For David Lappin, the Irish Open is not only an important event in his hometown, but also one of the most iconic live poker festivals in his mind. With the 2026 season progressing, he is particularly optimistic that the Irish Open will continue to play a key role this year, becoming an important stop for many players to build their reputation and achievements.<\/p>\n

Lappin stated that the Irish Open's appeal lies not only in its history and scale, but also in the atmosphere itself. For him, it's a tournament where simply stepping into the venue instantly evokes a special energy. Whether or not a player is from Ireland, anyone who has participated in this event can usually quickly understand why it enjoys such high recognition in the poker world.<\/p>\n

David Lappin: The Irish Open has always been one of my favorite live tournaments.<\/h2>\n
When asked about his favorite live event, David Lappin unsurprisingly pointed to the Irish Open. He believes that while the tournament certainly holds special significance for Irish players, what truly sets it apart is its strong appeal to poker players from all over the world.<\/p>\n
In his view, many players who have participated in the Irish Open once immediately fall in love with the series. This isn't just due to the tournament itself, but also because the overall atmosphere is vibrant, relaxed, and festive. For many players who have just finished intense European tour events or major tournaments, the Irish Open offers a different kind of live experience.
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
\n
The allure of the Irish Open through Lappin's eyes<\/h3>\n
\n
Long history and highly recognizable<\/li>\n
The atmosphere was vibrant and festive.<\/li>\n
It attracts not only Irish players, but also a large number of international players.<\/li>\n
It combines competitiveness and a relaxed atmosphere, making it suitable for different types of players.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The 2026 Irish Open continues to generate buzz.<\/h2>\n
This year's Irish Open is not only a continuation of a traditional prestigious tournament, but is also seen as an important milestone in the 2026 season. Lappin specifically mentioned that some players will plan their entire year's schedule from the very beginning of the season, while others will only realize that they have a chance to break into the top ranks after achieving good results in the first few tournaments, and then further adjust their tournament schedule for the whole year.<\/p>\n
For this reason, the Irish Open is not just an annual event; it's also a crucial time for many players to reassess their season plans at the beginning of the year. For players aiming for higher rankings, better results, or even to boost their year-end exposure through a few key tournaments, this event is naturally even more important.<\/p>\n
The Irish Open continues to expand, with the number of participants steadily increasing.<\/h2>\n
David Lappin also specifically mentioned the most noticeable change in the Irish Open in recent years: its overall scale has continued to expand. From 1,880 entries in 2021, the main event has grown to 4,562 entries in 2025, showing a very clear upward trend.<\/p>\n
In his view, the increased exposure of the tournament in recent years, the promotion of online qualifying, and the increased participation of international players are all important reasons for the growth of the Irish Open. As a result, this tournament has gradually become one of the most talked-about poker events in Europe, rather than just a traditional prestigious event.
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
years<\/th>\n Buy<\/th>\n Number of participants<\/th>\n Prize pool<\/th>\n champion<\/th>\n country<\/th>\n Champion Prize Money<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2025<\/td>\n \u20ac1,150<\/td>\n 4,562<\/td>\n \u20ac4,447,950<\/td>\n Simon Wilson<\/td>\n Ireland<\/td>\n \u20ac600,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\n \u20ac1,150<\/td>\n 3,233<\/td>\n \u20ac3,152,175<\/td>\n Tero Laurila<\/td>\n Finland<\/td>\n \u20ac292,685<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\n \u20ac1,150<\/td>\n 2,491<\/td>\n \u20ac2,428,725<\/td>\n David Docherty<\/td>\n Scotland<\/td>\n \u20ac365,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\n \u20ac1,150<\/td>\n 2,040<\/td>\n \u20ac1,989,000<\/td>\n Steve O'Dwyer<\/td>\n Ireland<\/td>\n \u20ac318,700<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\n \u20ac1,100<\/td>\n 1,880<\/td>\n \u20ac1,880,000<\/td>\n Pavlo Veksler<\/td>\n Ukraine<\/td>\n \u20ac265,999<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
Online qualifiers are gaining popularity, and participation is expected to remain strong in 2026.<\/h2>\n
Lappin also mentioned that he was quite surprised by the number of players who registered through the online qualifiers this year. He originally thought the final number might be around 1,500, but the actual number was clearly much higher, showing that the Irish Open's online qualifiers are becoming increasingly attractive.<\/p>\n
If this trend continues, the Irish Open has a significant chance of growing even larger in the coming years. Lappin even believes that by the later stages of this generation, the main event could potentially attract 9,000 to 10,000 participants. Given the growth rate of the past few years, this is a very high goal, but not entirely impossible.
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
David Lappin emphasized that players are always the most important core element.<\/h2>\n
When discussing his views on the overall poker ecosystem, David Lappin stated that what matters most to him has never been superficial identity, but rather the players themselves. Whether online or offline, what he cares about most is whether players who truly invest time and money in the poker ecosystem can obtain fair, trustworthy, and high-quality products.<\/p>\n
He also stated frankly that his most important direction for the future is to continue prioritizing player needs. For Lappin, this is not just a matter of attitude, but his core standard for viewing the entire industry.<\/p>\n
\n
David Lappin's key points<\/h3>\n
\n
Player needs should be the top priority.<\/li>\n
Products must be fair and trustworthy.<\/li>\n
Both online and offline experiences should be continuously optimized.<\/li>\n
The core of the entire poker ecosystem remains the players themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
From David Lappin's perspective, the Irish Open continues to garner attention in the poker world because it possesses history, atmosphere, scale, and growth potential. For veteran players, it's an annual event with emotional connections; for new players, it's an increasingly unmissable major international tournament.<\/p>\n
With the Irish Open gaining momentum in 2026, this historic tournament is likely to further solidify its central position in the European poker landscape. Its influence will only grow stronger if participation continues to increase in the coming years.

