Irish Poker Open Marrakech 2026: Preview, Schedule & Player Guide

Last Updated on October 2, 2026 by Bala Kumar

For 46 years, playing the Irish Open meant one thing: a long week in a packed hall in Dublin, a pint at the end of a bust-out, and the feeling that half the poker world had crammed into the same room. This November, that changes. From November 10 to 15, 2026, the Irish Poker Open sets up at Casino de Marrakech,  its second international stop ever and its first on the African continent.

The full schedule landed on September 28, and it’s a bigger debut than many expected. If you’ve ever wanted to play an Irish Open but couldn’t face Dublin in spring, this is your shot, with sunshine thrown in.

Here’s everything you need to decide whether to go, how to approach the Main Event, and what the numbers from Dublin and Sydney tell us about what Marrakech might look like.

Quick facts

Data as of October 2, 2026. Sources: official schedule announcement, PokerTube.

Why the Irish Open going to Marrakech is a big deal

The Irish Open has run in Dublin since 1980, which makes it the oldest No-Limit Hold’em event in Europe. It has also grown into a monster: the 2026 Dublin festival ran 89 events and logged more than 32,000 tournament entries.

In April, the organisers announced the brand would go global: Sydney in September 2026, Marrakech in November 2026, and the United States in 2027. Sydney is done, so Marrakech is the second test of whether the Irish Open formula travels.

What makes Marrakech interesting is that the venue isn’t new to this. Casino de Marrakech says the Irish Open will be its 69th international poker festival. So you get a brand known for atmosphere and value, landing in a room that already knows how to run big fields. That combination usually means fewer first-time teething problems — slow registration, shortage of dealers, messy clock management — than you’d expect at a debut.

There’s also a regional story. Live poker in Africa has mostly meant South Africa. The Hendon Mob Championship has run several times in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but Marrakech will host the first THMC ever held in North Africa. For European players it’s an easy trip too, with budget flights from the UK advertised from under £20.

The Main Event: structure and how to play it

The €1,155 Main Event starts at noon on Wednesday, November 11. Every flight gives you 50,000 chips. Survivors from all four flights return for Day 2 at 1pm on Saturday, November 14, and the event plays to a winner on Sunday, November 15.

Only Day 1d is confirmed for Friday; the exact days for 1b and 1c should be checked against the official schedule PDF.

What this structure means at the table

A 50,000 stack with 40-minute levels is generous for a €1,155 event. In plain terms, you won’t be forced to gamble early. The blinds rise slowly enough that patient, solid poker gets rewarded on Day 1.

The turbo Day 1d is a different game. With 15-minute levels, the blinds catch up with you within a few hours. Bagging a stack there usually needs a couple of big spots to go your way. It’s a reasonable second bullet, but it’s a poor first choice if your edge comes from out-playing people post-flop.

Practical advice from years of multi-flight festivals:

•       Fire your first bullet on Day 1a or 1b. If you bust, you still have a deep-stack flight left before the turbo.

•       Budget for re-entries before you travel. Decide your maximum number of bullets at home, not at 1am after a cooler.

•       Use the super satellites. Ten Main Event super satellites run on site. If your budget is tight, these are the best value way in.

•       Expect a short Day 2. Everything from Day 2 to the winner happens over two days. Get proper sleep on Friday night if you’ve bagged.

Qualifying online

The Irish Open’s online partners have historically been PokerStars, Paddy Power Poker and the iPoker network. Marrakech has its own online satellites page. Check it for current packages, since availability depends on where you live.

Side events: which ones suit you

The Main Event gets the headlines, but most players at a festival like this spend more time in side events. Marrakech has a well-balanced spread for its size.

One small thing to watch: the official announcement lists one Classic FreezeOut as “£350”. It’s almost certainly €350 like every other event, but check the schedule.

Beginner tip: if this is your first live festival abroad, play the Mini Irish Open or the THMC before the Main Event. You’ll learn how the room works — how to register, where to queue, how chip counts and breaks are run — for a third of the price.

Dublin vs Sydney vs Marrakech: the 2026 numbers

Marrakech is priced like Dublin, not like Sydney. That is the single most useful thing to know when setting expectations.

Sources: Wikipedia – PokerStars Open, Irish Open Sydney recap, PokerTube. As of October 2, 2026.

What we can reasonably expect

Don’t expect Dublin-sized fields. Dublin has 46 years of reputation and a huge home crowd, and Sydney’s debut field was roughly a tenth of Dublin’s.

Marrakech has two advantages Sydney didn’t. First, it’s a short, cheap flight for most of Europe, including Ireland and the UK — the Irish Open’s core audience. Second, the casino already has a steady pool of travelling European and Moroccan players. A field somewhere between Sydney’s turnout and the guarantee is a sensible guess. Anything well past €500,000 would be a strong sign for the tour’s future. Treat that as an estimate, not a prediction.

For players, a smaller field is good news. Your chance of a deep run in a field of a few hundred is far higher than in a field of 5,000, while the buy-in is the same.

Travelling to Marrakech: practical tips for poker players

The casino sits inside the Es Saadi Gardens & Resort in Hivernage, a calm, modern district a few minutes’ drive from Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the old medina. That’s a good setup: quiet nights near the tables, and the city’s best sights a short taxi ride away on a day off.

•       Cash vs cards. Cards work in hotels and the casino. You’ll need dirham cash for taxis, the souks and small cafés. Take some euros to exchange, or use an ATM on arrival.

•       Language. Arabic and Berber are the official languages and French is widely spoken. English is used in the casino and the main tourist areas.

•       Weather. November brings warm, sunny days and cool evenings. Pack a light jacket for the walk back after a late session.

•       Time zone. Same as London and Dublin, one hour behind Paris and Madrid, five hours ahead of New York. If you’re flying in from Europe, there’s no jet lag to fight on Day 1.

•       Hotels. The organisers have a hotel guide with preferential rates for players. Book early — November is a busy tourist month in Marrakech.

•       ID. The event is strictly 18+. Bring your passport; you’ll need valid photo ID to register.

•       Taxis. Agree the fare before getting in, or ask your hotel to book one. It saves a lot of hassle after a long day.

A personal tip: arrive a day before your first flight. Getting registered, finding the room and walking the area while you’re fresh makes a real difference to how you play on Day 1.

Live results and recap

The festival hasn’t started yet. This section will be updated with Main Event entries, prize pool, final-table results and side-event winners after November 15, 2026.

Our verdict: is Irish Open Marrakech worth the trip?

For most European players, yes. It’s the same price as Dublin, with a deeper structure, a likely smaller field and far better November weather.

The risk is the unknown. It’s a first edition, the guarantee is modest next to Dublin’s, and the tour is still finding its feet abroad. But Sydney showed the format works away from home, and Casino de Marrakech has run dozens of international festivals. If you’ve ever thought “one day I’ll play the Irish Open”, Marrakech is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to tick it off.

FAQs

Bala Kumar

Founder of PokerClubGames.com and a Poker Researcher with 10+ years of experience in SEO, WordPress development, and gaming content strategy. Specializes in researching online poker sites, poker apps, tournaments, bonuses, and poker strategies. Experienced in poker platform reviews, affiliate marketing, and creating SEO-focused poker content for global audiences.

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