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Pretty obvious that the first stop should be Vegas in any poker vacation guide. Almost too obvious. But just in case there are any Vegas virgins still out there, here are some tips…
HIGH ROLLER
Any self-respecting high roller stays at the Bellagio, especially if he’s a poker player. The fountains outside Bellagio leap and twirl to classical music in the most outstanding display of aquatic choreography we’ve ever seen (and we’re connoisseurs of the genre). Inside, the world’s greatest pros sweat it out on the felt in some of the biggest cash games in the world. It’s fun to turn up here on any given evening during the World Series just to spot the famous faces. If you’re feeling particularly flush, why not try the penthouse suite? It’s worth it, if not just for the limo that will pick you up from the airport and the fact that you get your own private elevator to your room. Call us shallow, but life really doesn’t get much better than private elevators.
MEDIUM ROLLER
Most of you will probably fall into this category, and you’ll be pleased to hear that Vegas is actually designed for people like you. Yes, that’s right! They want your money, that 800 bucks that you don’t really mind losing too much because you think you’re having fun. You people built Las Vegas, and that’s why most of the casinos on the Strip will happily cater to your needs. If we had to pick one? Hmm. Well, we really like the Mirage: the full Strip experience with really, really nice rooms. Wherever you stay, though, be sure to check out the special poker player’s rates. Oh, and if you do end up losing that $800 without really caring, you truly are an idiot.
BUDGET ROLLER
In downtown Las Vegas you’ll find some of the silliest places in the silliest city in the whole world. It’s a little shabbier than the Strip, which makes us feel at home anyway.
Downtown is also where you will find Binion’s, the original home of the World Series. While the famous giant horseshoe and the million dollars encased in glass have sadly been removed by the casino’s new owners, Harrah’s, it remains a must visit. Cheap hotdogs and great steakhouse upstairs. Check out the Poker Hall of Fame, which still adorns the walls of the cardroom. Opposite is the Golden Nugget, the smartest establishment in “Glitter Gulch,” and very affordable, too.
HOW TO PLAY THE LOCALS
There are a lot of sloppy and often drunk players in Vegas, particularly at the lower limits, and the suckers will quickly announce their presence with a flourish of stupidity. Play A-B-C poker, isolate the bad players and only tangle with the accomplished players when you have the goods, and you’ll do okay. If you intend to play the higher limits — well, we assume you know what you’re doing; and if you don’t, don’t.
London has just been voted “Poker Capital of Europe” by the folks at our sister publication Bluff Europe Magazine. Yes, due to favorable gambling laws and the general enthusiasm of the populace, the UK capital has become one of the most exciting places in the world to play poker. The news that the first WSOP Europe will hit the city this fall coincided with the opening of the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square — the first “Vegas-style” casino in Britain — cementing the city’s reputation as the place to be for poker in Europe.
HIGH ROLLER
The well-heeled visitor to the city is spoiled for choice when it comes to places to stay. London is full of five-star hotels — the Ritz, the Savoy, the Hilton, Park Lane — but our favorite is the Dorchester, simply because the cocktail bar is such a sumptuous feast for the eyes, not to mention the palette. It’s also a short cab ride from FIFTY on St James Street, a kind of adult playground for the super-rich. As well as a casino, a poker room, top-class restaurants, and a nightclub, it boasts Salvatore’s Cocktail Bar (do you see a theme developing here?). Salvatore is the most celebrated cocktail creator in the world (“To me, an empty martini glass is like an empty canvas,” he told us once with tears in his eyes). Try the Wasabi Martini (which put tears in our eyes), or Salvatore’s world-famous signature drink, the Breakfast Martini, containing real marmalade. Yum!
BUDGET ROLLER
London ain’t cheap for accommodations, but there are plenty of ways to do it on a budget. You can get good deals on good hotels at sites like Expedia.com. Or, if you’re not too concerned about luxury, there are plenty of inexpensive hotels in the Earl’s Court area of the city, for example, which is still central. Otherwise — hell! — stay in a backpackers’ hostel or with friends. Or sleep rough. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
GAMBLING
London has 24 casinos (not all of which spread poker games), as well as countless card clubs — legal, semi-legal, and downright illegal — throughout the city. Mayfair, to the west, is the home of the city’s super-exclusive casinos, such as Crockfords, which are populated by oil-rich Arabs and delinquent aristocrats.
