The Irish Open delivered as soon as once more. With a record-breaking discipline, electrical ambiance, and an enormous €600,000 up prime, it’s no shock this iconic occasion continues to shine as considered one of Europe’s premier poker festivals.
Despite current efforts at anti-online poker rules, Ireland is dwelling to a passionate poker neighborhood, as evidenced by final winter’s Irish Poker Festival.
PokerStars ran a top-tier present this time round, and an enormous congratulations goes to Simon Wilson, who outlasted the sector to assert the title and the largest payday of his profession.
But amid the celebration, there is a vital dialog quietly echoing by group chats and last desk railbirds alike: are the payouts nonetheless match for contemporary poker?
The brief reply isn’t any. And this isn’t a brand new problem.
I wrote about this actual matter eight years in the past through the UKIPT cease on the Hippodrome in London. Back then, I identified how top-heavy buildings penalized deep runs and created brutal payout cliffs. Fast ahead to 2025, and regardless of all of poker’s evolution, we’re having the identical debate.
The Cliff That Sparked The Discussion
Let’s take a look at this yr’s last desk payouts. First place obtained €600,000, whereas second took dwelling €316,000. A staggering €284,000 hole!
That is the type of leap you’d count on in a €50 nightly, not at considered one of Europe’s largest poker levels with elite-level competitors.
Poker has grown. Fields are deeper, gamers are sharper, and the grind is extra demanding than ever. It is time the payout buildings advanced too, as a result of they form not simply the cash, however the high quality of the endgame.
A New Payout Structure
Rather than simply mentioning the issue, here’s a revised last desk payout that provides a extra balanced distribution with out decreasing the whole prize pool or dulling the status of first place.
| Position | Original Payout | Proposed Payout |
| 1st | € 600,000 | € 500,000 |
| 2nd | € 316,000 | € 330,000 |
| third | € 225,000 | € 230,000 |
| 4th | € 170,000 | € 180,000 |
| fifth | € 130,000 | € 145,000 |
| sixth | € 100,000 | € 115,000 |
| seventh | € 77,500 | € 90,000 |
| eighth | € 59,000 | € 70,000 |
| ninth | € 45,800 | € 55,000 |
| tenth | € 36,700 | € 45,000 |
| Total | € 1,760,000 | € 1,760,000 |
Why This Structure Makes More Sense
First place nonetheless will get a headline-worthy half-million, however second place receives a a lot fairer reward for navigating the identical brutal discipline.
Making the ultimate desk will not be a fluke. Players who attain the highest ten deserve extra than simply scraps.
- It encourages higher poker
Smaller pay jumps result in much less ICM-related stalling. Players make clearer, extra assured choices with out fear-based play.
When the payout curve is extra even, gamers usually tend to play it out quite than negotiate offers based mostly on survival math.
Today’s regulars are sharp. They worth equity and transparency. A balanced payout construction exhibits organizers are listening.
Poker isn’t just about who wins the ultimate hand. It is about surviving brutal fields, making good choices beneath strain, and exhibiting up when it counts. If we wish the sport to continue to grow, we have to begin valuing depth and consistency extra than simply crowning one hero.
The Irish Open stays a cornerstone of European poker. With just some considerate changes, it could possibly additionally change into a pacesetter in setting a brand new, fairer normal for match payouts.
Let us construct on that momentum and preserve the sport shifting ahead.
Bobby James is knowledgeable poker participant, European Poker Tour champion, and one of many recreation’s main technique minds. He focuses on match evaluation, participant advocacy, and the evolution of aggressive poker.
*Photo – PokerStars
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— CoinPoker (@CoinPoker_OFF) October 29, 2024
