Several online poker sites, including Intertops Poker and Cake Poker, are now holding satellite tournaments awarding as their top prizes free entry into the 2012 Irish Open of poker in Dublin, Ireland.

The Irish Open is the second oldest NL Hold’em poker tournament in the world and the oldest in Europe. And with the start of 2012, it means that the 2012 Irish Open of poker is just around the bend. It takes place from April 6th to 9th at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland for a €3,500 (€3,200 + €300) buy-in. Interested players can avoid this buy-in, however, by winning one of the satellite tournaments being held right now at several poker sites online, among them Cake Poker and Intertops Poker.

Intertops Poker and Cake Poker are both offering $6,000 prize packages into the 2012 Irish Open. Buy-ins for the Intertops Poker Irish Open 2012 satellite series start at just $2 + $0.20. Satellites started December 18, 2011 and run through March 18. The first Irish Open $6K Final at takes place January 8 for a $200 + $15 buy-in and continues every other Sunday from there, on January 22, February 5, February 19, March 4 and March 18.

While their schedules are the same, the Irish Open 2012 satellites at Cake Poker and Intertops Poker are separate and independent of one another. That means you can participate in both, but your performance in one site’s satellite series does not influence your progress in the other site’s series.