One of the most popular live poker tournaments in the world is the Irish Open, the longest-running live event behind the World Series of Poker.
Colette Doherty triumphed in the first Irish Open in 1980 after a deal with Terry Rogers. Doherty won the title again in 1991 and is only one of five players to have won two Irish Open Main Events.
The Irish Open will be held in Citywest Hotel, Dublin. The Main Event will run from 14th to 18th March. However the poker fun doesn't start or finish there. The action be kicking of the 18 day festival on 7th March with partypoker grand prix with a massive €500,000 guarantee for a buy-in of €150. Needing just shy of 4,000 players to hit the guarantee. Mar 25, 2018 Poker database with tournament results, event results, pictures and player profiles. 25 March 2018. IO Season 2018, PPL Season 1. Irish Open Championship 6-Max.
Double Irish Open Winners
| Player | Years won |
|---|---|
| Colette Doherty | 1980 and 1991 |
| Mickey Finn | 1994 and 1998 |
| Liam Flood | 1990 and 1996 |
| Noel Furlong | 1987 and 1989 |
| Jimmy Langan | 1983 and 1988 |
The tournament’s reigning champion is Griffin Benger who topped a field of 1,129 players to get his hands on the €200,000 first-place prize last year. It was Dan Wilson who won the Main Event in 2016, besting 801 opponents to claim the €150,000 top prize.
This Decade’s Irish Open Champions
| Year | Buy-in | Entries | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | €1,275 | 1,129 | Griffin Benger | €200,000 |
| 2016 | €1,150 | 802 | Dan Wilson | €150,000 |
| 2015 | €3,500 | 321 | Ioannis Triantafyllakis | €209,500 |
| 2014 | €2,250 | 411 | Patrick Clarke | €200,000 |
| 2013 | €2,250 | 505 | Ian Simpson | €265,000 |
| 2012 | €3,500 | 502 | Kevin Vandersmissen | €420,000 |
| 2011 | €3,500 | 615 | Niall Smyth | €550,000 |
| 2010 | €3,500 | 708 | James Mitchell | €600,000 |
The 2018 Irish Open Main Event sees its guaranteed prize pool double from €500,000 to €1 million. Costing €1,150 to enter, the Irish Open Main Event features two starting flights. Day 1a commences on Mar. 14 with the final day’s play taking place on Mar. 18.
Several online poker sites are running satellites to the €1 million guaranteed Main Event, including bet365, Betfair Poker, Paddy Power Poker, and partypoker. You can grab yourself a welcome bonus at each of these sites if you download the software via PokerNews and use our bonus codes.
There are 20 tournaments scheduled at the Citywest Hotel between Mar. 12-18, with the festival concluding with the ever-popular Norwegian Poker Championships. Please note: only holders of a Norwegian passport are permitted to play in the series-ending Norwegian Poker Championships.
2018 Irish Open Schedule
| Date | Time | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 12 Mar | 4:00 p.m. | Event 1 - Irish Open €350 NLH 6-Max |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 2 - €150 NLH Deepstack 6-Max | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 3 - €80 Irish Open Satellite - 5 Seats Gtd | |
| Tue 13 Mar | 1:00 p.m. | Event 4 - Irish Open €350 NLH Heads-Up Round 1 |
| 3:00 p.m. | Event 4 - Irish Open €350 NLH Heads-Up Round 2 | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event 5 - Irish Open €2,000 High Roller 8-Max | |
| 5:00 p.m. | Event 4 - Irish Open €350 NLH Heads-Up Quarter Final | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 6 - €150 PLO Deepstack 6-Max | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 7 - €100 Irish Open Satellite - 10 seats Gtd | |
| Wed 14 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | Event 4 - Irish Open €350 NLH Heads-Up Semi Final |
| 2:00 p.m. | Event 4 - Irish Open €350 NLH Heads-Up Final | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Event 8 - €1,150 Irish Open Main Event Day 1a | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event 9 - €150 PLO 6-Max Deepstack | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 10 - €150 NLH Deepstack Turbo | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 11 - Irish Open Satellite - 20 seats Gtd | |
| Thu 15 Mar | 2:00 p.m. | €1,150 Irish Open Main Event Day 1b |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 12 - €150 Round of Each (NLH/PLO) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 13 - €150 NLH Deepstack Turbo | |
