The Irish Open Online returns in March following the success of the inaugural edition earlier in 2020, partypoker announced last week. A familiar name also rose to the top in the Irish Poker Masters Online, which wrapped up on Dec. 18.
Will Kassouf, known for his “speech play” during his deep run in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event, turned a satellite entry into a Irish Open Main Event championship. Players now won’t have to wait too long to get back in the Irish poker action.
What to expect from the 2021 Irish Open Online at partypoker?
The next Irish Open Online begins March 29 and features a Main Event with a €1 million guarantee. The recent Irish Poker Masters featured 21 events with several event variations including Pot Limit Omaha, PKO, heads-up, turbo, and more.
Players can probably expect similar events. With an online poker boom underway, that schedule may even be expanded.
The 2020 live series paid out €5.6 million with Brazil’s Pablo Brito Silva claiming the Main Event title for €462,100. He topped a field of 2,945 and was one of 22 champions in the series.
Partypoker and Irish Poker Open organizers are currently looking into potential alternative dates to host the live festival in 2021. The festival is Europe’s longest-running poker series.
“We all miss live poker action and we are looking forward to the time when all of us can experience the buzz and the thrill of the Irish Poker Open in a live setting,” partypoker marketing director Vadim Soloveychik said.
“Meanwhile, we are excited about the opportunity to once again host the Irish Open Online in the coming spring and we hope Irish Poker Open fans will enjoy it.”
Will Kassouf turns €109 satellite into Irish Poker Masters Main Event title
In taking the December Irish Masters Main Event title, Kassouf outlasted 1,340 opponents in the €1,100 buy-in tournament. The British poker star won his seat via a €109 satellite and turned that into €215,163.
Manuel Ruivo finished runner-up for €148,042 and also recently found big success in the WSOP Main Event at GGPoker. He finished third in the GG half of that event for $728,177.
When heads-up play commenced, Ruivo held a massive chip lead over Kassouf – 213,940,000 to 54,260. Kassouf managed to draw level, however, and the two battled back and forth before he claimed the title.
It was an unlikely finish as Kassouf began the day as one of the short stacks.
We have our champion! Congratulations to @WilliamKassouf 🇬🇧 who, after an incredible final table performance, wins the Irish Poker Masters for €215,163.🏆
Thank you everyone for helping us create a fun and memorable festival! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/6Ro00oLQ3C
— PartyPoker (@partypoker) December 17, 2020
Other big names score in High Roller
The €2,100 High Roller attracted quite a few major names to the player pool. Dominik Nitsche, Evaldas Aniulis, Jans Arends, and Vlad Lache all cashed in the event.
The UK’s Jonathan Proudfoot beat Elio Fox heads-up to claim first prize of €40,206.
Team partypoker’s Kristen Bicknell took third for €16,297. The event attracted a field of 67 players.
Players can spin partypoker’s Christmas Wheel throughout December
Partypoker is giving away plenty of gifts this holiday season. Players have the chance to win up to $500 every day with the launch of Christmas Wheel promotion.
Prizes include cash bonuses and freeroll tickets, which are awarded every day until Dec. 31. Players earn one point per day by playing any:
- SPINS game
- cash game
- fastforward cash game
Earning just one point allows players to head to the Christmas Wheel. The wheel can be found under “promotions” in the desktop client or via the “offers” section on mobile.
The two daily freerolls feature prize pools of $1,000 and $2,000. Players will find plenty of opportunities to brighten up the season even more.
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