It shouldn’t come as news to anyone that the Irish Poker Open is much more than just poker. In fact, one could argue that it’s the fun that’s in focus more than the 52-card deck. The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) has proven to be the perfect venue for the event, and the Craic Den is undoubtedly the place where the party’s at.
Saturday night, the Corn Hole competition was scheduled to commence at 21:30. After covering the final day of the €350 8-Game together with fellow live reporter Chris Bean, this poker journalist went back to the hotel room, switched the white hoodie for his green party shirt, and went back to the venue to follow all the Saturday night action from the Craic Den.
PokerStars Happy Hour Wheel of Fortune
It’s impossible not to get into a good mood when entering the dedicated party arena at the RDS. There’s been some layout-related changes to the Craic Den compared to last year’s event; the bar has moved from the far side of the room to a more central stage, opening up the room and offering a bigger space for other activities. This enables the already superb atmosphere to expand further, and there’s no doubt all players are having a blast away from the tables.
Phil Baker needs no introduction; he’s been a part of the Irish Poker Open for many years, and he’s doing a splendid job getting everyone involved in whatever activity is going on at the Craic Den. Before the Corn Hole competition, he was at center stage, inviting people up to take a spin at the PokerStars Happy Hour Wheel of Fortune. PokerStars representatives were on the floor, giving out free tickets left and right. All ticket holders joined Baker on the stage, smacked their hands at the big red button, and watched the wheel spin.
PokerStars chip sets, free drinks, T-shirts, $109 SCOOP tickets… you could win it all, and when the wheel spun, all the spectators held their breath. Friend of the Irish Open, Darren Chow, was one of the ticket holders who gave the wheel a spin, and Baker celebrated loudly when Chow won a free drink at the bar. After claiming his beverage, Chow went back to sit down with the contestants in the €200 Deaf Championships, who all were seated on the red sofas in the Craic Den, celebrating Starny Hoang, who had claimed the tournament title earlier on Saturday.
16 Corn Hole Teams Competing for Glory
Then, it was time for the Corn Hole competition. The concept was simple: one point if the hacky sack stayed on the board, three points if it went into the hole, the first to 11 points wins, and advance to the next round. 16 teams of two signed up and when the bracket was completed, it was game on.
The music was turned up, and the teams began to battle it out against each other. From the get-go, it became apparent that the bartenders had been busy during the night; it was dangerous being too close to the cornholes, and at the early stages, the hacky sack throws strongly resembled 4-betting from the Cut-off. At one point, a contender dropped his hacky sack, landing a few inches from the opponent’s goal; luckily, it didn’t go in, and referee Baker wasn’t put in a situation where he would’ve had to make a controversial ruling.
The game progressed, though, and the teams were eliminated one after one. Naturally, four teams remained when the semi-finals stage had been reached. First up: Lacey’s (Ciara Lacey and Gary Lacey) versus Game Plan Heroes. Game Plan Heroes consisted of Nick Steimer and PokerStars ambassador Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, and after their win in the quarter-finals, we asked Spraggy how he felt going up against Lacey’s:
It feels great,” Spraggy responded when questioned whether he was doing the hacky sack throws of his life. My partner is a semi-professional corn hole player back in the States, and he has many millions in Corn Hole earnings.”
Game Plan Heroes had to bring their A-game; Lacey’s had proved to be the most consistent team so far, rarely missing the board. After an intense battle that ended in Sudden Death, Steimer missed a crucial throw, which saw Lacey’s moving into the final. Spraggy and Steimer, gracious in defeat, headed to the bar and kindly requested another pint.
The other semifinal was played simultaneously on the other court, where 4-Bet Cold (Junior Roberts and Doff Sharett) were up against Dollar Bills. Tyler Spaugh made up team Dollar Bills together with $10,400 WPT World Championship champion Scott Steward, who’s a first-time visitor at the Irish Poker Open. Co-owner of the Irish Poker Open JP McCann visited the Craic Den and watched Dollars Bills completely demolish 4-Bet Cold in the encounter, setting up a final against Lacey’s.
A Final for the Ages
Baker got the crowd going, and the Guinness was pouring; it was time for the grand final. After the first four-throw round from each team, Lacey’s took a solid 4-3 lead. Dollar Bills’ first hacky sack landed on the board, bringing the total up to 4-4, right before Lacey’s hit one straight into the hole, extending their lead to 8-4. After yet another board hit they led 8-5, before Dollar Bills hit a home run and brought the total to 8-8. Lacey’s finished the second round be securing a board hit, going into round three with 9-8 on the board.
Lacey’s were first to act and advanced to 10-8. Dollar Bills missed their throw and Lacey’s then landed another one, going up to 11-8. With just a few throws left, Lacey’s were now set to win, but Dollar Bills still had a chance of completing a comeback that would be talked about at the Craic Den for years to come.
A hit from the Dollar Bills. A hit from the Lacey’s. Miss from Dollar Bills. Hit from the Lacey’s. This was it. The score was now 13-9, and in order to take it to Sudden Death, Dollar Bills would have to knock a sack from Lacey’s down from the board and their own sack to go into the hole.
The audience held their breath. Baker looked agonized. If it hadn’t been for the music, you would’ve been able to hear a pin drop from the Guinness Storehouse, 30 miles from the RDS. Dollar Bills took the throw. The hacky sack soared through the air, the audience gasped, and they missed!
Lacey’s finished it all off with an extra point on their last throw. 13-10 on the board meant that Lacey’s was crowned the winner, and Ciara and Gary both received a satellite ticket for any event of their choosing during this year’s Irish Poker Open. Congratulations, Lacey’s!
More Fun in the Craic Den
Sad that you missed the Corn Hole competition? Don’t worry! There’ll be lots of more fun at the Craic Dan during the Irish Poker Open.
