The Irish Open Heads to Australia Aug. 31 for 15 Days of Juicy Poker Action

We told you a couple months ago that, after 46 years, the Irish Open was going international. And now we can report details about the popular poker tour’s first stop down under.

From August 31 to September 14, there will be 15 days of instense poker action at the Poker Palace casino during the Irish Open Sydney, the tour’s first visit to Australia. The schedule features more than 40 tournaments and nearly A$2,000,000 in guaranteed money to be awarded.

Irish Open Sydney Full Schedule

Irish Open Sydney Highlights

The action kicks off on August 31 at 5 p.m. with Day 1a of the Mini Irish Open, a $360 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament with $500,000 guaranteed. Additional Day 1 flights will follow, one per day, until Day 2 runs on September 11.

In between the Mini Irish Open flights are a number of juicy tournaments, including the $880 Lucky 8’s. This one has a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool and five Day 1 starting flights. Those who bag chips in any of the opening sessions will come back September 6 to play it down to a winner.

While no-limit hold’em is the main game to be played at the Irish Open Sydney, there’s a little something for everyone, such as the $600 Mixed 8-Game Championship on September 6. The $360 Deaf Championship Main Event runs September 5.

The biggest event of the series, the $2,000 Irish Open Main Event, has $1,000,000 guaranteed. There are six Day 1 flights planned, and the remaining players will return to action on September 13. A winner will be crowned the following day inside Poker Palace.

JP McCann, who co-owns the Irish Open with Paul O’Reilly, said in a press release: “We’ve always believed poker should be serious at the tables and great craic everywhere else, so bringing the Irish Open to Sydney felt like a natural fit – plus I’ve never been to Australia and thought it would be nice to go there!”

“Australians and Irish people have a lot in common – we both enjoy a good story, a good pint, and blaming bad beats on absolutely anything except our own decisions.

“Sydney also gives us the chance to connect with the growing Asia-Pacific poker community while bringing a little bit of Ireland with us. The Irish Open has always been about atmosphere as much as poker, and we can’t wait to bring that energy to Australia.”