Leading poker players and celebrities are lining up to take part in the €250,000 guaranteed Irish Poker Festival in the picturesque city of Killarney, Ireland 2-5 October 2008 (main event 3-5 October).

Marty Smyth, the current Pot-Limit Omaha World Champion and recent World Open winner will be playing the €550 buy-in European ranking main event. Smyth, who began his career at Ladbrokespoker.com and plays under the name ‘Macedonia’, also landed last year’s Irish Open and finished runner-up in the Poker Million netting a haul of $2.5 million in the process. He will be a hot favourite among the likely sell-out field of 625 players.

He is likely to be joined by former snooker legends Steve Davis and Mark Williams.