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PokerEM's a Big One
Poker In Europe
by Nic Szeremeta
One of the main happenings on the European tournament programme is the annual PokerEM, a 7- card-stud competition held around the first week of October. This year marks its 14th re-run. Since it began in 1989 it has grown to be one of the biggest 7-stud events on the planet. Venue is Casinos Austria Baden, a palatial building in the spa town of Baden near Vienna, the Austrian capital. This is now its permanent home as it has outgrown every other casino in the country.
Over 400 hopefuls from all over Europe and various other parts of the globe turn up for a shot at the EURO 650,000 prize pool. In past years some of the leading USA players have tried their luck – among them Johnny Chan, Scotty Nguyen, Men “the Master” and Ted Forrest. But only one American, Phil Hellmuth, has ever taken the title of European stud “Meister”. His name was carved on the large granite plaque at the casino entrance in 2000.
The format of the tournament is unique – in fact some poker purists regard it as a bit too unique. There is none of this one hour time levels and sitting around waiting for a hand. This is a boom-boom, let’s go, 25-minute round affair which has everyone under pressure from the start.
Here’s how it is played. On days one two and three there are three qualifying competitions. The buy-in for these is EURO 290 with a single rebuy allowed and an add-on for those that last through the first three levels. The thing is that the starting chips and the rebuy are for 1,200 points but the add-on is 2,400 – which makes it almost compulsory.
When the field of 400 plus is whittled down to six tables there is no more table-balancing. Each table becomes a freezeout and the idea is to make it into the last four. Do that and you have made it into the grand final of 72 players – and by the way you are in the money.
The final 72 players scrap it out on the evening of the third day (the third qualifier having started at lunchtime) and the final table takes place normally just after midnight central European time. Prize money at the final table goes from EURO 18,000 or so for the first out up to an estimated EURO 130,000 for the winner.
The other unique thing about Poker EM is the line-up. The field is not entirely made up of peripatetic tournament experts and visiting professionals. For many Austrians the event is an annual social gathering, their once-a-year opportunity to play a bit of poker for a lot of money and eat and drink 24/7.
The day before the main event starts there is a EURO 20,000 freeroll competition for the first 80 players to register and from then onwards the place never shuts and the action never stops.
Part of the deal is a compulsory “hospitality package” which sounds expensive at EURO 396 a head but turns out not to be when you start eating and drinking. Austria’s leading catering company Do& Co lays on a non-stop waitress service, with sexy printed and bound menus which change three times a day. Fillet steak you’ve got it, champagne – of course, and by the way there is a barrow load of oysters served at midnight.
It is not just the eating and drinking which runs 24/7…so does the cash action. I have seen over 40 tables populated by a mixture of visiting rocks and the world’s loosest players trying to win pots a dog couldn’t jump over. The cash action includes both pot limit and limit, the smallest games usually being at the EURO 20-40 level.
Details of hotels, airport transfers, the event, support excursion programme and registration are available in a 24 page glossy brochure available from Casinos Austria. This can be obtained by phone: ++ 43 2252/444 96-119 or 116 (Mon to Friday 9am -6pm cet) or by email: pokerem@casinos.at Online registration is also an option and for an online overview, go to www.pokerem.com
 Nic Szeremeta is Managing Editor of Poker Europa magazine. He has also won several events across Europe and was the first non-American winner of the WSOP Media crapshoot (1996). You can e-mail Nic at: NicSz@bigfoot.com
This story was first published in the Aug 25th issue of Poker Player.
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