As the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak becomes more and more of a concern, the poker world, specifically the live poker world, is being affected. Several major tournaments and brands have canceled or postponed operations, and there will likely be more changes coming. One of the changes is the famed Irish Poker Open moving to be played online at partypoker.

On March 10, the Irish Poker Open announced that the event would be postponed. Less than a week later, it was announced that partypoker and the Irish Poker Open had partnered to make the event still happen, only now it will take place online at partypoker and is scheduled for April 6-12, 2020.

“Since our announcement last week regarding the postponement of Irish Open 2020, considerable efforts have been made to find an alternative date to run Irish Open 2020,” said JP McCann of the Irish Poker Open. “However, as the uncertainty surrounding live poker events continues, we feel that the best decision to take at this point is to cancel the live festival for 2020.

“We would like to thank partypoker for taking the initiative to help ensure Europe’s oldest running poker festival goes ahead during these very challenging times. We hope to see you for the first time ever on the virtual tables for the 40th Anniversary of the Irish Open.”

Tom Waters, partypoker Managing Director, added: “We are delighted to be associated with Europe’s oldest Poker Festival. The Irish Open is a truly unique event and following the disappointment of its cancellation this year, an online Irish Open series looks a perfect fit for both event organizers and partypoker.”

The Irish Poker Open features a €1 million guaranteed main event that will begin on April 6. The Irish Poker Open Main Event remains a multi-day tournament.

The 2020 Irish Poker Open scheduled will have some revisions, but both sides said that the majority of the slate will remain intact. Full details on the schedule of the online version of the Irish Poker Open have yet to be released. When those are revealed, PocketFives will provide an update.

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running poker tournament in Europe and the second longest running poker tournament in the world, behind only the World Series of Poker. It was first organized in 1980 by Terry Rogers and has been a staple of the poker calendar ever since. Past winners include Griffin Benger (2017), Neil Channing (2008), Joe Beevers (2003), Liam Flood (1996, 1990), and Noel Furlong (1989, 1987). In 2019, the Irish Poker Open €1,150 Main Event drew a field of 1,807 entries. Weijie Zheng topped all competitors to take home the €300,000 first-place prize.