Final Starting Flights of Huge Irish Poker Main Event Kick Off as Live Stream Gets Underway
The time has arrived for Day 1c of the 2024 €1,150 Irish Poker Main Event, sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker. Last year, a whopping 1,108 entries were made at the Royal Dublin Society on the penultimate flight, leading to a new record in overall attendance. This year, every Day 1 has been record-breaking already, with 1,212 entries across the first two starting flights and a guarantee-smashing €1,395,225 in the prize pool, and time will only tell how big the field will get.
All players who register will be chasing Irishman Glen Keogh, who bagged the overall chip lead on Day 1b with a stack of 393,000 chips. Being only one of two Irish representatives in the top ten so far, the hosting country will be looking to add some more names to the upper regions of the leaderboard.
Irish Open Main Event Day 1a & 1b Top Ten Chipcounts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glen Keogh | Ireland | 393,000 | 98 |
| 2 | James Wickens | United Kingdom | 384,000 | 96 |
| 3 | Firat Baltaci | Netherlands | 370,000 | 93 |
| 4 | Jakob Linden | Sweden | 355,000 | 89 |
| 5 | Alexander D'Souza | Australia | 353,000 | 88 |
| 6 | Samuel Klocker | Austria | 341,500 | 85 |
| 7 | Brian Moore | United States | 340,000 | 85 |
| 8 | Pascal Baumgartner | Switzerland | 329,500 | 82 |
| 9 | Aidan Quinlan | Ireland | 328,500 | 82 |
| 10 | Niclas Thumm | Germany | 322,500 | 81 |
With the likes of Irish all-time money leader Andy Black, EPT Prague champion Padraig O'Neill, and poker author and podcast host Dara O'Kearney, alongside many lesser-known local heroes, not having found a bag yet, Ireland still has some irons in the fire.
Day 1c will kick off at noon local time, with a 30,000-chip starting stack and blinds starting at 100/100. One reentry is allowed per player during the ten levels of late registration, and for those who get unlucky twice or simply prefer fast-paced poker, a turbo flight Day 1d will commence at 8 p.m. local time, with 20-minute levels instead of the regular 45-minute levels.
Irish Open Main Event Day 1c 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 PokerStars cards-up live stream will also begin today, operating on a 30-minute security delay. The action of Day 1c will be streamed live on their YouTube and Twitch channels, with the iconic duo of James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton providing commentary
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor for the entirety of Day 1c, and will provide the chip counts of Day 1d once it finishes. So stay tuned to not miss any of the poker action from the Irish capital.