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Irish Open’s International Era Begins With 15 Days of Poker in Sydney
- Irish Poker Open launches its first international festival in Sydney.
- Over 40 events, A$2 million in guarantees, and unique regional tournaments.
- Further expansions planned for Marrakech (2024) & USA (2027).
There is a new city on the Irish Open map.
After 46 years centred on Ireland, the series has launched its first full international festival in Sydney, with the opening events now underway at Poker Palace inside Club Marconi.
The festival runs from August 31 to September 14, packing more than 40 tournaments into 15 days and putting close to A$2 million in guarantees on the schedule. The largest portion belongs to the A$2,000 Main Event, which carries a A$1 million guarantee.
Sydney Is the First Step in the Irish Open’s New Direction
Until this year, the Irish Open had remained fundamentally tied to Dublin despite developing an increasingly international player base. Organisers announced in April that this would change, with Sydney becoming the first of three new overseas destinations.
Marrakech follows in November, while an American stop is planned for 2027.
The expansion follows the largest Irish Open Main Event yet. April's Dublin edition attracted 5,003 entries, up from 4,562 in 2025, and produced a €4.85 million prize pool. Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu won the tournament for €336,790.
Rather than simply copying the Dublin schedule, Sydney has been given some regional character of its own.
There is a A$600 Asia-Pacific Cup, an inaugural Sydney Poker Open and a full mix of hold'em, PLO and mixed-game tournaments. The Deaf Championship concept that featured successfully in Dublin has also travelled to Australia, with its A$360 Main Event scheduled for September 5.
Other schedule highlights include a A$10,000 Super High Roller, the Mixed 8 Game High Roller Championship, Sviten Special, 2-7 Triple Draw and the Ladies Championship.
Main Event Already Has Four Players Through to Day 2
The A$2,000 Main Event does not begin its Sydney flights until September 6, but four players are technically several steps ahead.
During the Dublin festival in April, organisers staged a remote Sydney Main Event Day 1. Four players survived and qualified directly for Day 2 at Poker Palace.
Oliver Hutchins takes the largest stack to Australia at 602,000, while Matthias Shahine Ramdjee, Chris Dowling and Michal Stipsky also advanced.
| Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Oliver Hutchins | United Kingdom | 602,000 |
| Matthias Shahine Ramdjee | France | 287,000 |
| Chris Dowling | Ireland | 275,000 |
| Michal Stipsky | Czech Republic | 186,000 |
Each is already guaranteed a Main Event cash. Dowling, an Irish Open ambassador, will arrive after also winning a PLO High Roller during the Dublin series.
The rest of the field has six starting flights available in Sydney, while 18 super satellites guarantee 170 seats between them.
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