Bluff Europe magazine has named the Irish capital as the continent’s best place for poker for the second year running.
Tuesday 28th July 2009
Popular poker magazine Bluff Europe has revealed that Dublin has narrowly beat London for its accolade of European Poker Capital 2009 for the second year in a row.
The leading European publication praised the unbridled enthusiasm that citizens of the Irish capital have for the game alongside the variety of card clubs in the city and tournament organisers’ commitment to player-friendly structures.
The magazine deliberately ignored nations where government-controlled gambling monopolies ‘strangle the game’ as well as locations that exploit players through charging excessive rake. Instead, it revealed that it looked to ‘reward variety, value, enthusiasm and action’.
Although finishing as runner-up, London also received praise for its venues and tournaments alongside the growth of pub poker in the city over the last two years. Bluff Europe revealed that other cities in the running for this year’s title included Vienna, Tallinn and Galway.
“It’ll always be a close run thing between Dublin and London for top spot but we just had to give it to the Irish again this year simply because we’re always overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we encounter for the game whenever we visit,” said Philip Conneller, Editor for Bluff Europe.
“Dubliners are mad for it and in Ireland poker seems so much more of a passion than elsewhere. Even the table banter is just, well, better.”
Dublin is home to Europe’s oldest poker tournament, the annual Irish Open, which is one of the most eagerly awaited events on the circuit due to its festival atmosphere alongside the Irish sense of fun and fair play.
Bluff Europe is Europe’s most widely read poker publication and is distributed through card rooms and poker clubs on the continent as well as on news stands in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. Regular contributors include Phil Laak and Paul Jackson alongside a host of other poker professionals from the UK, Europe and America.
