The €1,150 Irish Open Main Event has recorded 2,502 entries so far, already upping the 2,491 attendance record of 2023. There are still four levels of late registration to go in Day 1c, as well as the entirety of Day 1d, which starts at 8 p.m. local time.
The prize pool stands at €2,444,325 and will only grow larger as the entries continue to trickle in throughout the night.
Anthony Ainscough raised to 800 from middle position and PokerStars Ambassador Felix "xflixx" Schneiders defended his big blind.
On the subsequent 7?9?8? flop, Schneiders checked to Ainscough, who continued for 1,100 chips. Schneiders made it 3,600 to go and garnered a quick fold from his opponent to win the pot.
In a pot that had already grown to a size of 6,000, Thomas Kitt checked to Keith Cummins, who made a bet of 1,500 on the flop of K?5?5?. Kitt made the call before both players checked the J? turn.
On the J? river, Kitt led out for 4,500 chips. Cummins thought about it for a bit before flicking in a call. Kitt reluctantly showed 7?6? for seven-high, while Cummins won the pot with A?Q? for ace-high.
Thomas Beer had open-raised preflop from the hijack before Mor Kamber three-bet to 2,000 on the button. Beer then made it 6,500 to go and Kamber made the call.
On the 2?4?9? flop, Beer continued for 3,500 and saw Kamber make the call. The subsequent J?6? runout was checked by both players and Beer tabled A?Q? for ace-high.
Kamber also played ace-high with A?K?, but her better kicker won her another pot as the PokerStars Product Manager neared two starting stacks.
Adam Kline and Nicolo Molinelli were heads up on a completed board of 6?J?6?9?7?. With a massive 11,500 already in the middle, Kline checked from the hijack to Molinelli in the cutoff.
Molinelli put in 6,000 chips more and Kline made the call after giving it some quick thought. Molinelli tabled A?J? for two pair and raked in the pot when Kline mucked his cards.
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.