The spiritual home of poker in London, however, is the Victoria Casino, a less rarefied affair altogether. Although much loved by the locals, “the Vic” is a slightly underwhelming joint, where the lower stakes games are self-dealt and the players are hard as nails. Recent renovations have allowed poker to expand from a small corner of the building to the top floor, but there is still little to distract you from the poker — which may, in fact, be a good thing.
The recently-opened Casino at the Empire, however, is a different experience — a bona fide mini-Bellagio in the heart of London, with bars, restaurants, and a nightclub — not to mention a 10,000-square-foot gaming area (London’s largest) and handsome new poker room. It’s in Leicester Square — a tourist hotspot — so the games can be very lively indeed.
Finally, the Gutshot Club in Clerkenwell is the home of the new breed of poker player. Part internet café, part underground poker club, it’s a friendly, lively place to play, although if you’re over 25 you may feel a little out of place. Great tournaments several nights of the week.
HOW TO PLAY THE LOCALS
If you find yourself in the Vic, then you’re facing the toughest casino cash games in Europe. Even in the lowest stakes games — £.050/£1 (roughly $1/$2), you’ll be facing experienced players willing to make moves on you left, right, and center — a far cry from Vegas. Avoid the Pot Limit Omaha tables at all costs — they’ve been mastering this game for years in Europe, long before Hold’em became a staple, and you will most likely lose your shirt. It’s probably best to head down to the Casino at Empire and concentrate on the live ones.
If Roger Moore had eschewed acting in favor of town planning, he would have designed Monte Carlo. The “Jewel Box of the Riviera” exudes the kind of expensive seventies chic that would bring a tear to ol’ Rog’s eye. Forever the destination of the louche jetsetter, here’s Bluff’s guide to the most shamelessly expensive location in the world.
HIGH ROLLER
The Hotel de Paris is one of the most luxurious places to stay in the world. Wandering through the hotel transports one back to La Belle Époque, when a young Winston Churchill was among the regular visitors. In the lobby stands a statue of Louis XIV on horseback. Legend has it that rubbing the horse’s knees will bring luck at the tables. We did. And it didn’t. The restaurant boasts Alain Ducasse as head chef and the Breton Lobster is to die for. Probably. Because of the horse we couldn’t afford it.
BUDGET
We’re not sure there’s such a thing as Monte Carlo on a budget, but maybe you could rough it in one of the ornately topiaried hedges you find around town.
GAMBLING
The Casino Monte Carlo was Europe’s firstever casino and remains its most impressive.
Expect to have to pay to get in and to be turned away if you’re wearing jeans. But once in, oh, what delights! Frescos, statuettes, chandeliers — the works. They even have a smoking room made of brown leather — the walls, upholstery — everything! We’re currently decking out Bluff Towers the same way. Games of choice: roulette and chemin de fer.
For those who prefer to gamble in a less formal environment, nip down the road to the Sun Casino which has more of a Vegas vibe. Here they do a nice line in stud games. It can be tricky to find a good No Limit Hold’em cash game in the city, except, of course, when the European Poker Tour Grand Final arrives and you’ll find games going ‘round the clock.
HOW TO PLAY THE LOCALS
The local populace are actually banned from gambling within the Principality – and that includes the royal family. All you have to do is outwit the tourists. A cinch!
OTHER PLACES TO GO…
DUBLIN
Dublin came in second in Bluff Europe’s list of European Poker capitals. We’re going to avoid all those horrible clichés like “the luck of the Irish” and simply say that Dublin has enjoyed a thriving poker scene over the last twenty years; and from the famous Fitzwilliam Card Club, the spiritual home of poker in Ireland, to newer joints like the Jackpot and Silks, it looks set to thrive for many years to come. While the Irish Open may be the city’s flagship tournament, there are plenty of smaller tournaments going on around town to keep everyone happy.
TALLINN
Bit of a weird one, this. Tallinn, in Estonia, is conveniently situated next to Scandinavia where some of the hungriest poker players in the world live. And because there aren’t too many places to play live poker in Scandinavia, Tallinn has become something of a poker Mecca of Eastern Europe. It’s a former Soviet bloc country, but don’t think grim Soviet concrete tenements — Tallinn is a beautiful old historical town where the food and drink flow cheaply.
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