I have to admit, I’m not in the Craic Den much. Pressure of work, desperate to sleep – you know the kind of thing.
But by Day 4 of this year’s epic festival, I thought it really was time that I “popped my head in” to the world’s best player lounge.
Of course, as anyone knows, there’s no such thing as just “popping your head in” to the Craic Den. It’s an all-or-nothing experience. It’s the Matrix. And it might be HOURS before you manage to leave.
So, given all this, it seemed a very high-risk strategy to make my 2026 debut right at the start of the “I’m a Poker Player, Get Me Out of Here” competition. For starters, there was a high chance Phil might force me to eat a cockroach. (My claims that I’m gluten-intolerant didn’t get me very far as it turns out cockroaches are gluten-free.)
By carefully hiding under a table, I managed to evade Phil’s militant approach to recruitment and was delighted to see the likes of The Hendon Mob’s Roland Boothby, Mixed 8-Game champion Chris Bean, Team Pro Nick Walsh, Liam “BigLi” Hind and Andy Black get rounded up.
Up for grabs – a €250 Mini Irish Open ticket.
What’s on the menu?
Phil Baker’s lovingly-prepared dishes included a variety of wholly indigestible ingredients. BigLi described the horror. “I was in the “Day 1a” group. Pig kidney and liver. Not too bad. But “Day 2” was chicken heart, and some horrible kind of boiled pig fat. I tried to swallow but my body didn’t want it. I immediately threw up.”
Those who did make it through to the final – well done, PokerStars Registrations Manager Roberto Cruz – were treated to a “amuse bouche” of blended insects and milk before the grand finale of cockroaches and raw mealworms.
Andy Black looked like a contender, so did Team Pro Nick Walsh. But fortune favours the brave and it was Paul “Rinty” Monaghan who got his dinner down fastest and won a €250 Mini Irish Open ticket for an impressive display of dietary prowess.
Tonight’s Craic Den entertainment is another new competition called Balls in the Air. No prizes for what’s involved here but there WILL be a prize for the winner. Join Phil Baker in the Craic Den any minute now (ie 9.30pm.) After that, it’s live music from Wexford-based Irish singer-songwriter Ruben Buggy starting at 11pm.
For full details of all the entertainment planned for the Craic Den this year, click our schedule story.
Check out our live updates page for more info – just click the event title. And don’t forget you can also see all tourney results on the PS Live app.
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For full details of the Craic Den schedule, click link.
Registration made easy – download the Luxon app! Details are here.
