The Irish Poker Open 2026 – Lots of New Tournaments – Franke Goes Dublin!
The Irish Poker Open shares a lot of the same spirit as The Festival events, most notably the atmosphere at the tables. In Ireland, they call it “the craic”: that unique mix of energy, banter, and genuine enjoyment that makes the experience memorable beyond just the cards. Both brands are built around the idea that poker should be fun and welcoming, a place players actually want to be, without losing the edge of competition. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about the big prizes, it’s about creating a great experience while still rewarding those who rise to the top.
Whereas our next upcoming event will be at the virtual tables of iPoker with The Festival Online (March 29 - April 13), the irish Poker Open will be having their yearly event in Dublin starting at March 26th, and it will last until April 6th. More than 80 tournaments will be played at the venue of Royal Dublin Society (RDS), where they have settled down in recent years. A whopping number of 280 poker tables, and an area as big as a football field, will soon be swamped with poker players from all over the world.
Martin 'Franke' von Zweigbergk, connected to the event as 'Friend of the Irish Open', some sort of ambassador role, is travelling to Dublin next week to be present for yet another event. We think he lost count over the years, so do we, but it is certain that Franke has been visiting the Irish Poker Open for many years by now. And believe it or not, he even managed to run deep for once in a NLH Main Event when he finished 38th out of 1,807 entries, back in 2019.
What is the Irish Poker Open?
There are many live poker events in the world, but there aren't many events that have been taken place from as early as 1980, and is still ongoing. The Irish Open is often titled as the 'longest running Hold'em tournament outside Las Vegas', and what started with a handful players, they bested their own record in the Main Event last year, and set the bar at 4,562 entries. It was eventually Irish player Simon Wilson who became victorious and took home the trophy and €600,000 in prize money.
This year, the organisation of the Irish Poker Open is aiming to get even more entries, and with online satellites running on PokerStars, PaddyPower Poker, and the entire iPoker Network, it is certain that many of these entries come from online qualifiers. The Main Event is the pinaccle of the Irish Open, but there are many more tournaments part of the event, that will have grand guaranteed prize pools. On top of that, there will be mixed games, and new additions as well.
Highlights:
| Date(s) | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 – Apr 6 | Irish Open Main Event | €1,150 | €2,500,000 |
| Mar 26 – Apr 6 | Mini Irish Open | €250 | €1,000,000 |
| Apr 4 – Apr 5 | Luxon Pay Mystery Bounty | €1,150 | €1,000,000 |
| Throughout | High Rollers | €3,000 - €10,000 | — |
| Throughout | Satellites (Live + Online) | €140–€650 | — |
| Throughout | Cash Games | Various | — |
Mixed Games
The Festival Series is offering a wide range of Mixed Games tournaments. The Irish Poker Open also included several mixed games in their schedule, of which Sviten Special will make its official debut this year. The tournaments come mostlu with a reasonable buy-in of €350, and the history has shown us that the fields are always reasonably large. Some of the events below are even Championship events, which will also award a trophy for the winner.
| Date(s) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | Big O | €350 |
| Mar 27 | Sviten Special | €350 |
| Mar 28 - 29 | 8-Game | €350 |
| Mar 29 - 30 | HORSE | €350 |
| Mar 30 | 2-7 Triple Draw | €350 |
| Mar 31 - Apr 1 | 8-Game High Roller | €1,150 |
| Apr 1 | OFC Pineapple | €350 |
New Additions
The Irish Poker Open keeps expanding their offerings in poker formats. This year, they will introduce Flips Tournaments, where Day1 consist out of one-hand flips, and the winner continues to Day2, which will be a normal tournament while already being in the money. As well, there will be a Kings and Queens tournament, where ladies will have their seperate opening flight, as well as male poker players. If that's not enough, they also have their 'generation' tournament with the Old dogs & Young Pups tournament, where the young players will have their own opening flight, and the older players as well on day2, the remaining field will be put together.
>> Full Tournament Schedule - Irish Poker Open 2026
Off The Felt Activities
The Irish Poker Open is an event where you can think of many things, and most of them will be available. Not only when thinking about tournaments, but also for example about a bar on-site. The so-called 'Craic Den' is a place where having fun is most important, and perfect to blow off some steam after having played a tournament for several hours. The Craic Den will have a daily schedule with entertainment such as Stand-Up comedy, live bands, football matches, shuffleboard tournament, beerpong, and so much more. We would recommend this place to visit at least once while you there, because you will meet new friends without a doubt.
Besides all the activities and tournaments, there are also Cash Games running around the clock. It's not uncommon that you will find the same players at the cash game poker tables in the morning when you arrive, who you have met there the previous evening. Franke also had mentioned it in previous interviews concerning the Irish Open; Most of the people don't even come for the tournaments, but they come for the Cash Games as there is just so much action around the clock. And this can just be very true in the end. Add to this that the cash games are literally next to the Craic Den, and you can imagine what party is happening there.
Whoever has never been to any Irish Open event, we would highly recommend to go and visit the event. You will always meet new people, notable players, and it's just one of the coolest live poker events in the entire world.
As for The Festival Series, make sure you put the following dates in your calendar!
| Start Date | End Date | Event Name | More information |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 29 | April 13 | The Festival Online | Check here |
| April 13 | May 18 | iPoker Network campaign for The Festival Rozvadov | Check here |
| May 28 | May 31 | The Festival Weekend – Vilnius | Check here |
| June 9 | June 15 | The Festival Rozvadov | Check here |
