The 46th edition of the Irish Open has wrapped up, producing record-breaking numbers, including an all-time high for Main Event entries.

But the action isn’t over yet, as PokerStars is now gearing up to host the Irish Open Afterparty tournament series on its platform.

As the Irish Open notes on its website, “The event will bring the Irish Open’s unmistakable ‘craic’ to the online PokerStars tables, giving players the chance to recreate the festival’s famous atmosphere in their own home.”

The Irish Open Afterparty kicks off this Sunday, April 12, featuring more than $3 million in guaranteed prize pools. The series includes 69 tournaments, with buy-ins ranging from $5.50 to $530 and runs for nine days.

“The Irish Poker Open is famous for its atmosphere as much as its poker, and we wanted to make sure that energy carries beyond the tournament floor and onto the online felt,” said Steve Clarricoats, Associate Director of Poker Operations at PokerStars. “Not everyone can make it to Dublin, but that shouldn’t mean missing out on the Irish Open experience. The online series gives players everywhere the chance to take part, compete for titles and be part of something special.”

Irish Open Online on PokerStars 2026 Highlights:

  • April 12 to 20
  • $3 million in guarantees
  • 69 events
  • Spraggy special Mystery Bounty tournaments
  • Variety of formats

Irish-Themed Events and Spraggy Specials

The lobby itself stands out, with tournaments color-coded in green, white, and orange to mirror the Irish flag. Beyond that, many events draw inspiration from classic Irish symbols and folklore, including the Paddy Stack, the Four Leaf Clover, the Blarney Bluff, and the Leprechaun. The $109 Celtic Fortune Main Event, running from April 19 to April 20, headlines the schedule with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

There are also events named after PokerStars ambassador Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, including the largest guaranteed tournament outside the Main Event. Both run on opening day, April 12, featuring the $75 Spraggy’s Mystery Sunday Special with $400,000 in guarantees, and the $11 Spraggy’s Mystery Sunday Storm boasting $750,000 in guarantees.

Both events use the mystery bounty format, with an added twist: an extra bounty on Spraggy himself. Eliminating him rewards players with a $109 Irish Open Online Main Event ticket along with a Spraggy throwable.

Other highlights on the schedule include The Craic, set for April 19 with a $100,000 guarantee on a $55 buy-in. A similar event also runs on opening day under the name Fáilte, carrying the same buy-in and guarantee.

While it may not be a flagship series like WCOOP or SCOOP, the schedule still offers a solid mix of variants, including mixed games such as 8-Game and HORSE, alongside niche formats like 2-7 Triple Draw, NL Omaha H/L, PL Omaha H/L, and 5 Card Omaha.

There’s also plenty of variety in formats, ranging from mystery bounties and progressive knockouts to Zoom heads-up total knockouts, along with 3-handed events, turbos, hypers, and more.

Players can qualify for events through satellites already running around the clock in the PokerStars client, with buy-ins starting from just $0.55.

From Record Turnout to Global Expansion

The series is the first to run after the operator hosted SCOOP, which paid out over $52 million across 400 tournaments in March.

However, this isn’t the first time the Irish Open has made its way online via PokerStars. Last year, a similar series ran ahead of the live festival, featuring $800,000 in guarantees. Another edition took place in 2023, offering just over $425,000 in total prize money.

That said, the upcoming edition is much larger, making it the biggest online version of the Irish Open on PokerStars to date. In earlier years, when PartyPoker served as co-sponsor, it also hosted its own online version of the series.

The online series follows closely on the heels of a record-breaking Irish Open. The Main Event alone drew more than 5,000 entries, setting a new benchmark. Of those, over 1,600 players qualified online through PokerStars, Paddy Power, and the iPoker network.

“The connection between the Irish Open and online poker runs deep!” said Paul O’Reilly, co-organiser of the Irish Open. “Our partnership with headline sponsor PokerStars means we have an even bigger number of online qualifiers this year than ever before — both package and Main Event seat winners. So it’s great we can take the party back online straight after the festival!”

Following the success of the series, the Irish Open has also announced plans to expand internationally. Its first international stop will take place in Sydney, featuring an 11-day festival running from September 3 to 13 at the Poker Palace. In November, the tour heads to Marrakech for a six-day event at the Casino de Marrakech, highlighted by a €500,000 guaranteed Main Event. Looking ahead, the festival is also set to debut in the United States next year, marking the Irish Poker Open’s first American stop.