AT LEAST €3 million will be on the line in Dublin this weekend as poker players from around the world gather for Europe's longestrunning annual poker tournament, the Irish poker open.
Some 1,000 people are expected to play in the no-limit Texas hold'em event, which has an entry fee of €4,500.
The tournament begins at the Citywest Hotel this afternoon and continues until Easter Monday.
Poker has become a multi-billion euro industry in the last 10 years, largely due to the development of internet gaming.
Entry fees for internet poker games now range in cost from $.01 to €100,000 and some players competing in this year's Irish event will have won their entry through internet games costing as little as €1.
On the back of the online poker boom, the prize-pool, prestige and numbers entering the Irish competition, which began in 1980, have increased in recent years.
Last year, Belfast man Marty Smyth saw off 708 players to win €650,000. This year's winner has been guaranteed a prize of at least €800,000.
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 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 event which takes place on Monday afternoon. The top 10 per cent of the field will receive a return on their entry fee.
Many of the world's top professional players have registered for the event. Among them is 74-year-old Texan Doyle Brunson, a career gambler whose book Super System is regarded by many players as the poker Bible.
Andrew Black (42), one of Ireland's leading professionals and a well-known poker personality on the international stage, yesterday told The Irish Timeshe was looking forward to the event.
"The Irish open is my home tournament and it has become one of the biggest tournaments in Europe in the past few years," he said.
"I guess because I'm a favourite it puts an extra added pressure on me, which is exciting."
Highlights from the competition will be broadcast on RTÉ 2 on Saturday, Sunday and Monday night.