<\/p>\n
Want to change Texas Holdem from \"can understand\" to \"can win\"?<\/h3>\n
If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading\uff1a<\/p>\n
The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?<\/a>
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner\u2019s Essentials)<\/a>
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check \/ Bet \/ Call \/Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis<\/a>
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes<\/a><\/p>\n
Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range<\/strong> . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Texas Hold'em starting hands chart is the most important basic tool in Texas Hold'em. This article provides a complete starting hands chart and positional strategy to help beginners quickly determine which hands to play, improving decision-making and win rate.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[325],"tags":[873,874,100,11,113,875,872,876,710,877,762,765,878],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-325","tag-2026-","tag-david-lappin","tag-hunter-poker","tag-11","tag-113","tag-875","tag-872","tag-876","tag-710","tag-877","tag-762","tag-765","tag-878"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2134,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions\/2134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

years<\/th>\n	Buy<\/th>\n	Number of participants<\/th>\n	Prize pool<\/th>\n	champion<\/th>\n	country<\/th>\n	Champion Prize Money<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2025<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,150<\/td>\n	4,562<\/td>\n	\u20ac4,447,950<\/td>\n	Simon Wilson<\/td>\n	Ireland<\/td>\n	\u20ac600,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,150<\/td>\n	3,233<\/td>\n	\u20ac3,152,175<\/td>\n	Tero Laurila<\/td>\n	Finland<\/td>\n	\u20ac292,685<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,150<\/td>\n	2,491<\/td>\n	\u20ac2,428,725<\/td>\n	David Docherty<\/td>\n	Scotland<\/td>\n	\u20ac365,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,150<\/td>\n	2,040<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,989,000<\/td>\n	Steve O'Dwyer<\/td>\n	Ireland<\/td>\n	\u20ac318,700<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,100<\/td>\n	1,880<\/td>\n	\u20ac1,880,000<\/td>\n	Pavlo Veksler<\/td>\n	Ukraine<\/td>\n	\u20ac265,999<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Online qualifiers are gaining popularity, and participation is expected to remain strong in 2026.<\/h2>\n Lappin also mentioned that he was quite surprised by the number of players who registered through the online qualifiers this year. He originally thought the final number might be around 1,500, but the actual number was clearly much higher, showing that the Irish Open's online qualifiers are becoming increasingly attractive.<\/p>\n If this trend continues, the Irish Open has a significant chance of growing even larger in the coming years. Lappin even believes that by the later stages of this generation, the main event could potentially attract 9,000 to 10,000 participants. Given the growth rate of the past few years, this is a very high goal, but not entirely impossible. $\"\"$ <\/p>\n David Lappin emphasized that players are always the most important core element.<\/h2>\n When discussing his views on the overall poker ecosystem, David Lappin stated that what matters most to him has never been superficial identity, but rather the players themselves. Whether online or offline, what he cares about most is whether players who truly invest time and money in the poker ecosystem can obtain fair, trustworthy, and high-quality products.<\/p>\n He also stated frankly that his most important direction for the future is to continue prioritizing player needs. For Lappin, this is not just a matter of attitude, but his core standard for viewing the entire industry.<\/p>\n \n David Lappin's key points<\/h3>\n \n Player needs should be the top priority.<\/li>\n Products must be fair and trustworthy.<\/li>\n Both online and offline experiences should be continuously optimized.<\/li>\n The core of the entire poker ecosystem remains the players themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n From David Lappin's perspective, the Irish Open continues to garner attention in the poker world because it possesses history, atmosphere, scale, and growth potential. For veteran players, it's an annual event with emotional connections; for new players, it's an increasingly unmissable major international tournament.<\/p>\n With the Irish Open gaining momentum in 2026, this historic tournament is likely to further solidify its central position in the European poker landscape. Its influence will only grow stronger if participation continues to increase in the coming years. <\/p>\n Want to change Texas Holdem from \"can understand\" to \"can win\"?<\/h3>\n If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading\uff1a<\/p>\n The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?<\/a> Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner\u2019s Essentials)<\/a> Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check \/ Bet \/ Call \/Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis<\/a> How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes<\/a><\/p>\n Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range<\/strong> . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Texas Hold'em starting hands chart is the most important basic tool in Texas Hold'em. This article provides a complete starting hands chart and positional strategy to help beginners quickly determine which hands to play, improving decision-making and win rate.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[325],"tags":[873,874,100,11,113,875,872,876,710,877,762,765,878],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-325","tag-2026-","tag-david-lappin","tag-hunter-poker","tag-11","tag-113","tag-875","tag-872","tag-876","tag-710","tag-877","tag-762","tag-765","tag-878"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2134,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions\/2134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}