| Fri 16 Mar | 2:00 p.m. | Irish Open Main Event Day 2 |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event 14 - €550 JP Poker Masters Day 1 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 15 - €150 NLH Deepstack Turbo | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 16 - Irish Open €350 PLO 6-Max Day 1 | |
| Sat 17 Mar | 2:00 p.m. | Event 14 - JP Poker Masters Final Day |
| 2:00 p.m. | Event 16 - Irish Open €350 PLO 6-Max Final Day | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Event 8 - Irish Open Main Event Day 3 | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event 17 - Liam Flood Memorial €350 6-Max Turbo | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 18 - €150 PLO Deepstack Turbo | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 19 - €150 NLH Deepstack Turbo | |
| Sun 18 Mar | 2:00 p.m. | Event 20 - €250 Mini Irish Open Day 1 |
| 2:00 p.m. | Event 8 - Irish Open Main Event Day 4 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Event 21 - Irish open €250 NLH Seniors | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event 22 - €150 PLO Deepstack Turbo | |
| Mon 19 Nov | 2:00 p.m. | Event 20 - Mini Irish open Day 2 |
| 4:00 p.m. | Norwegian Championships - NLH 8-Max | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Norwegian Championships 8-Max | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Norwegian Championships - Deepstack Turbo |
If you love playing poker in a fun-loving atmosphere and want the chance to win a massive cash prize, why not try and qualify for the 2018 Irish Open Main Event at one of the online poker sites mentioned above. Trust us, you'll love every second of your time in the Emerald Isle.
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Betfair Poker
The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas hold 'empoker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker.
First organised in 1980 by Terry Rogers, a well known Irish bookmaker, the tournament is Europe's largest and a fixture on the international poker calendar. It is traditionally held over Easter weekend each year.
Since Terry Rogers death in 1999 the tournament, originally held in Dublin's Eccentric Club, has been hosted by tournament director and poker player Liam Flood and the Merrion Casino.
paddypowerpoker.com began sponsorship of the event in 2005 and oversaw the huge growth in the tournament. By 2006 the event, with 339 players, had outgrown the Merrion Casino and was held in Jury's Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin. In 2007 the venue was changed to the Burlington Hotel, Dublin to accommodate the bigger field, while in 2008 and 2009 the Irish Open venue was Citywest Hotel, Dublin. In 2010 the tournament returned to the Burlington Hotel and numbers declined year on year up to 2015 which was inline with trends and decline in the online poker industry.
In 2016, the Irish Poker Open will return to Citywest Hotel for a week long festival from 21 to 28 March, culminating in the €500k Main Event. The 2016 Irish Poker Open will be managed by JP Poker and Countside Ltd, both companies have organised tournaments in both Ireland and Europe for the last 20 years.
- 11Past winners
Origins[edit]
Terry Rogers once declared 'I have been the greatest single factor in the worldwide spread of competitive poker.'[1]
One of his most enduring legacies was founding the Irish Open. In the late 1970s Terry started to hold poker tournaments for charity under the auspices of the Eccentric Club. According to Liam Flood, a fellow bookmaker and friend of Terry's the games would get 'anywhere between 100 and 300 players playing five-card draw for £100 to £200 per game. That was a lot of people for that kind of money at the time. Every year Terry would go to America on business. In May 1979 he had a few days off and went to Las Vegas. He saw this high stakes poker game going on and met Benny Binion and the rest is history.'[1]
Always one to spot an opportunity Rogers cemented his relationship with Binion and his band of high-rolling players by taking bets from them on the outcome of the games, offering the type of long odds the Americans had never seen before.
