Finally!

In the last issue, I left you with some great, though quick, news: Poker is making its way into French casinos. Let's dig in a little more this month. The launching of three Texas hold'em tables at the Barriere Casino in Deauville on Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. – perhaps the most important date for poker in France since the Aviation Club started hosting poker games in January of 1995 – was a huge success. (The minimum buy-in, €50, had to be doubled so that the waiting list – sometimes more than 60 people! – decreased a little.) A few days later, Partouche Casinos jumped in, introducing pot-limit, no-limit, and limit games in Aix-en-Provence, near Marseille.



A welcome change in the law



With 176 casinos, France has the biggest park of gambling venues in Europe. Sadly, all of these locations could only offer games in which the gambler plays against the house: roulette, blackjack, craps, and so on. The other games – like backgammon, gin rummy, and, of course, poker – are exclusively restricted to a very few number of cardrooms, the most famous being the Aviation Club in Paris.



But this embargo on poker in France will soon be a long lost memory. Last January, the French government introduced several new directives under the name of "Protocol of Responsible Gaming." Among the changes were no more entry fees to play the table games, ID check when you enter the casino, rights for advertising, and … authorization to introduce new games – among them, the most popular form of poker these days: Texas hold'em.



Casino Barriere in Deauville was the fastest to give poker a go. It was already well-trained and highly successful with the organisation of two European Poker Tour events. There are only three tables open right now, but this number will quickly expand. The buy-ins range from €100 to €15,000! From the rank amateur to the high roller, everybody is welcome. I can't imagine how it's going to be next February for season three of the EPT: action everywhere! (I think the top European players had enough of the only alternative they had here besides the main event: turbo sit-and-gos!)



Actually, the experimentation phase is at an end in a few casinos, under strict control of the Gaming Police. Very soon, the authorities should give the approval for a nationwide launch, and the "real" fun will start: poker everywhere in France! Frankly, that's something I couldn't have dreamed of just a few years ago. However, the poker buzz had an effect in our country, and somehow the people in charge here decided that they had to catch up.



What to expect?


I truly reckon that this new situation will benefit everyone. First, of course, there are the casinos: They'll attract a new breed of customers who like to gamble with an edge. Then, there are the players: Casinos are all over the map in France, so they'll have safe and legal places to play. It will also help the media and the public to see poker under a better light – work that's already in progress with the World Poker Tour, the EPT, and others every week on TV, and the creation of three magazines. The French EPT stop in Deauville will also reap advantages: You can expect a lot more high rollers in the next edition. Tournaments are already on track. This should give many opportunities to create brand-new poker festivals all around the country.



The last time I checked, France was 13th in Card Player's "top poker countries" ranking. This number's gonna improve a lot in no time. That's a safe bet.



Benjamin Gallen is a reporter for http://www.clubpoker.net/.