The 2025 Irish Open, sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power, is set to expand into the largest and most lucrative poker festival ever held in Ireland, with four additional days added to the schedule. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, the Irish Open will feature an array of new events, including a €1,000,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty, a High Roller series with multiple €5,000 buy-in events, and a €10,000 buy-in event. Guarantees for the Main Event will also see a significant increase, now set at €2,500,000, along with an enhanced €1,000,000 guarantee for the popular Mini Irish Open.
This marks the third consecutive year of sponsorship by PokerStars and Paddy Power, enabling hundreds of players to qualify online. The festival will take place at the Royal Dublin Society venue in Ballsbridge, Dublin, spanning twelve days of continuous poker action and off-table entertainment from April 10 to April 21, 2025.
Reflecting the festival’s growing scale, this year’s Irish Open Main Event became the largest €1,000 buy-in tournament in Ireland, drawing an impressive 3,233 entries and contributing to a total prize pool of over €7.5 million across the festival’s events. Building on this momentum, the 2025 schedule will introduce new events and extended formats for returning favorites.
The expanded schedule will kick off with the €1,000,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty, sponsored by Luxon Pay, expected to attract a strong turnout. The high-stakes lineup will include the Mini Irish Open, which boasts the highest guarantee for a low-stakes tournament in Irish poker history. This year, the Mini Irish Open drew 5,320 entries, making it Ireland’s largest poker tournament to date.
Several popular events, including The Hendon Mob Championship, America’s Cup, and NLH 6-Max Championship, will be extended to two-day formats in response to high player demand. In addition, the Irish Open will introduce the inaugural Irish Open Deaf Championship, alongside a variety of new mixed game tournaments such as Pot Limit Deuce to 7 Triple Draw, Big O, Open Face Chinese, H.O.R.S.E, and a Mixed 8-Game tournament. Expanded offerings will also include more two-day €1,000 events and increased Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments.
Beyond the tables, the festival is known for its lively social atmosphere. The popular player’s lounge, ‘The Craic Den,’ will return with live music, games, competitions, and entertainment each night. Satellite qualifiers for the 2025 Main Event start on November 1, 2024, on Paddy Power, with PokerStars offering additional satellites soon after.
Irish Open organisers Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann expressed their excitement about the upcoming 2025 event, stating, “We are thrilled to announce that the Irish Open will be extended by an additional four days next year. Our goal has always been to expand the event and ensure players have an unforgettable experience in Dublin, both at the tables and beyond. We are also delighted to continue our strong partnership with PokerStars and Paddy Power as our event sponsors, whose support helps us deliver a world-class poker experience. Additionally, we are pleased to welcome back LuxonPay as both an event and payment partner. With many exciting plans in place for 2025, we’re looking forward to what will be our most exciting event to date!”
Cedric Billot, Associate Director of Live Events at PokerStars, said, “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Irish Open event, following the incredible success of last year. The energy, passion, and community spirit at this tournament truly exemplify the best of live poker, and we are excited to build on that momentum for 2025. We look forward to providing players and fans with an even more unforgettable experience, as we continue to support the growth of poker in Ireland and around the world.”
