They’re good at sport, have a thriving economy and love to win. So it’s only natural that the Germans would soon catch the poker bug! Poker in Germany
How to get there
The main arrival/ departure points for flights in Germany are Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Düsseldorf. Berlin has three airports, but if you’re flying from the UK, you’ll arrive in Schoenefeld Airport (SXF). Return flights to the major airports can start from as little as £20 with Ryanair.
Getting around
While there are certainly enough domestic flight routes to make intercity air travel a reality, it’s a far more practical option to take the InterCity Express (ICE) – a highspeed rail network that can travel at an impressive 190mph. Berlin to Frankfurt takes just over four hours and costs around £70. We’d recommend booking online before you get there.
Eat, sleep, drink Germany
If you’re happy to play poker in one of the local bar tournaments, then the cultural and gastronomical melting pot of Berlin has to be your base of operations. A suite at the ultra-modern five-star Mandala Hotel in Potsdamer Platz square starts from a reasonable £125 per night for a double room; and from there you’re a short taxi ride from heritage sites like the Reichstag and Checkpoint Charlie. In terms of food and drink, you should head over to the Prenzlauer Berg, a district in the centre which is packed full of restaurants, pubs and cafes.
Poker: Card rooms
Much of the poker in Germany takes place in bars and clubs (see right). But, if you want to feel the baize under your fingers and enjoy the luxury of a dealer, then the Spielbank Hamburg is one of the country’s best venues. The casino runs tourneys twice a week: on Tuesdays, it’s a 300 freezeout, at 8pm, and on Sundays, it’s a 100 freezeout, starting at 5pm.
Perhaps the most up-and-coming area for poker, however, is Dortmund and the Casino Hohensyburg, which hosts the EPT German Open. Here you can find weekly tournaments and daily cash games. There are seven tables, and cash games start from a minimum 50 buy-in and begin at 7pm. Tournaments take place every Sunday and range from 250 no-limit hold’em freezeouts to 100 rebuys. The last Sunday of the month is reserved for a 100 rebuy pot-limit Omaha tournament.
Poker: Bars and clubs
In Germany, there are around 100 offline poker operators, which run tournaments in bars, clubs, pool rooms and so on across all 16 states. They often only pay out non-cash prizes such as iPods, TVs and seats to the EPT or WSOP, and the buy-in is not usually above 20. Go to www.pokerwelle.de to find out exactly what tournament is taking place, in what town and what the prize is.
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