The fireworks have barely disappeared from the skies, but the 2024 poker calendar already begins with a bang. The Irish Poker Tour has arrived at The Galmont Hotel & Spa for the Galway Poker Festival, and its flagship event, the €600 Galway Poker Cup Main Event, starts today at 6 p.m. local time with Day 1a.
The Main Event of the festival sports a massive €300,000 guaranteed prize pool, as well as an additional €10,000 last-longer bet for all players who have managed to qualify online through the festival's partner, Paddy Power Poker.
The two-day event will have six starting flights, with varying lengths in blind levels. A single reentry is allowed on every flight, leading to plenty of opportunities to secure a seat for Day 2 on Sunday, January 7, on which the clock gets extended as the tournament plays down to a winner.
€600 Galway Poker Cup Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Level Length |
| 1a | January 4 | 6 p.m. | 25 Minutes |
| 1b | January 5 | Noon | 30 Minutes |
| 1c | January 5 | 5 p.m. | 30 Minutes |
| 1d | January 6 | Noon | 30 Minutes |
| 1e | January 6 | 5 p.m. | 25 Minutes |
| 1f | January 6 | 10 p.m. | 15 Minutes |
| 2 (Final) | January 7 | Noon | 40 Minutes |
Every player who registers will receive 50,000 chips as their starting stack, leaving plenty of room to play as the blinds kick off with 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante. The late registration and reentry period will be open for nine levels, and those who decide to jump in at the last second will start with 25 big blinds. Play will then continue for six more levels until all remaining players bag up for Day 2.
€600 Galway Poker Cup Main Event Day 1a Structure
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante | Duration |
| 1 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 25 Minutes |
| 2 | 100 | 200 | 200 | 25 Minutes |
| 3 | 100 | 300 | 300 | 25 Minutes |
| 4 | 200 | 400 | 400 | 25 Minutes |
| 5 | 300 | 600 | 600 | 25 Minutes |
| Break | | | | 15 Minutes |
| 6 | 400 | 800 | 800 | 25 Minutes |
| 7 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 25 Minutes |
| 8 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 25 Minutes |
| 9 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 25 Minutes |
| Break | | | | 20 Minutes |
| 10 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 25 Minutes |
| 11 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 | 25 Minutes |
| 12 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 25 Minutes |
| 13 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 25 Minutes |
| 14 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 25 Minutes |
| Break | | | | 10 Minutes |
| 15 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 25 Minutes |
PokerNews will be providing live reports throughout the Galway Poker Festival Main Event, so make sure to stay tuned to this page to not miss any of the very first poker action of 2024.