Last Updated on September 28, 2026 by Bala Kumar
The Irish Poker Open is one of the most famous poker festivals in the world. Held in Dublin since 1980, it’s the oldest No-Limit Hold’em tournament in Europe and is often called the longest-running poker tournament outside Las Vegas.
This page is your permanent guide to the festival. It covers Irish Poker Open 2027 dates, the record-breaking Irish Poker Open 2026 results, the full Irish Poker Open schedule, Main Event format, prize pool records, winners, satellites, and the story of Irish Open poker history. We update it every year, so bookmark it.
Irish Poker Open 2027: Dates & What We Know So Far
| Detail | Irish Poker Open 2027 |
| Dates | March 18–29, 2027 |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Full Schedule | Not yet released |
| Online Satellites | Open now (iPoker network satellites started September 7, 2026) |
| Main Event Buy-in | To be confirmed (€1,150 in 2026) |
Mark your calendar: Irish Poker Open 2027 – March 18–29, Dublin.
The official 2027 schedule hasn’t been announced yet. Until then, the 2026 schedule below is the best guide to what to expect. You can already start qualifying through Irish Poker Open satellites, and if you’re planning your first trip, read our Poker Tournament Endurance and Focus Tips before you go.
Irish Poker Open 2026 Results: Main Event Final Table
The Irish Poker Open 2026 results made history. The Irish Poker Open Main Event attracted 5,003 entries, creating a €4,852,910 prize pool, the biggest in the tournament’s history.
Romania’s Narcis Nedelcu won the title after the final five players agreed an ICM deal, leaving €70,227 plus the trophy to play for. Nedelcu qualified through a PokerStars satellite and was already a proven player, with a recent SCOOP title and more than $2 million in live tournament earnings.
Irish Poker Open 2026 at a Glance
| Detail | Irish Poker Open 2026 |
| Venue | Royal Dublin Society (RDS), Ballsbridge, Dublin |
| Dates | March 26 – April 6, 2026 |
| Edition | 46th year |
| Total Tournaments | 86 |
| Festival Guarantees | €4.5 million |
| Main Event Buy-in | €1,150 |
| Main Event Entries | 5,003 (record) |
| Main Event Prize Pool | €4,852,910 (record) |
| Places Paid | 736 (min cash €1,200) |
| Countries Represented | 60 |
| Champion | Narcis Nedelcu (Romania) – €336,790 |
Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Narcis Nedelcu | Romania | €336,790 |
| 2 | Danilo Donnini | Italy | €257,660 |
| 3 | Vasyl Palandiuk | Ukraine | €255,190 |
| 4 | Daryl McAleenan | Ireland | €250,500 |
| 5 | Oliver Gayko | Germany | €285,380 |
| 6 | Francesco Gisolfi | Italy | €105,070 |
| 7 | Isaac Barker | UK | €80,800 |
| 8 | Matthew Twomey | Ireland | €62,170 |
| 9 | Edward Dunphy | Ireland | €47,800 |
Why aren’t the payouts in order? The top five made an ICM deal, so prizes for places 2–5 reflect chip stacks at the time of the deal. That’s why 5th place earned more than 2nd. New to deals? See our ICM Strategy Guide.
Top Stories From the Irish Poker Open 2026
- The €10 dream run: Italy’s Francesco Gisolfi, a café worker from Salerno, qualified on PokerStars for just €10 and finished 6th for €105,070.
- Local hero: Irish regular Daryl McAleenan finished in the top five, more than doubling his lifetime tournament earnings.
- Former champions go deep: Dan Wilson (27th), Steve O’Dwyer (16th), and Weijie Zheng (13th) all made strong runs.
Irish Poker Open Schedule
2027 Schedule Status
The Irish Poker Open 2027 schedule hasn’t been released yet. We’ll add the full event list here as soon as it’s published. Based on recent years, expect a similar mix of the Main Event, Mini Irish Open, Mystery Bounty, and high rollers.
Irish Poker Open 2026 Schedule Highlights
The 2026 festival featured 86 tournaments, 17 more than the year before. These were the headline events:
| Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Dates | Format |
| Main Event | €1,150 | €2.5M | Mar 29 – Apr 6 | 5 starting flights, single re-entry per flight |
| Mini Irish Open | – | €1M | Mar 26 – Apr 6 | 14 starting flights, unlimited re-entries |
| Luxon Pay Mystery Bounty | – | €1M | Mar 26 – 31 | 4 starting flights, single re-entry per flight |
| Super High Roller | €10,000 | – | Apr 1 – 2 | Unlimited re-entries |
| Ladies High Roller | €1,150 | – | Apr 5 – 6 | Single re-entry |
| Deaf Championship | €200 | – | Mar 26 – 28 | Single re-entry |
| Heads-Up Championship | €350 | – | – | No entry cap (first time) |
New Formats in 2026
The 2026 Irish Poker Open schedule introduced several formats never played in Ireland before, including Kings and Queens, Cuatro Knockouts, Old Dogs and Young Pups, the Sviten Special, Flip and Go, a Shoot-out Championship, and a Triathlon Championship. There was also a new Mixed 8-Game Championship High Roller, a PLO Five Card event, and a “festival within a festival” for Deaf players. Want to learn these games first? Check our Poker Games Guide.
