Live Poker In December: The Best Poker Tournaments to Be Had in Europe
It may not be wrapped up beneath the Christmas tree waiting for you, but there are plenty of opportunities for you to hit the tables this winter in order to win yourself an early Christmas present as there are many festive destinations to visit including Gothenburg and Edinburgh, as well as Venice and Prague!
Prague Poker Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, - Nov. 26 - Dec. 16
With more than 50 events on the schedule, the Prague Poker Festival held at the King’s Casino is one of the most exciting poker events held in Europe during 2015.
The 20-day festival, which is happening now, combines an impressive number of interesting poker events as it brings together the Eastern Europe-focused Live Event International (LEI), the World Poker Tour (WPT), the Redbet Live, and The Grand Live.
This year's action-packed schedule includes the second edition of the TonyBet Open Face Chinese World Championship and a special edition of the King’s PLO High Roller, a €10,000 + €600 event that is sure to bring together poker stars and international businessmen for a day of great poker.
Check out this article for more information about the festival, or head to our Live Reporting Section to follow our WPT Main Event live updates.
Grosvenor 25/25 Series, Edinburgh, Scotland - Dec. 3-6
This month the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour 25/25 Series heads north to Edinburgh, Scotland, with the beautiful Edinburgh Castle as backdrop to this popular event. It's the second time the Scottish capital has hosted this event, with Colin Gillion beating 201 entrants to scoop the £10,670 first prize back in June.
There are three starting flights for the £200 Main Event, which carries with it a £25,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Find out more about the Grosvenor 25/25 Series on their official website
World Poker Tour National, Venice, Italy - Dec. 4-7
The World Poker Tour National (WPTN) pays a visit to 'The Floating City' for the first time with a €900+90 Main Event from Dec. 4-7.
Aside from the Main Event there is a great selection of side events to choose from, ranging from a €100+20 Super Turbo to a €500+50 Big Stack, as well as Turbo Bounty, Ante Only, and Pot-Limit Omaha events.
This is the last European WPT National destination of the year. The tour has already visited a variety of different countries including Georgia, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Montenegro.
For further info about the event, please visit the WPTN official website.
European Poker Tour, Prague, Czech Republic - Dec. 5-16
Get ready for the last event of the European Poker Tour (EPT) in the suitably Christmassy setting of Prague. Last year Stephen Graner walked away with €969,000 and the trophy as Main Event champion, and this year it will be the €5,300 Main Event and €58,000 High Roller which are bound to attract the crème de la crème of international poker stars.
With a veritable feast of events to choose from — nearly 100 in total — it's Christmas come early for Czech poker fans, with a schedule that includes the exotically named Quadruple Stud, Quintuple Draw, and Sextuple Omaha!
And with other side events including Turbo Double Board, Irish Hold'em, as well as a Chess & No-Limit Hold'Em Mixed Game Tournament, there's every reason to be adventurous and try something new!
To check the full schedule of tournaments, head to the European Poker Tour's official website
SuperStack Series, London, United Kingdom - Dec. 17-20
Running from December 17-20, the monthly SuperStack Series returns to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London for the last event of 2015. With a starting stack of 30,000 and 30-minute blinds it's a great opportunity for players to experience the deepstack play.
November's champion was Andrey Veselov, who outlasted 513 players to secure a £23,950 pay-day for only £150+15.
More information can be found on the Super Stack UK website
Christmas Poker Week, Gothenburg, Sweden - Dec. 11-30
Looking for a slightly different way to spend your Christmas this year? Well, look no further than the Casino Cosmopol in Gothenburg, Sweden, which has a wide choice of tournaments to suit everyone's tastes.
Satellites to the Christmas Poker Week Cup and Main Event start on the 11th December, with the festival kicking off properly on Christmas Day, with a 4,000kr + 400kr Omaha side event. The 15,000kr + 1,000kr Main Event begins on December 27.
Last year's Main Event attracted 152 entrants and was won by Frenchman Abdel Alghaiouan for 115,824kr ($14,846).
To check the full schedule, head to the Casino Cosmopol website.
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Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
