Poker in West Europe

West Europe is home to a lot of great poker action. While the tournament action may not be as exciting as some other parts of the world, it still offers plenty of options for players looking to play poker.

Sweden and Norway are home to some of the game’s greatest players including Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom. The region also boasts talents like Dimitar Danchev from Bulgaria and Matas Cimbolas from Lithuania who are crushing high stakes MTTs worldwide. 온라인카지노사이트

Finland

In a country where gambling is considered almost a civic duty, Finland has some of the best poker players in the world. They are praised for their aggressive and fearless playstyle and have won several million dollars.

There are a large number of online casinos that offer poker in Finland. Although a Finnish government monopoly prohibits other operators from running regulated sites, there are still plenty of options for players. Sites like Suomennetticasino provide comprehensive breakdowns of what each platform has to offer and make choosing the right one much easier.

Sweden

Sweden has long had a close relationship with poker and is home to many of the world’s most successful players. The country’s only gambling authority, Svenska Spel offers online poker to its citizens and a range of international sites also operate in the market. 카지노사이트

The opening up of the Swedish market saw a sprint to the start line for the international online operators and this has only served to boost the local scene further. The country is now a real hotbed for poker with high winnings and big name players to play for.

France

French poker players are able to play at a number of online and live venues. They also play at home games and participate in prestigious tournaments.

The country’s gambling laws have a Byzantine quality to them: poker is regulated separately from land-based casino and sports betting laws, and online poker is regulated by ARJEL. However, online poker sites that are based offshore with EU licenses – such as partypoker and Winamax – can accept French players without restriction.

France was one of the original signatories to the European Poker Liquidity Deal, which allows French players to compete with players from Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Russia

Poker in Russia has always been popular. During the Soviet era it was prohibited but many people still gambled secretly. It was a great way to spend the long winter evenings.

This reclassification is likely to have a dramatic effect on Russia’s poker industry. It could force operators to move their servers into the country, and prohibit them from promoting online poker in the west.

Using game theory, Putin is betting big on the belief that wild aggression verging on (or perhaps feigning) psychopathy can cow adversaries. Unfortunately for him, the West has called his bluff and is not afraid of a nuclear showdown.

Norway

Once a game only played in smoke-filled casinos and dodgy back rooms, poker is now one of the world’s most popular card games. In Norway, players can enjoy a variety of big tournaments as well as low stakes private home games.

The Norwegian poker championships have grown in popularity since they began life as an underground tournament 17 years ago. The organisers now attract a few hundred players each year and the action is even broadcast on TV.

While the laws in Norway are heavily anti-gambling, there was a relaxing of those rules in 2014 that allowed low stakes home games. This doesn’t help the online scene but it does give new players an avenue to try their luck in a regulated environment.

Northern Ireland

The city of Belfast is severely lacking in one area – poker clubs and casinos. Unlike most other countries in Europe, Northern Ireland has strict laws on gambling. Currently, it is illegal to play live cash games in private rooms and poker tournaments are also prohibited unless they are charity events.

Despite this, Belfast has many top professional players. Among them is Marty Smyth, who has won several major tournaments in recent years.

London is a favorite stop on the EPT tour and the English capital has a large population with a long-standing love affair with poker. Prague is another top destination with a wild and raucous cash game scene while Switzerland’s Basel is a hot spot for online qualifiers and Swiss pros.

United Kingdom

Although it’s not as common as in the USA, Europe has a great number of casinos that cater to poker players. Many of them offer a wide variety of poker games, including Texas Hold’em.

European poker players are known to be aggressive and unorthodox in their playing style. This can make them tough opponents. Some of the best players in Europe come from Russia, including Dimitar Danchev and Ivan Demidov, as well as Lithuania’s Matas Cimbolas who is crushing high stakes MTTs around the world.

Most EU member states follow different laws for online gambling. While some continue to use laws developed before the EU, others have adapted to online gambling. 바카라사이트