partypoker Comes To The Rescue, Will Host 2020 Irish Open Online

Last week, it was announced that the 2020 Irish Open will no longer take place as planned due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 edition of Europe’s longest-running festival was originally scheduled to hit the live felts from April 6-13, at the City West Hotel in Dublin.

Now, partypoker has found a way to continue the action by hosting an online version of the 2020 Irish Open, much to the delight of players and fans.

The online edition is confirmed to run on April 6-12, though the schedule of events is still subject to revision as partypoker currently does not support some formats included in the original schedule. All the same, players can expect a jam-packed schedule, with massive guarantees up for grabs!

The main highlight of the upcoming online festival is the Irish Open Main Event, which retains the whopping €1 million guaranteed prize pool. partypoker will host a series of satellites to this event, giving players all over the world a chance to take part for an affordable price.

According to Irish Open organizer JP McCann, the decision to team up with partypoker has been made with players’ in mind, making sure that they can still continue providing fun and top-notch action to everyone, without risking the health and safety of players and staff. An online festival makes for a perfect alternative, as governments implement drastic measures to prevent the spread of the virus, one of which is the cancellation of events involving huge crowds.

McCann thanked the partypoker team for coming forward and making sure the festival goes ahead. Irish Open will now mark its 40th year at the virtual tables.

partypoker’s Tom Waters is equally delighted to partner with Irish Open, saying the tournament is a unique festival and hosting an online edition would be the best move.

New Opportunities for Online Platforms

With major live events now being cancelled or postponed, players and organizers are now switching their focus on the online felts. Last week, the WPT also launched an online series in conjunction with partypoker, which will take place on May 10-26 2020. The first-ever WPT Online Series will feature a massive $30 million guarantee, with 10 headline events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced live poker tournament organizers to change their plans and turn to online poker platforms to continue to provide poker action to players and fans around the globe.

The final schedule of the online edition of the 2020 Irish Open will be announced soon.