The Craic Kicks Off: Day 1a of the �1,150 Irish Open Main Event Set to Start at Noon
The time has come for a new edition of one of Europe's most prolific poker tournaments. Today, players from all over the world gather at the Royal Dublin Society in the Irish capital trying to etch their names in the history books by winning the iconic �1,150 Irish Open Main Event, which is sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker for the second year in a row.
The Main Event once again boasts a guaranteed prize pool of �1,000,000, but if last year's numbers are anything to go by, that will be blown out of the water. Back in 2023, David Docherty was the last man standing in a field of 2,491 entries, taking home the lion's share of �365,000 from the �2,428,725 prize pool. Docherty was the strongest on a final table with, among others, Irish poker legend Andy Black and English grinder Carl Shaw, eventually beating the Irish Declan Rice heads up in front of the home crowd.
2023 Irish Open Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Docherty | United Kingdom | �365,000 |
| 2 | Declan Rice | Ireland | �228,700 |
| 3 | Panagiotis Mavritsakis | Greece | �161,500 |
| 4 | Tom Waters | United Kingdom | �124,500 |
| 5 | Andy Black | Ireland | �95,500 |
| 6 | Eugeniu Barbaros | Moldova | �73,500 |
| 7 | Carl Shaw | United Kingdom | �56,500 |
| 8 | Henri Ojala | Finland | �43,500 |
Docherty will be back in Dublin this year to defend his title, and he could start his journey today at noon local time when Day 1a begins. Day 1a is the first of four starting flights and is played with 45-minute levels. Each player who registers gets 30,000 chips to start with and blind will commence at 100/100. Late registration will remain open for ten full levels, and a single reentry is available to anyone who makes an early exit.
Meanwhile, Day 1b on Thursday, March 28, and Day 1c on Friday, March 29 know the same structure, while Day 1d is a turbo flight with 20-minute levels instead, being played Friday evening.
Irish Open Main Event Day 1a Structure
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100 | 45 min. | |
| 2 | 100 | 200 | 45 min. | |
| 3 | 100 | 200 | 200 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 4 | 100 | 300 | 300 | 45 min. |
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 400 | 45 min. |
| 6 | 200 | 500 | 500 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 600 | 45 min. |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 800 | 45 min. |
| 9 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 45 min. |
| Dinner Break | 60 min. | |||
| 10 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 45 min. |
| 11 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 45 min. |
| 12 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 13 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 | 45 min. |
| 14 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 45 min. |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor in Dublin from the very first hand of Day 1a until the final hand is dealt on Day 4, so stay tuned to not miss any of the poker action straight from the Irish capital.