Welcome!

As you can see, Card Player Europe has a new bureau chief. I have been asked to take over from Jesse May, who has done such an excellent job, since the launch of this magazine.



So, what are my exact credentials? Well, let me give you a short introduction. Having worked as a dealer in Vienna's Concord Card Casino, I gave up my job in the spring of 1998 to become a professional player. Starting with low-limit hold'em and stud, I very gradually worked my way up to the big pot-limit Omaha game in Amsterdam, which has been my bread-and-butter game for the past four or five years. My latest transition has been to online poker, where I am now working my way up in the no-limit hold'em ring games, in addition to my highly successful participation in the $2,000 pot-limit Omaha games. What's more, despite the fact that I rarely play tournaments, I have just been crowned the semiofficial "Dutch Poker Champion." I did this by winning the inaugural Holland Casino Poker Championships – by more than anything getting lucky, I have to admit.



However, I'm known more for my writing than for my performance at the green felt. I have been a longtime strategy columnist for Card Player, and I am involved in many different sites and schools, where I teach my somewhat methodical approach to the game. I am a tournament reporter for all major European events, and am the Dutch commentator for the Eurosport EPT broadcasts. In addition, I am the coauthor of an upcoming book, Hold'em on the Come, and my first series of DVDs on strategic issues in no-limit hold'em is about to be released. I run my own site at http://www.rolfslotboom.com/, where I can be contacted for questions and comments.



Some final words

There are exciting times ahead for European poker. With so many new events, huge prize pools, lots of great young players, the popularity of televised poker, and the developments in online poker, there is certainly a lot to write about. I will do my share here, starting in this issue with the man who put Europe on the map when it comes to TV poker, John Duthie – winner of the inaugural Poker Million, and the driving force behind the series of televised events that changed the face of poker forever, the European Poker Tour. I am certain that you will enjoy his story, whether you are performing in any of the events or not.



Anyway, that's about it for now. Best of luck, and you will read more from me again next month.