The story of an underdog who ultimately comes out on top, against all expectations and after overcoming many hurdles and obstacles, was seen at the Casino Cup once again. They call themselves the "flippers": the SC St. Veit team from the Carinthian Women's League was the only one of the ten teams to enter the big Austrian final of the Casino Cup on PULS 4 not as a result of winning the tournaments in a Casinos Austria casino, but because of the wildcard awarded by "Café Puls" viewers via an audience vote.
The women's football team was not off to a promising start: in the preliminary round for Carinthia, the team led by captain Alissa L. ended up in last place in the casino and as a result was actually eliminated... but due to the "second chance", they were able to move on: their performance in the wildcard qualification led to a successful outcome in the audience vote, which allowed them to participate in the final round.
From football blackjack to the final poker duel
The finalists weren't left to their own devices in the TV game show, which was hosted by Dori Bauer and Alex Kratki – they received support from celebrity supporters, such as ex-ski star and singer Lizz Görgl, cabaret artist Nina Hartmann and football legend Andi Ogris, to name but a few. The teams that faced each other in the ball-in show on PULS 4 to compete for the Casino Cup had to master challenges that were probably entirely new for all of them. The very first competition was "Football Black Jack": similar to Black Jack, the teams were given the first two cards by the croupier, but the missing number to reach 21 had to be achieved by a well-aimed shot on the matching part of the scoring wall. After the first half, which consisted of six competitions, the points were totalled and only five teams remained.
The second half featured trickier challenges like "Football Pitch Memory" and "Hold Your Breath". After a total of 13 competitions, in which three other teams were eliminated, the final poker duel took place between Paudorf SV (AK Lower Austria Women's Regional League) with singer Virginia Ernst and SC St. Veit (Carinthian Women's League) with cabaret artist Paulus von Dr. Bohl as celebrity sponsor, meaning the final bid to become the Casino Cup Champion was determined in an all-female final round. "All-In or Fold" was the name of the game at the poker table. This is where the St. Veit team had Lady Luck on their side – along with the better hand, of course. The cheering from the victorious Carinthian Regional League was off the charts. With this triumphant performance, a firm place in their club's history is assured. Not least because their victory means winning a one-week training camp in Turkey worth over 20,000 euros – in a five-star all-inclusive hotel specialising in such camps and 90-minute sessions on FIFA-standard training pitches twice a day.
The Casino Cup will also offer rewards for the viewers: from November 14 to 20, Casinos Austria is holding a prize draw with 13 attractive prizes worth a total of around 13,000 euros. In addition to the iPhone 14 PRO, Playstation 5 bundles and an e-scooter, there are great prizes to be had from the casino world, from voucher packages such as Fun & Friends – All in One, Dinner & Casino Night along with European Poker Championship tickets. For more information and to enter the competition, visit www.casinos.at.
Dieter Türmer, Senior Manager Marketing & Customer Management at Casinos Austria, was thrilled with the entire campaign: "With the tournaments in our casinos and the final TV game show, we not only gave Austrian football a unique stage, but we also offered fans and viewers a lot of exciting entertainment. Casinos Austria and PULS 4 stand for first-class entertainment, which is exactly what made this innovative format so successful. We're particularly pleased that two women's teams made it to the final poker duel, and we warmly congratulate SC St. Veit on their victory!"
The Casino Cup Ball-in-Show can be seen on https://zappn.tv/serien/casino-cup as well as on ProSieben Austria at 9:25 pm on November 16.