Summer!

While most people use Christmastime to reflect on the year and to come up with New Year's resolutions, for me, the time to reflect is always the summer. I always use the summertime not only to enjoy the nice weather, but also to analyze my own progress both in poker and in life. More than anything, I use this time to take a close look at the current state of poker, to see whether or not the game we all love is heading in the right direction.



This year, I just couldn't be any happier. On a personal level, the developments were simply second to none: two brand-new books, a series of DVDs, a successful transition into online poker, a new house, becoming the poker commentator for Eurosport, and, last but not least, accepting the bureau chief post here at Card Player Europe. It would be impossible not to label the past 12 months as the most successful of my career.



But more importantly, poker as a whole seems to be doing quite well, and this is something we can all benefit from. The European Poker Tour continues to grow, poker on TV is here to stay, and new European sites are starting to establish themselves as both solid and successful alternatives to some of the more established ones. In fact, slowly but surely, even the number of brick-and-mortar cardrooms seems to be growing a little.



It is my genuine belief that magazines like Card Player Europe have played at least some part in this overall growth that we are experiencing. And that's why this summer, we will continue to analyze and evaluate the very magazine that you've got in front of you now. Ever since my takeover here about six months ago, I have formulated a few clear goals. Some of these goals have included making the magazine faster and a bit more up-to-date, including more photos and making it somewhat more interesting for specific groups. But probably the most important goal was getting as many quality articles as possible, in order to help make Card Player Europe the magazine in Europe when it comes to quality content.



As part of all of these changes, we have started news sections for specific poker countries in Europe, and I hope that within a few months, we can expect regular contributions from all major countries. Then there's, of course, my own series that focuses on making a successful transition from limit to no-limit hold'em and vice versa – thus adding at least one specific series on poker strategy. And finally, we have added a brand-new column called "The Play of Hands," in which an array of top professionals will discuss and analyze in depth some of the interesting hands they have played over the years. In this issue, we kick off this new column with 2005 European Poker Champ Rob Hollink – and we've got some other big names in store for upcoming issues.



I am confident that you will like and appreciate these changes. We hope you do, as we want you to enjoy reading Card Player Europe as much as we enjoy publishing it for you. All of this comes with one clear summer's resolution in mind: Make Card Player Europe an even better guide for you than it already is. After all, it's the perfect magazine to enjoy when you're lying in the summer sun.