The Irish Poker Open has a new online poker operator for 2023. Festival organizers announced a new deal with PokerStars and Paddy Power on Monday for the upcoming series.
Both brands are part of Flutter Entertainment and the new official sponsors for the series. The Irish Open is set for April 3-10 in the RDS Ballsbridge in Dublin.
Plans call for both brands promoting the event and offering online satellites on PokerStars and Paddy Power. The live events will also be streamed as part of the partnership.
“We are very proud to announce PokerStars and Paddy Power as the official sponsors of the Irish Poker Open and we are looking forward to bringing our players another epic festival, while welcoming new players from around the globe!” festival CEOs Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann said in a news release.
“We have exciting plans in place for the growth of the Irish Poker Open, Europe’s longest-running poker festival, and we believe, with PokerStars and Paddy Power as the new sponsors, this aligns perfectly with our vision for the growth over the coming years. This can only be a great thing for players.”
What to expect at the Irish Poker Open
Those heading to the Emerald Isle are again in store for some major poker action. The highlight is the €1 million guaranteed Main Event.
Organizers will release more event details in the coming weeks. Stars promises plenty of activities on and off the felt in Dublin.
The Irish Poker Open is one of the most-anticipated series each year on the European card-playing calendar. The festival is the longest-running No Limit Hold’em tournament outside Las Vegas. The series has a history going back more than 42 years.
The Open received some extra publicity in 1984 when a group of about 25 American players traveled to Ireland to play the tournament at Killiney Castle.
The group included then-reigning World Series of Poker champion Tom McEvoy. Poker Hall of Fame members Stu Ungar, Chip Reese, and Doyle Brunson also made the trip. The €1,000 Main Event attracted widespread television and press coverage in Ireland, putting the Irish Poker Open on the map.
Most recently, well-regarded poker pro Steve O’Dwyer topped a field of 2,040 entries earlier this year for the title and €318,700. O’Dwyer has lived in Dublin for the last 10 years and scored the title in his hometown.
The Main Event saw a €2 million prize pool, doubling the €1 million guarantee. The 2023 event features the same guarantee and organizers are hoping for similar results.
“Ireland is the home of Flutter and we are truly delighted to partner with the already well-loved Open and work with our colleagues at Paddy Power and the Irish Poker Open to make this a very special event for all our players, not only for those in Ireland but for players from around the world,” PokerStars chief commercial officer Kevin Harrington said in a news release.
Online opportunities
As in previous series during the COVID pandemic, players will also find online options before and during the series. Online qualifiers should be part of the mix at PokerStars and Paddy Power.
Stars will also run an online Irish Poker Open series ahead of the event and with more details coming soon. Paddy Poker is expected to hold online events and promotions as well.
The much anticipated details of Irish Open 2023 are here!
We are delighted to announce that Europe’s longest running Poker Festival, the Irish Open, will once again take place over the Easter break, running from 3rd – 10th, April 2023.
Read on: https://t.co/gmn7ZBUnOw pic.twitter.com/X59s9rUtWl
— Irish Open (@Irish_PokerOpen) September 13, 2022
The new partnership pleased company executives, who are happy to be back in the fold as a sponsor of the series.
“Paddy Power has over a decade of heritage as former sponsors of the Irish Poker Open, so the opportunity to make a comeback bigger than Boris Johnson (former prime minister of the United Kingdom) by going all in with our colleagues in Flutter made us royally flush with excitement,” a Paddy Power spokesman said.
“By the very nature of its warm hospitality, Dublin – which bears a remarkable resemblance to Vegas if you crank up the central heating – always attracts a full house. And we’re at full tilt with plans to ensure the 2023 Irish Poker Open is the greatest poker tournament Europe has ever witnessed. On a more personal note, I’ve vowed to brush up on my poker puns before we return to the table.”