The documentary Inside The Irish Open takes viewers back to the preparations for the 2025 edition, diving straight into the heart of the action. Within days, the historic hall of the Royal Dublin Society transforms into a premier poker venue where there's no room for improvisation. Every meter, every cable, every table must be perfectly in place. Seeing it firsthand, one understands why the Irish Open is not just a tournament but a logistical operation on par with major sporting events.
Three Days, Hundreds of Pallets, One Big Build
While players are busy with late registration and setting blinds, a completely different game unfolds behind the scenes at a blistering pace. Over three days, hundreds of pallets arrive at RDS, loaded with equipment: thousands of chairs, 280 tables, dozens of banners, and kilometers of internet and electrical cabling. The documentary highlights riggers, technicians, electricians, and set builders working tirelessly, layering the festival step by step.
One key visual hallmark of the 2025 edition was the LED setup: 320m² of screens and a 20m long LED wall—the largest LED installation ever seen at an Irish event, according to organizers. Alongside this comes another "invisible" task: sorting millions of chips, constructing a fully secure cashier's zone from scratch, and setting processes to ensure the event runs like clockwork.
Then there's a place players remember perhaps even more than some bad beats—The Craic Den. The documentary shows how the beating heart of the festival is created: a space for relaxation, storytelling, entertainment, and live programming that makes the Irish Open what it is.
The People Holding It All Together
Behind every record stands a team. The film reminds us that "before the festival" equals more than just a few days of prep—planning starts well in advance. Tournament schedules are crafted, hotel capacities plotted, media teams hired—including cameras and bloggers—and above all, staffing is organized to ensure everything kicks off smoothly. The numbers speak for themselves: around 320 dealers and 150 floor staff work on the event. As the festival grows, so does the need for more people, tables, space, and technology—each year a little more.
The documentary also highlights the story of the modern Irish Open era. Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann took over the event in 2016 and made a game-changing decision right from the start: they reduced the Main Event buy-in from €3,500 to €1,150. The goal was clear: to build "the best 1k event in the world," tailoring every detail to enhance the player experience.
The result? Instead of an exclusive elite affair, the tournament became one that attracts masses while maintaining quality. This blend of massive field, top-tier production, and festival energy is now the Irish Open's greatest strength.
Records No Longer a Coincidence
The numbers in recent years resemble an ever-rising graph. The 2016 Main Event had 802 players. Last year’s record-breaking (and award-winning) festival saw the Main Event featuring a €2,500,000 guarantee, with 4,562 entries. When looking at the entire festival, we're talking about over 30,000 tournament entries and €14,500,000 paid out in prize money.
When O’Reilly and McCann once spoke of a dream to reach 5,000 entries in the Main Event within ten years, it sounded ambitious. Now, it seems like a realistic milestone—and the 2026 edition might be the one to give it that final push.
The 2026 edition is set for a grand style: the festival runs from March 26 to April 6 at the Royal Dublin Society, offering 86 tournaments. The documentary arrives just in time—offering a taste of what happens before lights switch on, registration opens, and players start chasing their runs. The Irish Open has long sold its atmosphere. Now, it adds the story of people and details without which the "craic" would never exist.
You can watch the full documentary here:
Sources: YouTube, https://irishpokeropen.com/, Flickr/PSlive @Danny Maxwell
