|
|
 |
|
|
|
It Sure is Different
Poker In Europe
by Nic Szeremeta
The continent known as Europe may appear to be unified in some respects but take it from me it isn’t. There are dozens of different cultures, umpteen languages, every country seems to have its own way of cooking and what a German finds funny is usually insulting to the English. Quite simply every one seems to have their own way of doing things – and that extends to the poker scene as well.
Since poker “as we know it” kicked off in the early 90s and the scene began to grow, the games, betting structures, rules and other aspects have mutated differently in various countries. It all depends where you happen to be. And then there is the small matter of what the country’s government thinks about it.
Take Spain for example where poker has only been legalised in the past 18 months or so. Apart from the fact that the action goes anti-clockwise round the table ( in cash games only – in tournaments it goes the normal way) players cannot choose a seat. To sit down in a cash game you have to draw a seat number. And that’s the law.
In the Casino Gran, Madrid the game of choice – in fact the only game available – is no limit hold’em. Just one thing though – there are no blinds. Everyone antes EURO 10 and it is possible to check before the flop. Net result is that there are numerous family pots in which half the table has picked up a bit of the flop and world war three breaks out.
Meanwhile over in the dear old UK the boys got a bit bored with Omaha, even if it was played pot limit. Four cards were not quite enough… giving insufficient reasons to call a raise before the flop so in many places they now play six card Omaha. And just to spice it up a bit and provide even more opportunities to get involved they make it high-low.
A Eurostar ride away in Paris, at the Aviation Club de France (home of high-rollers) even more mutant varieties of poker are played. How does double flop hold’em grab you? Or courcheval – Omaha played with either four or five cards with the first card of the flop dealt up before the first round of betting?
One innovation which has been around for a good few years though is Soko – or Scandinavian stud. This is by far the most popular game with the locals near the arctic circle.
Soko is played like five-card-stud with one important difference. A four straight and a four flush both rank as hands. They beat one pair but lose to two pairs and this simple device turns boring old 5-stud into a rip-roaring, let’s bluff, get the chips in good old fashioned gambling game. Oh yes – and there’s a lot of skill in it too, which is one of the reasons it is a good idea not to sit down with the local experts.
There are of course plenty of places where the traditions are maintained. Limit 7-cards-stud and hold’em, played just as they are in the USA, are available in many of Europe’s 150 or so card rooms. So in brief there is probably something for everyone this side of the pond. And there seems to be no slow-down in either the number of countries legalising poker or the number of new players coming into the game. Many of the recruits are being bred by the online poker sites and those who have found success on the internet are now finding their way into the bricks and mortar casinos.
The market is far from mature and it will not be for some time. It could be an interesting few years.
 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 July 14th issue of Poker Player.
More
Nic Szeremeta Columns | Mail
this Article to a Friend
|
|
|
|
|
© 1977 - 2004 Gambling Times Inc. & Green Room Media Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
|
|
