It’s not only Irish Open players that love card protectors, so do our photographers – and they’ve taken some superb shots over the years. From leprachauns to Mickey Mouse, from rubber ducks to minaature Yodas, Irish Open tables feature a huge variety of treasured totems.
Card protectors serve a really useful purpose, ensuring your cards never get thrown into the muck by mistake (see our Vegas etiquette story here), but of course, it’s not just their practical utility that players are relying on. For many competitors at the Irish Open, their card protector is also an essential lucky charm.
Ambassador and Irish Open regular KJ Craigie has been using her distinctive ‘crown’ card protector for well over a decade and it’s seen her through numerous major tournaments across the world.
She actually lost the one that sat atop her cards when she was runner-up in the 2016 WSOP Casino Employees tourney – and was absolutely gutted. She said: “I’m very superstitious. I never play without one and I don’t let anyone touch them or pick them up. If I bag a day 2, it stays the same. If I run good in a few comps, it stays the same.”
