The International Poker Open (IPO) is one of the original low cost poker events in Europe and has been running since 2007, when it had a €150 buy-in. It’s as old as the GUKPT and much older than other low buy-in events such as the Goliath or the Battle of Malta. It’s taking place in 2025 at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin, from 21st-27th October. It’s run by a team headed by tournament director extraordinaire Nick O’Hara, who has been at the helm of the IPO for almost a decade. Almost two decades after it began, the IPO buy-in remains at an accessible €350.
The IPO 2025 Main Event
The €350 IPO Main Event (€310+€40) is the highlight of the schedule and although it doesn’t have a guarantee, the prize pool is estimated to be in the region of €250,000. It has six starting flights, four of which have 40-minute blinds levels, plus a turbo (20-minute blinds) and a hyper-turbo (10-minute blinds).
Vitalis Polukejevs is the defending champion, having walked off with the top prize of €34,630 in 2024. There has never been a defending champion, nor even a double winner of the IPO, but will that change in 2025?
Dates: Wednesday 22nd-Monday 27th October, 2025
Buy-In: €310+€40
Starting Chips: 30,000
Late Registration: 9 Levels
All Day 1 Flights: 15 levels played
Payouts: Approximately 12.5% of the field, payouts will be announced at the start of Day 2
Prize Pool Deduction: 2.5%
| Date | Time | Main Event Day | Level Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed Oct 22 | 14:00 | Day 1A | 40m |
| Thu Oct 23 | 14:00 | Day 1B | 40m |
| Fri Oct 24 | 14:00 | Day 1C | 40m |
| Sat Oct 25 | 13:00 | Day 1D | 40m |
| Sat Oct 25 | 20:00 | Day 1E (Turbo) | 20m |
| Sun Oct 26 | 09:30 | Day 1F (Hyper) | 10m |
| Sun Oct 26 | 13:00 | Day 2 | 50m |
| Mon Oct 27 | 13:00 | Final Day | 60m |
Qualify Online at WPT Global
The online partner for the IPO is WPT Global, running satellites to the Main Event, every Monday and Thursday until October 12th. Satellites cost $44 to enter, but there is a qualifier path starting at $0.44 cents, which feeds into $4.40s that in turn feed into the $44 direct satellites.
There are three seats guaranteed in each of these satellites, which begin at 8pm (Irish time) and WPTG has added a further incentive, which is that if any online qualifier goes on to win the event, they’ll scoop an additional $100,000 bonus payout.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus + FREE Tickets
Sign-up for the best WPTGlobal deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Day 1 Online at WPT Global
There is also an opportunity to begin the Main Event wearing just your underpants, or even completely nude, as WPT Global will host an online Day 1, which takes place at 8pm on October 19th, with a $409.50 buy-in. Those who survive the online starting day will parachute (not literally, but if it were so, hopefully fully clad) straight into the live Day 2 on Sunday 26th October at the Bonnington Hotel.
Live Satellites
There are also several satellites taking place during the festival, for the Main Event and for several of the side events. Satellites are all run with a chip target format, whereby player win their seat once they have reached a prescribed number of chips. Here is the full live satellite schedule.
| Date | Time | Event # | Tournament | Buy-in | Level Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Oct 21 | 21:00 | 3 | Qualifier to Main Event – WYS @ 75K Chips (5 Seats Gtd) | €70+€15 | 20m |
| Wed Oct 22 | 21:00 | 7 | Qualifier to Main Event – WYS @ 75K Chips (5 Seats Gtd) | €70+€15 | 20m |
| Thu Oct 23 | 21:00 | 10 | Qualifier to Main Event – WYS @ 75K Chips (5 Seats Gtd) | €70+€15 | 20m |
| Fri Oct 24 | 15:00 | 11 | Qualifier to Luxon SHR – WYS @ 105K Chips (2 Seats Gtd) | €162+€13 | 20m |
| Fri Oct 24 | 18:00 | 12 | Qualifier to Main Event – WYS @ 75K Chips (5 Seats Gtd) | €70+€15 | 20m |
| Sat Oct 25 | 19:00 | 15 | Qualifier to High Roller – WYS @ 105K Chips (3 Seats Gtd) | €83+€12 | 20m |
| Sun Oct 26 | 11:00 | 17 | Qualifier to High Roller – WYS @ 105K Chips (4 Seats Gtd) | €83+€12 | 15m |
| Sun Oct 26 | 12:30 | 18 | Qualifier to “IPO Second Chance” – WYS @ 75K Chips (5 Seats Gtd) | €46+€9 | 20m |
Side Events Schedule
In addition to the Main Event and satellites, 2025 has the biggest side event schedule ever seen at the IPO. In total there are 22 side events, with the highlights being the €550 Leslie McLean High Roller and the €1,100 Luxon Pay Super High Roller with a €30,000 guaranteed prize pool. The €220 IPO Second Chance and the €170 IPO Mini Main also stand out on the schedule as events worth planning for.
Fans of non-Hold’em formats are also well catered for at the 2025 IPO, with an 8-Game and two PLO events, all priced at €170+€30. There are also €10 PLO Flips every evening, billed as Midnight Madness, which should be enough of a clue for anyone reading this to work out at what time they start.
Texas Hold’em aficionados are also well catered for, with a low-buy-in nightly slot devoted to various two-card variants of the game once described by Doyle Brunson as the ‘Cadillac’ of poker. This includes a bounty, a mystery bounty, a deepstack, a turbo and a plain old vanilla NLH game as well.