Live Satellites at the Festival
In 2026, 17 live Main Event satellites ran at the RDS from March 29 to April 4. All were “milestone” satellites, which award a seat as soon as you reach a set chip stack (50,000 or 100,000 depending on buy-in).
Irish Poker Open Main Event: Format & Key Details
The Irish Poker Open Main Event is the heart of the festival. Here’s how it worked in 2026:
- Buy-in: €1,150
- Guarantee: €2.5 million (smashed, with a €4.85M final prize pool)
- Starting flights: Five, with a single re-entry per flight
- Late registration: Open until the end of Level 10
- Places paid: 736, with money starting on Day 2
- Live stream: Final four days, hosted by James Hartigan, Joe Stapleton, Nick Walsh, and 2017 champion Griffin Benger
For a tournament this big, preparation matters. Read our Poker Tournament Strategy and Planning Ahead in Poker Hands guides.
Irish Poker Open Prize Pool & Growth
The Irish Poker Open prize pool has grown rapidly since PokerStars and Paddy Power joined as partners in 2023.
| Year | Main Event Entries | Irish Poker Open Prize Pool | Champion |
| 2023 | 2,491 | €2.43 million | David Docherty |
| 2024 | 3,233 | €3,152,175 | Tero Laurila |
| 2025 | 4,562 | €4,447,950 | Simon Wilson |
| 2026 | 5,003 | €4,852,910 | Narcis Nedelcu |
In just three years, the Irish Poker Open Main Event field has doubled, and the prize pool has grown by almost €2.5 million.
Irish Poker Open Records
- 🏆 Largest Main Event field: 5,003 entries (2026)
- 💰 Largest Main Event prize pool: €4,852,910 (2026)
- 🥇 Record first prize: €365,000, David Docherty (2023)
- 🎯 Largest single tournament ever in Ireland: 2024 Mini Irish Open, 5,320 entries
- 📈 Festival growth: About 10,000 entries (2023) → 17,000 (2024) → 25,000+ (2025), with €14.5 million awarded in 2025
Irish Poker Open Winners: Past Champions List
| Year | Irish Poker Open Champion |
| 2026 | Narcis Nedelcu (Romania) |
| 2025 | Simon Wilson |
| 2024 | Tero Laurila |
| 2023 | David Docherty |
| 2022 | Steve O’Dwyer |
| 2017 | Griffin Benger |
Other famous Irish Poker Open champions include Dan Wilson, Weijie Zheng, and Liam Flood, who won the Main Event twice before running the tournament himself.
Editor’s note: We’ll keep expanding this list of Irish Poker Open winners as we verify each year.
Irish Open Poker History: From 1979 to Today
How the Irish Poker Open Began (1970s–1980)
Irish Open poker history begins with Terry Rogers, a colourful Irish bookmaker who ran poker tournaments in Dublin from the mid-1970s, when Europe mostly played draw and stud.
In May 1979, Rogers visited Las Vegas and became friends with Benny Binion, founder of the World Series of Poker. He brought No-Limit Texas Hold’em back home, and in 1980, his tournaments became the Irish Poker Open.
The American Legends Arrive (1980s)
Rogers soon brought Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Amarillo Slim, and Stu Ungar to Dublin. One year they were greeted with a yellow Rolls Royce; another year Amarillo Slim rode a white horse out of the airport. These visits made the event famous worldwide.
Pause and Revival (1990s)
Around 1990, the event paused while Rogers cared for his mother. By the mid-1990s, his partner Liam Flood helped revive it, and after Rogers passed away in 1999, Flood took full control.
The Modern Irish Poker Open (2016–Today)
After Flood’s death in 2016, Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann took over. They cut the Irish Poker Open buy-in to €1,150 with a €500,000 guarantee, and the field grew from around 320 to nearly 800 players in their first year.
The event ran online in 2020 and 2021, returned to Dublin in 2022, and partnered with PokerStars and Paddy Power in 2023, starting its record-breaking era.
Irish Open Goes Global: Sydney, Marrakech & USA
In April 2026, the Irish Poker Open announced its first international festivals, with the goal of becoming the biggest poker tournament in the world by its 50th anniversary in 2030.