“Guys like Benny Binion, Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese really held Terry in high esteem,' states World Series of Poker bracelet winner and former Irish Olympic swimmer Donnacha O'Dea. 'He’d give them great odds, better than any American bookie would give, but he still made sure he had a 20% edge.'[1]
After the 1979 World Series Terry returned to Ireland enthused about what he’d seen. Stud and draw were the poker variants of choice in Ireland but the new variation he’d seen in Vegas, no-limit hold’em, beat them all for excitement and skill.
In the following years he returned to Vegas for the World Series with Liam Flood but his bookmaking activities brought the attention of the Las Vegas Police Department and on one occasion Terry and Liam ended up being arrested and imprisoned. The irony of being jailed for gambling in Vegas was not lost on them according to Flood.[1]
Development[edit]
The Irish Open was organised under the auspices of the charity fundraising organisation started by Terry called the Eccentric Club. It attracted mainly local players but Rogers already had his eye on expanding the event.
Donnacha O'Dea remembers the stunts Rogers pulled to generate interest in the Irish Open. 'He’d publicise betting on the tournament in the Racing Post along with an event such as the Super Bowl so he could get around the law on advertising such events. He’d install an outsider such as ‘Suitcase’ Johnny as favourite. Poker players would then see these odds and think to themselves, ‘Well I’m much better than this guy who's favourite’ and immediately want to take part in the tournament.'[1]
The Irish Open fell into abeyance in the early 1990s as Terry concentrated on nursing his mother through ill health. It was resurrected again in the mid-1990s.
Relationship with the World Series of Poker[edit]
Terry's annual trips to Las Vegas and the success of the first Irish Open led to the US players he had befriended at the World Series of Poker repaying their debt of gratitude for his generous bookmaking services by making a rare excursion from their home soil to play in Ireland in 1982 and 1983.
Donnacha and Liam remember the American invasions with glee. 'One year Terry got them a yellow Rolls Royce for when they arrived at the airport. Another year he arrived with a white horse which Amarillo Slim, who was a real horseman, rode out of the airport.
“Those years he had Tom McEvoy, Jack Keller, Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, and Perry Green from Alaska. It was funny to see them try to pay for goods in Killiney village with chips from Terry's poker tournament, something they were used to doing in Vegas.'[1]
Irish Open 2007[edit]
The Irish Poker Open 2007 Main Event had a guaranteed prize pool of €2 million – twice the €1 million guarantee of 2006 but with a then-European record 708 players the prize pool swelled to more than €2.3 million.
The final table of six was made up of four Irishmen, an Englishman and a Canadian. The winner, Belfast man Marty Smyth, took home the €650,000 first prize after a two-hour heads-up battle against World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour winner Roland De Wolfe. Successful online player Sorel Mizzi from Toronto finished third ahead of Irishmen Danny McHugh (4th), Brian O'Keeffe (5th) and Nicky Power (6th).[2]
Irish Open 2008[edit]
The Irish Poker Open 2008 was held at Citywest Hotel, Dublin and a field of 667 took part in the main event. Notable players included poker legend Doyle Brunson, his son Todd Brunson, Sorel Mizzi, Roland De Wolfe, Padraig Parkinson, World Series of Poker bracelet-winner Ciaran O'Leary, Dario Minieri and dozens of other poker professionals. Paddy Power Poker added €200,000 to the prize pool, which took it past the €3 million mark.
English poker pro Neil Channing won €801,400 and the Irish Open title after defeating local favourite Donal Norton of Tipperary heads up. Norton took home €420,000 for his 2nd-place finish. Thomas Dunwoodie finished in 3rd place ahead of Tim Blake (4th), Kai Danilo Paulsen (5th) and Edwin Tournier (6th).[3] Channing added £50,000 to his winnings by putting a £500 bet on himself at 100/1 with Paddy Power at the midpoint of the four-day tournament.[4]
Irish Open 2009[edit]
The Irish Open 2009 returned to Citywest Hotel, Dublin, the venue for the 2008 Irish Open. A larger-than-expected field of 700 played in the main event, including famous faces such as Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Neil Channing, Marty Smyth, Andy Black, Jamie Gold, Dan Harrington, Juha Helppi, Roland De Wolfe and Ciaran O'Leary.[5]
Swedish poker professional Christer Johansson won the title and €600,000, with Kara Scott finishing in second place for €312,600.
