Dublin trumps Europe for poker title

DUBLIN HAS been named the best poker-playing city in Europe, according to the game's biggest-selling magazine.

Bluff Europe chose Dublin for the title ahead of last year's winner, London. Amsterdam, Vienna and Barcelona filled the remaining top five slots.

Bluff cited the proliferation of card rooms such as the Fitzwilliam, Sporting Emporium and Silks; the success of the Irish Poker Open; and the many grassroots games as proof of Dublin's quality as a poker destination.

The choice did not go down well in London, which has the largest poker scene in Europe.

"This induced a lot of snickering from across the Irish Sea, where they're rightfully very protective of their fantastic poker scene," said Philip Conneller, editor of Bluff Europe .

"But this year there was really only one candidate. As inhabitants of a smaller city, Dublin's poker players are a more close-knit bunch and have a reputation for being friendlier and more laid-back than London's. A worthy winner."

The news comes as no surprise to prominent poker player Liam "Gentleman" Flood, the man credited with bringing Texas Hold 'Em to Ireland.

"The thing that differentiates Dublin to other place is the craic. There are lots of good characters playing poker in Dublin and you can see that in the banter that is at the tables," he said. "There are a lot of people playing poker and the people who are running the card rooms are concentrating on poker. Everybody is catered for in Ireland, from the €10 player to the guy who wants to play for €1,000.

"A lot of the English players are tight and a lot of the Irish players are gamblers, but, of course, you can have everything and anything in between."

He also said the success of the Irish Open, which this year had a €3 million prize pool thanks to its sponsor Paddy Power, is a factor in Dublin's success as a poker destination. It attracted 1,000 players from all over Europe who were willing to pay the hefty €4,500 entrance fee.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times