Poker players from around the world are gathering in Dublin today to compete for up to €2million at Europe's longest running annual poker tournament, the Irish Open.
Like every business, the poker industry has not been immune from economic problems, but around 600 players are still expected to participate in the €3,500 entry event, a reduction of about 10 per cent on last years field.
The event, which is sponsored by bookmaker and internet poker host Paddy Power, has a freeze-out format.
This means that entrants pay a fixed amount in return for a stack of chips that they will add to or lose, meaning their elimination from the event, over the course of the weekend. The last 10 players standing will compete at the final table of the tournament which takes place on Monday afternoon.
The top 10 per cent of the field will receive a return on their entry fee.
“We have more players paid up and registered [about 500] for the main event at this point than we have ever had at this stage,” Paul Burke of Paddy Power Poker said last night.
“We had to work much harder to get the numbers this year because a lot of poker player don't have the same disposable income they had this time last year. If we get 600 players we'll be doing very well against the prevailing economic wind.”
Mr Burke said that an increased number of people secured their seats in the event playing satellite competitions on the internet.
Three former world poker champions have registered for the event. They are Dubliner Noel Furlong, respected American poker author Dan Harrington and his countryman Jamie Gold, who scooped $12million when he won the world championships in 2006.
It begins at the Citywest Hotel at 2pm and continues until Easter Monday.
