Poker in Ireland: online rooms, the Irish Open and the players who made the country's name

Ireland is a small country with an outsized poker history. The Irish Poker Open, first played in 1980, is the oldest no-limit hold'em tournament in Europe and now the continent's biggest festival in its buy-in range; Dublin produced Andy Black's famous 2005 WSOP run and a generation of online professionals; and playing poker online has always been legal here, with winnings untaxed. GGPoker and WPT Global both accept Irish players, and the country's gambling law is in the middle of its biggest overhaul in a century.

Is online poker legal in Ireland?

Yes. Playing poker online has never been an offence in Ireland, and gambling winnings are not taxed for players. The rules for operators are changing: the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 created the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), which is introducing a licensing regime for online gambling in stages, with new rules on advertising, bonuses and player protection. Until the remote-gaming licences are live, international rooms continue to serve Ireland under the old framework, and GGPoker and WPT Global both list Ireland among the countries they accept. Minimum age is 18. This is general information, not legal advice; we update this page as the GRAI regime is phased in.

Live poker in Ireland

Ireland has no licensed casinos. Live poker happens in private members' clubs — Dublin has several — and, above all, at festivals. The Irish Poker Open takes over the Royal Dublin Society every March: the 2026 edition drew more than 5,000 Main Event entries and paid out over €14.5 million across 89 events, and the 2027 festival runs from 18 to 29 March with a €2.5 million guaranteed €1,150 Main Event. The Irish Poker Tour, the JP Poker Masters and regular festivals in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Killarney fill the rest of the calendar, and the Irish Open brand now runs international editions in Marrakech and Sydney.

Irish players

Andy Black leads the Irish all-time money list after his fifth place in the 2005 WSOP Main Event; Max Silver, London-born and Dublin-based, won the EPT Barcelona High Roller; Marty Smyth from Belfast won the Irish Open, a WSOP PLO bracelet and the Poker Million within eighteen months in 2007–08; and Toby Joyce, Marc MacDonnell, Eoghan O'Dea and Dermot Blain have all passed $2.5 million. Our profiles are below.