six hands before finally bowing out in 8th. From there, Ko went on a tear, knocking out the rest of the field and steamrolling his way to the win.
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in EUR) |
| 1 |  David Dongwoo Ko | Canada | €11,000 |
| 2 |  Zexuan Huan | China | €6,950 |
| 3 |  Georgios Diamantidis | Greece | €4,930 |
| 4 |  Andreas Froehli | Switzerland | €3,790 |
| 5 |  Alexander Rizvi | United Kingdom | €2,920 |
| 6 | Jay Harwood | United Kingdom | €2,240 |
| 7 | Lin Chen | United Kingdom | €1,730 |
| 8 |  Danielle Noja | Australia | €1,430 |
With the HORSE title now secured, Ko sets his sights on the Irish Open Main Event—where a deep run could see him break the seven-figure mark in lifetime earnings.
Luxon Mystery Bounty Smashes €1 Million Guarantee; Jorge Rios Pulls the Biggest Bounty
The €1,150 Luxon Mystery Bounty has shattered expectations, drawing 1,222 entries across four starting flights and crushing the €1,000,000 guarantee with a final prize pool of €1,191,450. A six-figure top prize awaits the winner, and one lucky player already pulled a bounty worth the same.
Breakdown by flight:
- Day 1a: 132 entries (42 advanced)
- Day 1b: 268 entries (76 advanced)
- Day 1c: 558 entries (153 advanced)
- Day 1d: 264 entries (114 advanced)
With just one re-entry allowed per flight, that’s 669 unique players and 385 returning for Day 2. And one of them—Jorge Rios—hit the jackpot.
Rios, who nearly opted for EPT Monte Carlo instead, pulled the biggest envelope in the chest: €102,600. That’s the same amount Tuesday’s eventual champion will receive for outlasting the entire field. The moment was vintage Mystery Bounty chaos—Rios joked the token felt “heavy,” and it turns out he was right.
This event’s already locked in as one of the festival’s highlights, and all signs point to an absolutely massive €2.5M Main Event. The Royal Dublin Society might need to stretch a bit.
