From the outside you might think that Ireland is a small country known only for its craic and banter, but it is also steeped in history when it comes to live poker. Dublin, Ireland is the home of the second oldest poker tournament in the world (only the World Series of Poker is older), known as the Irish Poker Open.
Terry Rogers, a famous Irish bookmaker and gambler is largely lauded with setting up poker in Ireland. Terry organised the first tournament in 1980 above his shop as something for the gamblers to do whilst the pubs we shut on good Friday. Since then, the tournament has become one of the main poker tournaments in the calendar, with all the greats from around the world in presence at one time or another. Most of whom didn’t just come to play poker, but also to have fun at the tables. Over the years, there have been some crazy memories, whether its the bucking bronko in a hotel lobby, the full final table live on Irish national TV or the slow roll that went viral for all the right reasons.
So yes, we have great Guinness and craic, but we also have amazing casinos and the Irish Poker Open, so why not treat yourself!
