More tourists come to the southern part of England, including London, so the poker there is much more varied. There are far more no-limit games to cater to the visitors from the States (and take their money). South of England is also the home to several large tournaments. The European Poker Classic, held at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, will take place Mar 18-26. Last year's event was Mar. 29-Apr.
3, and it was won by pro player Andy Church, who won £110,000. Later in the year, the European Poker Championships, also held at the Victoria, will be Sept. 16-24. Last year's event was August 1-7; the three day final event was won by T Guaga, who won £260,000. (Note: £1 = $1.73.)
Keep in mind, when traveling to the UK, that the poker lingo over there is a bit different. The clay round things in front of you are called checks, not chips (those are French fries.)
A 'comp' in the states might be the money or free food you earn from frequent play at a casino. It's short for compensation. In the UK, it's short for competition and is another name for a tournament. Also, when you hear "London Lowball," they're not bragging: that's just the London name for Razz, a sevencard stud game where the lowest hand wins.
Another unusual poker variant that you'll only see in Europe is called "Irish Hold'em." It's the same as Omaha, except after the flop, the players must discard two of their four hole cards. The odds for this version are a bit different than traditional Omaha, as players may be forced to choose between two possible draws and end up keeping the wrong one.
"We offer Pot Limit Texas Hold'em three nights a week currently, but have plans to expand our competition schedule," says Richard Benett, casino manager of card room operations at Harbour House in Southampton. "All comp players are automatically entered in our Poker League, earning points for taking part and for making the final table. There's £8000 in prize money to be won in the May Playoff. We also have private cash games at £1/£2 with either a £50 or £100 sitdown. We provide a dealer for the bigger game.
Games played are Hold'em, Irish and Omaha (dealer's choice)." Benett manages some interesting tournament formats at Harbour House. "Our regular HoldEm games are £20 entry/rebuy with a £2 registration fee," he says.
"The rebuy period is 1 hour, 45 minutes, followed by a top-up. Last Thursday of the month is a £50 game, £5 registration, same format. Average prize money for £20 game is £3000; for the £50 game, it's over £7000. Comps kick off at 8pm to finish by 3pm.
Registration is between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Cash games start as players get knocked out of the comp and may carry on till 30 minutes before casino closing time, usually 4:30 a.m."
From what Benett says, Southampton seems like a haven for poker. "There are 3 casinos in Southampton, all offering poker," he says. "Poker is played 6 nights a week. There is a local population of about 100 regular players. Business is good, bearing in mind that as a casino, we are more interested in the conversion rate of poker players to casino table players."
"We opened our card room only recently, almost at the height of the boom, and it's been a success from day one," he says. "Again, as a casino, we make no money directly from the poker comps, but it is without a doubt an asset in terms of admissions growth, atmosphere and spinoff onto the gaming tables."
What about special events? "We have had no special events to date apart from the annual League Playoff and the monthly £50 game," Benett says. "A festival is in the pipeline."
Benett, like many other poker managers, honestly believes the poker wave is here to stay: "I've seen the popularity of poker rise and fall over the years, but I think the Internet, media attention, sponsorship and prize money now available, will guarantee poker's mainstream visibility for a long time to come!"
