Every year hundreds of Canadians make their way to Dublin to compete in the Irish Poker Open. It’s an annual migration that many of them wouldn’t miss for the world – and they rank the event their favourite overseas tournament.
For Canadians, the Irish Open is all about the “craic” – getting together with old friends, making new friends, listening to music, joining in all the fun and games and, of course, playing poker.
This year’s Irish Open is taking place from April 3 to 10 at the Royal Dublin Society – and once again Canadians will be out in force. MainEventTravel.com is the Official Travel Partner of the Irish Open and can help with all aspects of travel for the event including flights, hotel reservations and even Main Event direct buy-ins. Don’t miss the special deals offering accommodation and buy-in combined.
First trip to Dublin
For June Jenkins and Elizabeth Bennet-Martin, it all started seven years ago when they were competing at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and started chatting about ancestry with Dublin-based TD Nick O’Hara. During the conversation, Nick mentioned an event he was involved with back home – the Irish Poker Open – and it piqued the ladies’ interest.
A road trip around Ireland? With poker thrown in?? What more could they want!? With her Irish background, Elizabeth was super excited as Ireland had always been high on her bucket list; adding poker into the mix was just icing on the cake.
That first year – 2016 – June and Elizabeth were joined by fellow poker enthusiasts Kim Kilroy and Julie Murphy. The four, along with their friend Stuart Kerridge, became the advance guard for what has now become a phenomenal number of Canadian participants.
June said: “Our first trip was a group of just us four ladies. It was all very last minute and we just bunked in a dealer’s room. It was a helluva fun trip as we also rented an SUV and travelled around." The women all started promoting the event when they got home, telling friends and other players they met at events and posting on social media. It helped kick-start a Canadian phenomenon which shows no sign of slacking yet.
June has also encouraged a lot of Americans to give the event a whirl and this year aims to bring a whole load of new players from Gulf Coast Poker.
June added: “One year I came with American sports commentator Lon McEachern and actually I think he’s coming this year too!! I’ve played the event five times now and what really sets it apart is the people – they play for the sport of it but also the Craic. It’s about fun times, music and games. It’s not about winning big – it’s all about the quality-of-life factors. This is what we come for!!”
Kim said about 30 Canadians attended in 2017 with closer to 100 the following year. She said: “It has only increased every year with the exception of Covid years. I can’t wait to see everyone this year!” She and Kim travel round the world playing poker and Ireland is still their hands-down favourite. This year will be their sixth trip to the Emerald Isle.
The Griffin Benger victory!
In 2017, the Canadians really claimed the Irish Open for their own when Toronto player and poker commentator Griffin Benger (pictured) won the Main Event for €200,000. Griffin, who played the event on a whim, was thrilled that so many fellow Canadians were cheering him on at the final table. He said: “I didn’t know any of that crew before but they were hugely supportive during my run. They go every year and just really love the balance of good fun and beautiful location that Ireland provides.”
The World’s Largest Home Game
Another Canadian regular is Raph Verdugo from Calgary who attends the Irish Open every year with his friends Kelly Kellner and Tim Silman. This year Raph and Kelly are bringing their sons with them – “the start of a new tradition” says Raph.
He said: “People always ask me why I keep going back and the answer is very clear – I call it the World’s Largest Home Game because everyone makes you feel like you’re playing down the street with all your buddies. The IPO is as inviting as any poker tournament that I have ever played in and I have played around the world in some of the biggest venues.”
All the above have enjoyed cashes at the festival even if they’ve yet to win super-big. Their passion for the event knows no bounds and their enthusiasm is certainly one of the reasons why the Irish Open is such a success.
Good luck to all those travelling across the pond for April’s event!! And don’t forget to check out the special deals on MainEventTravel.com, the Official Travel Partner of the Irish Poker Open.
Photo credit: Irish Poker Open, June Jenkins, Kim Kilroy, Elizabeth Bennett-Martin
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