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The Irish Open is taking place at the online poker site partypoker, with the Main Event already underway. The event began on March 26 and will run through April 7. Instead of taking place in Dublin like it normally would, the event is online. The 2020 and 2021 series has been hosted online at partypoker due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel concerns.
This year, the Main Event has a buy-in of €1,100 and began with three starting flights. A total of €1 million is guaranteed by partypoker and already players are vying for a spot in the competition. So many players have signed up to compete that the prize pool pushed past its guarantee and sits at just over €1.6 million.
Marc MacDonnell a Favorite to Win
Several top players are competing in the Main Event, hoping to bag bragging rights and of course, the first-place prize money. It looks as though Marc MacDonnell stands a good chance to win the event, having gained a stack of over 4.2 million chips taking the lead after Day 1b.
As one of the top pros in Ireland, it would be fitting for MacDonnell to earn the win. The poker pro has taken part in the event before, even finishing in 5th place back in 2012. This year though, he hopes to go all the way and claim the title.
While MacDonnell is a force to be reckoned with, he will not start Day 2 first in chips. First is Artsiom Prostack with just over 5.7 million in chips. Justin Ouimette is in second with 4.56 million and Morten Landberg Pedersen in third with just over 4.5 million. Vikto Zsemlye is fourth with 4.4 million in chips.
Day 1c still has to play so the outcome may be different. The final opening flight took place last night and included faster blind levels at just 10 minutes. The players who survived the opening flights came together last night and the remaining players who make it through will move on to Day 3 today.
The final nine will hit the virtual felt on April 7 and play down to the winner.
Qualifiers Were Available
The buy-in to Main Events in any series is usually unattainable for regular players. To help everyone have a shot at competing, the online poker room decided to offer qualifiers for the big event. Players could compete in four different steps to the top, earning a spot in the Main Event by going all the way to the end.
The final qualifier had a direct buy-in of only €109, which for many is an affordable option. Partypoker gave away several seats to the Main Event, which helped players of all bankrolls and skill levels take part.
Source: Worldcasinodirectory, Worldcasinonews
