As every Irish Open regular knows, the beating heart of our annual poker extravaganza in Dublin lies not in the tournament room or even the cash game area but in the players’ lounge aka (for the last two years) The Craic Den.
Don’t miss poker writer Dominic Clementson’s hilarious accounts of his two nights in the Craic Den – Night 1 and Night 2!
For the vast majority of players, the Irish Open has never been just about the poker. It’s the unrivalled craic and camaraderie that sets it apart from every other poker event on the planet and has most players dubbing it their favourite festival and returning year after year.
In February, the Irish Open won Best Stand-Alone Festival at the Global Poker Awards. We can only guess what swayed the judges (!) but profusions of Guinness, nightly Happy Hours and live music performances plus a packed schedule of hard-fought shuffleboard, beer pong, corn hole and karaoke competitions must surely have played their part!
This year’s tournament saw record numbers of tournament entrants at the RDS – and a record number of players finding time to “relax” in The Craic Den. Unsurprisingly, the PokerStars and Paddy Power Happy Hours were extremely popular and drew big crowds each night, especially with so many great giveaways up for grabs – from PokerStars chip sets and “I Survived the Craic Den” t-shirts to PaddyPower lucky pants and a ton of drink vouchers.
Somewhat diplomatically, Phil “Let me Entertain You” Baker, who presides over all things Craic Den, said there were “strong turnouts” for all the nightly competitions. (For that, read “mobbed.”) The Shuffleboard and Karaoke competitions, originally scheduled to finish at 1:30am, both had to be extended to 3am due to “demand” (also, read “mobbed”).
Official Irish Open photographer Mickey May, charged with capturing all the fun in images, said: “What I love about the Craic Den is that if you are in a good mood when you go in there, you get in an even better mood. If you’re in a bad mood, then you’ll certainly end up in a good one.” Two events really stood out for Mickey: the 80s party (“that’s my era! I loved it!”) and the Lip Sync Battle. She added: “The 80s party was brilliant. Laura Caroll had this huge basket of fancy dress items and was dishing out neon leg warmers and sunglasses and other 80s gear etc – it really spiced everything up and made for some great pictures.
“Most people at the Irish Open are probably around my age so they love the 80s – and Phil Tower was on top form. The amazing thing about the Craic Den is that you get a mix of all the grassroots players along with the top pros and everyone is just hanging out. If you see one of your idols at the bar, you can just go and chat with them. That means a lot to players – it’s so relaxed.”
For Phil, one of the most memorable Craic Den moments came during the Lip Sync Battle. The CraicStreet Boys (PokerStars’ German Ambassadors) took first place and then auctioned off one of their shirts for €4,000, with the proceeds going to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
Phil said: “Twelve continuous nights of fun and entertainment at a poker festival? Not possible …. but it is in Ireland at the Irish Open. And an incredible number of different nationalities taking part! Mongolia, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia … not to mention the guys and gals from Canada. The biggest invasion of Ireland since the Vikings!
“We had so many players wanting to join in our nightly competitions that we had to double the numbers AND extend the timings. The Craic Den is a truly unique experience at a poker event and I can’t wait to meet up with old friends, and new, at the Irish Open 2026.”
”