🇦🇺 Irish Open Sydney 2026 Results
The first Irish Open Sydney festival ran at Poker Palace, Club Marconi, with an A$2,000 Main Event and A$1,000,000 guarantee. The Main Event drew 515 entries, and local player Jarrod Thatcher won after beating Joseph Antar heads-up, earning A$155,100 after a five-way ICM deal. At one stage, he was all-in needing one of just two outs to survive.
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Jarrod Thatcher | A$155,100* |
| 2 | Joseph Antar | A$101,900* |
| 3 | Jarod Cunningham | A$77,000* |
| 4 | Martin Finger | A$98,500* |
| 5 | Jiajun Yang | A$98,000* |
*Five-way ICM deal
🇲🇦 Irish Open Marrakech 2026 (Upcoming)
| Detail | Irish Open Marrakech 2026 |
| Venue | Casino de Marrakech |
| Dates | November 10–15, 2026 |
| Duration | 6 days |
| Main Event Buy-in | €1,150 |
| Main Event Guarantee | €500,000 |
🇺🇸 Irish Poker Open USA (2027)
The first American Irish Poker Open festival is planned for 2027. The venue hasn’t been announced yet.
For more upcoming events, see our Upcoming Poker Tournaments 2026 page.
How to Qualify: Irish Poker Open Satellites & Buy-In
Irish Poker Open Satellites (Online)
Irish Poker Open satellites are the most popular route into the Main Event. Through PokerStars, Paddy Power, and the iPoker network, more than 1,300 players won their seats online for the 2025 Main Event. For Irish Poker Open 2027, iPoker satellites started on September 7, 2026.
Satellite Tip: Gisolfi’s €10 qualifier shows how satellites let small-bankroll players chase a big prize. Learn how to approach them in our Poker Satellites Guide, and keep your spending in check with Bankroll Management.
Direct Irish Poker Open Buy-In
In 2026, the easiest way to register was online with Luxon Pay, the official payment partner. Players could also register through their PokerStars account (all events) or Paddy Power account (Main Event only), or buy in on-site with cash or debit card. Credit cards weren’t accepted. The festival is strictly 18+, and you must bring photo ID.
Irish Poker Open Main Event Strategy Tips
With 5,000+ entries, the Irish Poker Open Main Event is a marathon:
- Early levels: Fields are full of recreational players, so focus on value betting over big bluffs. See How to Exploit Weak Players.
- Middle stages: Protect your stack and avoid unnecessary coin flips.
- Bubble (Day 2): With 736 places paid, ICM pressure is strong, so use it to steal from cautious short stacks.
- Final table: ICM deals are common, as both Dublin and Sydney showed in 2026. Understand the deal math first.
- Review after: Use our Poker Session Review Guide to learn from your run.
For live-specific adjustments, read our Live Poker Strategy guide.
Irish Poker Open Dublin: Venue & Festival Experience
The Venue
The Dublin festival is held at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) on Merrion Road, Ballsbridge. In 2026, the venue was open 24/7, with at least 280 poker tables across the Main Hall and Hall 2, a playing area the size of a football field.
Cash Games
A dedicated cash area with 50+ tables running 24/7, starting from €1/€2 NLH and PLO, plus its own bar and food station.
The Craic Den
The legendary player lounge, open noon to 2am daily, with games like beer pong, race night, and shuffleboard, plus live music, karaoke, and lip sync nights.
Getting There
The Aircoach (Routes 702/703) runs from Dublin Airport to right outside the RDS in about 30–40 minutes for around €8–€13. A taxi takes 20–30 minutes and costs around €30–€40. Secure 24-hour parking at the RDS costs €10 per day.
Online Afterparty
After the 2026 festival, PokerStars ran a 69-event Irish Open Afterparty online series from April 12–20, with more than $3 million guaranteed and buy-ins from $5.50 to $530.
Final Thoughts on the Irish Poker Open
From Terry Rogers’ Dublin card rooms in the 1970s to a record 5,003-entry Main Event in 2026, the Irish Poker Open has become one of poker’s greatest festivals. With Irish Open Marrakech next, a US debut planned, and Irish Poker Open 2027 confirmed for March, its growth shows no signs of slowing.
Bookmark this page for the latest Irish Poker Open schedule, results, and winners.
FAQs
When is the Irish Poker Open 2027?
The Irish Poker Open 2027 runs March 18–29, 2027 in Dublin.
Is the Irish Poker Open 2027 schedule out?
Not yet. We’ll update this page when it’s released. The 2026 schedule above shows what to expect.
What is the Irish Poker Open?
Europe’s oldest No-Limit Hold’em tournament, held every year in Dublin since 1980.
Where is the Irish Poker Open held?
At the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) in Dublin, with international stops in Sydney and Marrakech.
How much is the Irish Poker Open buy-in?
The Main Event buy-in was €1,150 in 2026.
