The 2023 Irish Open Main Event – the biggest poker tournament ever held in Ireland — ended Monday evening with young Scottish pro David Docherty (pictured with the trophy and with friends in the winner's photo) taking home a first prize of €365,000.
The €1,150 buy-in Main Event attracted a staggering 2,491 entries, creating a guarantee-busting €2,428,725 prize pool, up 22% up on last year. MainEventTravel.com was the Official Travel Partner and sorted out travel and accommodation for hundreds of players competing at the event from around the world.
Nearly 60 nationalities competed at the festival which ran April 3-10 at the RDS in Dublin. Docherty, who made the final of EPT London last October and the GUKPT Luton Main Event in 2021, beat Irish delivery driver Declan Rice heads-up to take the title, cash prize and coveted Irish Open trophy. His monster cash takes him to fifth place on the Scottish all-time money list – with total live tournament winnings of over $1 million.
Declan Rice won his seat to the tournament in a live satellite at the RDS venue – a satellite he only entered because he couldn't get a seat in the cash game. It was a decision that has led to a life-changing prize of €228,700.
Irish poker legend Andy Black was fifth for €95,500 while others who cashed include Benny Glaser , who won the €5k High Roller earlier in the week, well-known British pro Steve Watts and American Kevin O’Donnell.
The final four days of the festival were livestreamed on PokerStars TV with award-winning commentators James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton joined by PokerStars Ambassador Nick Walsh and 2017 Irish Open champion Griffin Benger.
With 130 tables, the spectacular Main Hall at the RDS was packed for most of the week. In the lavish Players’ Lounge, players chilled out with a bar, giant screens, FIFA matches and traditional favourites like Shuffleboard, foosball and beer pong. There was live music every night in the RDS bar which was renamed the Chancers Arms especially for the festival. There were trips to the dog races at Shelbourne Park and another free outing to the Fairyhouse Easter Festival, one of Ireland's top National Hunt meets. There were parties galore – including the official Players Party at Krystle nightclub on Sunday night and the après-poker party that took place every night in the Chancers Arms.
Paul O’Reilly, who organises the Irish Open with JP McCann, said: “Congratulations to our fantastic champion David Docherty. We are really thrilled with the success of this year’s event – it’s been an absolute winner. We want to thank all our hard-working staff – many of them are working year-round to put this event together. We also want to thank our partners and sponsors, the media and – most of all – the thousands of players who have come here this week and become a part of Irish poker history. It’s been sensational.”
Photo Credit: Danny Maxwell, Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited, Pokernews
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