To help twist the President’s arm to take part in Europe’s longest running poker tournament Paddy enlisted the help of sexy cheerleaders Pippa O’Connor and Sara Kavanagh as well as pledging to add $1,000,000 to the tournament prize fund should President Obama accept the invitation.

President Obama, a self-confessed Texas Holdem Poker player, has already expressed an interest in visiting Ireland and has Irish roots that can be traced as far back as the 1850’s.

Paddy Power said “With a name like O’Bama there has to be a strong Irish connection so we’re hoping that if the President has business on this side of the Atlantic at the start of April he may just stop by and try his luck”

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Holdem poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the WSOP, Las Vegas.

The 2010 Irish Open takes place in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin from Friday 2nd – Monday 5th April 2010. Weekly super satellites to the Irish Open 2010 Main Event run on Paddy Power Poker each Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening, with a variety of feeders running daily.