They may be neutral, but they'll still take your money. That's poker in Switzerland, which surprisingly has only had casino gambling with unlimited stakes since 2000 - the first such law since 1921. (Card games were prohibited as far back as the year 1379.) The law defines two types of gambling: games of skill, which rightly includes poker, and games like roulette and slots, which are games of chance. A third type, which encompasses lottery and betting, is handled separately.
Interestingly enough, Internet gambling is prohibited in Switzerland, thanks to the Swiss Gambling and Casino Act back in 1998, though there is nothing on the books to enforce it.
Casinos in Switzerland are doing quite well. Back in 2004, they collectively made a profit of $645 million, and it's a safe bet that they're doing just as good today.
The most famous Swiss poker player is Chris Bigler. Originally from Switzerland, Bigler makes his home in Vegas, and has earned over $1.3 million dollars on the tournament circuit. His most recent major cashes (since making a name for himself as the fifth place finisher in the 1999 WSOP Main Event) are a win at the shootout event at the WPT LA Poker Classic this season and a 25th place cash at the Classic's main event. Bigler also took second at the WPT Gold Rush and fifth at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic back in Season 1, one of the only players to make two final tables in a single season. Bigler also was a fixture on the Professional Poker Tour, making two final tables before it went on hiatus recently.
In the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, at the Casino Lugano, poker thrives. Every Sunday, there's a 300 CHF buy-in pot-limit Texas Hold'em freezeout in the Lugano's new poker room. (Note: 1 CHF or Swiss franc = $0.79.)
Across the country, in the German-speaking part, the Casino St. Gallen holds single-table freezeouts each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Ten players buy-in for 200 CHF and receive 2500 in chips. There are no re-buys or add-ons, and the blinds start at 25/50, so there's a lot of opportunity to play good poker - at least at first, because the blinds go up every 25 minutes.
First place gets 1000 CHF, second gets 600, and third gets 400. There's a 15/30 cash game to everyone who bought in, immediately following the tournament.
"We have two cash game tables on which we offer different types of poker and limits," says Christian Aumüller, gaming manager for Grand Casino Bern, also in the German-speaking part of the country.
"Every week we offer Texas Hold'em pot limit, Texas Hold'em limit 2/4, 5/10, 20/40, and 40/80, and we also offer Omaha pot limit. The highest limits are Texas Hold'em limit 40/80, Texas and Omaha pot limit."
"On Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday the hours are from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday the hours are from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.," he says. "In addition to these hours we also offer Texas Hold'em 2/4 on weekends from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. These two 'low limit' days are very popular with our guests (newcomers).
At the moment, we have two tables for cash games, but for our tournaments, we expand to up to eight tables. The casino opened in 2002, and since then, we do offer poker (initially seven-card stud, but now mostly Texas Hold'em and Omaha)."
Aumüller likes how the popularity has affected play at Grand Casino Bern. "It is running very well, and we have seen a big increase in table action on our two cash game tables, and the number of participants at our tournaments has also gone up over the last year," he says. "We see a lot of new players who come to our 'low limit' cash game, and for smaller tournaments. Most of them have caught the interest through television and the Internet."
The tournament scene is quite active at Grand Casino Bern. "We have six to eight tournaments a year, each with 60 to 120 participants," Aumüller says. "In addition, we also have our so-called 'Monday tournaments' which are held nearly every Monday throughout the year. As a highlight, we are proud to be the host for the Swiss Open, which this year took place at the end of September."
The Swiss Open Poker Championships, from Sep. 29 - Oct. 1, was a 500+50 CHF buy-in event and had a record 113 players from Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy this year. The first day took five and a half hours to whittle down to 30. On day 2, the top 9 places paid, and it came down to a Mr. Saklaine versus a Mr. Zordan. Saklaine prevailed, and won 18,080 CHF, or $14,253. Leading up to the championships, there were 12 satellite events with a 100 CHF buy-in; the winner got the 550 CHF entry, and the second and third place finishers got cash.
European poker, especially, will be affected little by the U.S. legislation, and in fact has no reason not to grow. "I think the boom we have already seen within the last three years will continue, and this could have an impact on how the floor plans for casinos look like," Aumüller says.
"More and more casino operators will look in this direction when they open up new casinos, or when they reorganize their live game areas. We compete with other casinos in regard to poker."
"We think we will see poker rooms with high limit games and an all inclusive treatment, but for sure, more popular will be the 'open' poker rooms (low limits, no dress codes)," he says.
