2027 Irish Poker Open set for March 18–29: €2.5M Main Event guarantee, Mini Day 1 count differs
The 2027 Irish Poker Open carries a €2.5 million guarantee on its €1,150 Main Event, while reports differ on the Mini Irish Open's Day 1 flight count.
Author: PokerSlate AI-assisted editorial desk · Editor: PokerSlate separate AI editorial review
Published:
The 2027 Irish Poker Open schedule is out. Poker.org reported on October 21, and PokerNews followed on October 22; the festival is set for March 18–29, 2027, at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) in Dublin. Poker.org said it will be the 48th annual running and the fifth since the event moved to the RDS in 2022; PokerNews said 2027 is the Irish Open's 48th year and that the schedule contains 48 numbered events. St. Patrick's Day on March 17 falls immediately before the opening day. Co-owner Paul O'Reilly called the St. Patrick's Day parade the perfect opener for the Irish Open.
Main Event and two €1 million guarantees
The Main Event has a €1,150 buy-in and a €2.5 million guarantee, and runs March 21–29. PokerNews's schedule lists six Day 1 flights: March 21, March 24, March 25 (two flights) and March 26 (two flights); Poker.org also writes six starting flights, with dates from March 21 to 26, and the two reports agree on this point.
The other two events each carry a €1 million guarantee. The Luxon Mystery Bounty has a €1,150 buy-in, runs March 18–22 and has five Day 1 flights; Poker.org calls it the LuxonPay Mystery Bounty. The Mini Irish Open has a €250 buy-in, starts March 18 and holds its final on March 29. On the Mini's starting flights, PokerNews says there are 14 Day 1 flights, while Poker.org says 15; the two reports differ on the flight count, though both give the €1 million guarantee.
The schedule also includes €5,000 NLH High Roller and PLO High Roller events, a €350 H.O.R.S.E. championship and others. Poker.org said the lowest buy-in among open events is the €115 Flip and Go. PokerNews said the festival is partnered with PokerStars, Paddy Power and iPoker Network, and that more than 1,600 entrants won Main Event seats through online satellites, which could start at as little as €1.
Last edition as a reference point
Poker.org said the 2026 series drew more than 32,000 entries and a total prize pool of about €15.5 million (about $17.4 million), and that Narcis Nedelcu received about €336,000 after a five-way deal. PokerNews also reported more than 32,000 entries and more than €15.5 million, but called that edition “last year’s” event; it said the Main Event paid €4,852,910 to players who reached the money, and that Nedelcu received €336,798 after a five-way deal. The two reports do not use exactly the same year wording, but the 32,000 entries, €15.5 million and Nedelcu's five-way deal result align.
PokerNews also gave details of the 2026 Luxon Mystery Bounty: 1,175 entries, a €1,139,750 prize pool, and Tudor Lazar receiving €110,700 including bounties. The report also said the previous Mini Irish Open in its coverage had 7,349 entrants and a €1,532,634 prize pool; Sami Agel received €150,855 after a heads-up deal, and David Penly received €117,195.
These figures are, respectively, a series total, an individual event's prize pool and a player's tournament winnings, and they cannot stand in for one another. A guarantee is not paid prize money; the 2027 event has not yet taken place, so the actual field size and prize distribution can only be confirmed after the festival.
Local reading context
The Irish Poker Open is described by PokerNews as Europe's longest-running poker festival and is scheduled to return to Dublin's RDS in 2027. A guarantee is the minimum total prize pool the organizer promises; it is not money already paid out or an individual player's winnings, and the actual prize pool depends on entries. The Main Event, Mini Irish Open and Luxon Mystery Bounty are separate events with their own buy-ins, guarantees and schedules. Entries or entrants are the registration units reported by each source and do not establish unique player counts or whether reentries are included.
Source report dates: 2026-10-21 / 2026-10-22
Original sources and verification
- PokerNews
PokerNews reported on October 22 that the 2027 Irish Poker Open will run March 18–29 at the RDS in Dublin, that 2027 is its 48th year, and that the schedule contains 48 numbered events; the Main Event has a €1,150 buy-in, a €2.5 million guarantee and a March 21–29 run, with six Day 1 flights listed; the Luxon Mystery Bounty has a €1,150 buy-in, a €1 million guarantee, a March 18–22 run and five Day 1 flights; the Mini Irish Open has a €250 buy-in and a €1 million guarantee, with the report saying there are 14 Day 1 flights; the 2026 Luxon had 1,175 entries and a €1,139,750 prize pool, and Tudor Lazar received €110,700 including bounties; the report also said there were more than 32,000 entries and more than €15.5 million, that the Main Event paid €4,852,910 to players in the money, that Narcis Nedelcu received €336,798 after a five-way deal, and that online satellites could start at as little as €1.
- Poker.org
Poker.org reported on October 21 that the 2027 Irish Poker Open will run March 18–29 at the RDS in Dublin, that it is the 48th annual event and the fifth since the move to the RDS; the Main Event has a €1,150 buy-in, a €2.5 million guarantee, a March 21–29 run and six starting flights; the Mini Irish Open has a €250 buy-in and a €1 million guarantee, with the report saying there are 15 starting flights; the LuxonPay Mystery Bounty has a €1,150 buy-in, a €1 million guarantee, a March 18–22 run and five starting flights; the highest buy-in is €5,000; the 2026 series had more than 32,000 entries and a total prize pool of about €15.5 million (about $17.4 million), and Narcis Nedelcu received about €336,000 after a five-way deal.