With the absence of ladies event, there’s no gender divide at the IPO, however there is one event that has an entry restriction, the 2-day €260+€40 IPO Seniors event. Seniors events have become all the rage in recent years and the IPO is the latest live poker event to include an event for the varifocal community. However, there is no truth in the rumour that each player will receive a “nap break” card, entitling them to not pay blinds or antes for up to two laps of the table, in case they happen to fall asleep while playing.
| Date | Time | Event # | Tournament | Buy-in | Level Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Oct 21 | 15:00 | 1 | IPO Seniors Event | €260+€40 | 40m |
| 19:00 | 2 | Nightly NLH (Tuesday) The Warm Up | €80+€20 | 20m | |
| 23:59 | 101 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Wed Oct 22 | 16:00 | 5 | 8-Game | €170+€30 | 20m |
| 19:00 | 6 | Nightly NLH (Wednesday) Bounty (€50) | €50+€50+€20 | 20m | |
| 23:59 | 102 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Thu Oct 23 | 18:00 | 8 | IPO PLO – Unlimited Re-Entry | €170+€30 | 20m |
| 19:00 | 9 | Nightly NLH (Thursday) Mystery Bounty | €65+€65+€20 | 20m | |
| 23:59 | 103 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Fri Oct 24 | 20:00 | 13 | Luxon Pay Super High Roller €30K Gtd | €1,000+€100 | 30m |
| 21:30 | 14 | Nightly NLH (Friday) Deepstack | €80+€20 | 15m | |
| 23:59 | 104 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Sat Oct 25 | 13:00 | 13 | Luxon Pay Super High Roller Final | €1,000+€100 | 30m |
| 22:00 | 16 | Nightly NLH (Saturday) Turbo | €85+€15 | 15m | |
| 23:59 | 105 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Sun Oct 26 | 13:30 | 19 | Leslie McLean High Roller Day 1 | €500+€50 | 40m |
| 18:00 | 20 | IPO Second Chance – Unlimited Re-Entry | €200+€30 | 25/30m | |
| 22:00 | 21 | Nightly NLH (Sunday) Turbo | €100+€20 | 15m | |
| 23:59 | 106 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – | |
| Mon Oct 27 | 13:00 | 19 | Leslie McLean High Roller Final | €500+€50 | 40m |
| 13:00 | 20 | IPO Second Chance Final | €200+€30 | 25/30m | |
| 14:00 | 22 | IPO Mini Main – Unlimited Re-Entries | €150+€20 | 20m | |
| 15:00 | 23 | PLO Deepstack | €170+€30 | 20m | |
| 18:00 | 24 | Nightly NLH (Monday) Last Chance | €100+€20 | 20m | |
| 23:59 | 107 | Midnight Madness (Omaha Flip Out) | €10 | – |
100% up to $3,000 Bonus + FREE Tickets
Sign-up for the best WPTGlobal deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
International Poker Open History
The IPO was founded by Stephen McLean, who enjoyed modest success at the Australian Poker Championship (later renamed the Aussie Millions) in 2005, finishing 5th for A$110,000. It started well, instantly becoming the biggest event of its kind, paving the way for many other grassroots poker events that would follow.
The first IPO event in 2007 featured a €150 buy-in and attracted a field of 1,034 players. This was a huge event for the time, as the low-buy-in behemoths of today did not exist. Participation increased to 1,300 in 2008 and grew to 1,440 in 2009. Over the next few years the buy-in edged upwards, settling at €230 for several years and so did participation, which peaked at 1,656 entries in 2014.
In 2014 and 2015 the IPO became a tour, hosting not just a single event per year, but five events in 2014, when it was sponsored by BoylePoker. Events were held in the Ireland and the UK and in 2015 the tour held a second season, with Full Tilt Poker as the sponsor and seven stops on the schedule.
However the numbers on the tour stops were underwhelming and from 2016, the IPO returned to being a single annual event, but with a full supporting festival schedule. In 2016 the buy-in was hiked upwards to €300, but participation fell back to under 1,000 and has remained under four-figures at every event since then. The buy-in of the Main Event is now set at €350 for 2025.
International Poker Open Past Winners
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | 1st Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | €125+€25 | 1,034 | €134,000 | Colin King | €12,015 (6-way deal) |
| 2008 | €135+€15 | 1,300 | €205,060 | Ruairi Coy | €37,530 |
| 2009 | $250 | 1,440 | $350,000 | Markus Sippe | $62,250 |
| 2010 | €180+€20 | Unkown | Unkown | John Gray | €50,600 |
| 2011 | €200+€25 | Unkown | Unknown | Luke Martens | €51,350 |
| 2012 | €200+€30 | 1,148 | €229,600 | Tom Brady | €42,350 |
| 2013 | €200+€30 | 1,373 | €274,600 | Donie Lyons | €39,485 |
| 2014 | €200+€30 | 1,656 | €346,430 | Chris Pyle | €71,650 |
| 2015 | $218+$32 | 1,498 | $326,564 | Konrad Swinarski | $47,064 |
| 2016 | €260+€40 | 911 | €236,860 | Nick Stas | €32,200 |
| 2017 | €260+€40 | 821 | €213,460 | John Bambury | €40,260 |
| 2018 | €260+€40 | 767 | €194,435 | Joseph McKeown | €24,370 |
| 2019 | €260+€40 | 755 | €191,000 | Luke Boynton | €24,450 |
| 2020 | €260+€40 | Unknown | Unknown | Ciaran Cooney | €12,525 |
| 2021 | €260+€40 | 974 | €224,094 | James Cusack | €46,590 |
| 2022 | €260+€40 | 809 | €205,080 | Ilan Cukrowicz | €30,900 |
| 2023 | €310+€40 | 794 | €239,990 | Steven Rothheut | €45,240 |
| 2024 | €260+€40 | 909 | €274,745 | Vitalijs Polukejevs | €34,630 |
FAQ
100% up to $3,000 Bonus + FREE Tickets
Sign-up for the best WPTGlobal deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
