The tolerant views may seem alien to us, but a budding poker scene adds a sense of normality to affairs in the Amsterdam poker scene
HOW TO GET THERE
Forget the boat, flying is by far the easiest way to get to Amsterdam and is relatively cheap. British Airways and KLM run flights from London to the Dutch capital and easyJet also has a regular daily service. It shouldn’t be hard to find a flight for around £75, even at weekends.
GETTING AROUND
Amsterdam is a small city and most places are within easy walking distance. But, for the lazy ones there is also a superb public transport system with trams, metro and buses. If you are planning on doing some sightseeing, it’s worth buying a 48-hour travel pass for 10.50. Always make sure you buy your ticket before you get on to avoid paying extra.
CARD ROOMS
The only legal casinos in the Netherlands are those operated by the state-owned Holland Casino group. The Holland Casino in Amsterdam is a plush city centre venue, which is open until 3am every night of the week. It hosts weekly no-limit hold’em tournaments every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with buy-ins of 50 plus 10. It also has sit&gos starting at 10 that run from 8pm on weekdays until 3am (running from 2pm on weekends).
The casino has pot-limit, no-limit and limit hold’em cash games available. The smallest buy-in cash tables are 2/ 4 limit, which typically run all day with higher limit games in the evening. If you want some no-limit action you will have to step up to the 5/ 5 game with a minimum buy-in of 250. There is also a 10/ 10 pot-limit game with a minimum buy-in of 500. Both games typically start around 8pm.
EAT, SLEEP, DRINK AMSTERDAM
If you’d rather spend your time playing poker than trekking round the city then base yourself in the Park Hotel, just a short walk from the Holland Casino. If you want to stay closer to the infamous red light district then the Sofitel Amsterdam is a decent choice.
Expect to pay anywhere from 125-250 per night for a double room in either hotel. The city’s famous coffee shops are something most visitors want to experience. But if you’re more interested in drinking than smoking, head over to the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal area of the city where many of the best bars can be found.
MASTER CLASSICS OF POKER
The Master Classics of Poker is a huge festival that takes place each November in Amsterdam and culminates in a 5,000 main event. The 2007 tournament ran from Friday 2 November until Saturday 10, with tournaments ranging from 100 with rebuys upwards.
For the full schedule go to www.masterclassicsofpoker.nl. During the festival the poker room is open for cash games from 1pm. The games on offer are either mixed limit/ no-limit hold’em or mixed pot-limit Omaha/hold’em. The buy-in starts at 200 for the limit/no-limit game with 10/ 20 blinds.
You can now download Poker Player magazine for free every month HERE