Irish Open 2010[edit]
The Irish Open 2010 returned to Burlington Hotel, Dublin, where the Irish Open had been hosted three years previously. A field of 708 played in the main event, including such celebrities as Irish soccer hero Tony Cascarino, former Manchester United star Teddy Sheringham, rugby legend Reggie Corrigan and former snooker world champion Ken Doherty. Many well-known poker players took part, including Padraig Parkinson, Liam Flood, Sandra Naujoks, Dario Minieri, Neil Channing, Marty Smyth and former World Series of Poker champions Noel Furlong and Dan Harrington.
Irish Open Poker 2018 Results 2016
Twenty-year-old Englishman James Mitchell won the title and €600,000 first prize, with Paul Carr from Limerick finishing in second place for €312,600. Rob Sherwood become the €100,000 Sole Survivor by outlasting all other paddypowerpoker.com qualifiers; he won an additional €163,300 for finishing in fourth position.[6]
Irish Open 2011[edit]
The 2011 Irish Open Main Event was won by Irishman Niall Smyth who won a €550,000 first prize. He beat experienced Englishman Surinder Sunar heads up. Sunar received €290,000 for his second-place finish.[7]
Irish Open 2012[edit]
The 2012 Irish Open Main Event was won by Belgian professional Kevin Vandersmissen, who won €420,000 for first prize. Vandersmissen beat German player Thomas Beer in heads up to take first place.[8]
Irish Open 2013[edit]
The 2013 Irish Open Main event saw the past year's fourth place finisher, Ian Simpson, take first place, and a prize of €265,000. The noticeably smaller first place payout was due to the buy in for this year's event being dropped from €3,500 to €2,250. Following his win Simpson proposed to his girlfriend.
Irish Open Poker 2017
Past winners[edit]
2010s[edit]
- 2019 Weijie “Jervi” Zheng
- 2018 Ryan Mandara
- 2017 Griffin Benger
- 2016 Dan Wilson
- 2015 Ioannis Triantafyllakis
- 2014 Patrick Clarke
- 2013 Ian Simpson
- 2012 Kevin Vandersmissen
- 2011 Niall Smyth [9]
- 2010 James Mitchell
2000s[edit]
- 2009 Christer Johansson
- 2008 Neil Channing
- 2007 Marty Smyth
- 2006 Vincent Melinn
- 2005 John Falconer
- 2004 Ivan Donaghy
- 2003 Joe Beevers
- 2002 Nick Bernie
- 2001 Jenny Hegarty
- 2000 Alan Betson
Irish Open Results
1990s[edit]
- 1999 Liam Barker
- 1998 Mickey Finn
- 1996 Liam Flood
- 1994 Mickey Finn
- 1993 Christie Smith
- 1991 Colette Doherty
- 1990 Liam Flood
1980s[edit]
- 1989 Noel Furlong
- 1988 Jimmy Langan
- 1987 Noel Furlong
- 1986 Bryan McCarthy
- 1985 Irene Tier
- 1984 Tony Byrne
- 1983 Jimmy Langan
- 1982 Frank Conway
- 1981 Sean Kelly
- 1980 Colette Doherty
Notes[edit]
- ^ abcdefCardplayer Europe: How the Irish Changed the Face of Poker
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/articles/marty-smyth-wins-650-000-first-prize-at-paddypowerpoker.com-irish-open-547
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=29397
- ^https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/3873-pound-50-000-windfall-for-irish-open-champ-neil-channing
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/articles/christer-johansson-wins-600-000-first-prize-at-the-paddypowerpoker.com-irish-open-1116
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/articles/james-mitchell-wins-600-000-first-prize-at-the-paddypowerpoker.com-irish-open-1586
- ^http://www.cardking.info/shownews.asp?title=niall-smyth-wins-irish-open-and-550000&id=593
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/articles/kevin-vandersmissen-wins-paddypowerpoker.com-irish-open-2012-2441
- ^https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=50605