It's Friday night and you just got into the French capital. Forget about sightseeing, fancy nightlife, or fine dining. What you want to do is play poker. Of course, you know where you have to go. Armed with your best-looking jacket and your passport, you head straight to the Aviation Club on the Champs-Elysées. Alas, your high expectations for that evening are quickly crushed when you are faced with a three-hour waiting list for the low-limit games. Such is the situation these days in one of the most famous poker rooms in the world: Everybody knows that this is the place to go, so everybody does. But don't panic. There are other spots that will welcome you with open arms, whether you want to play the casual €2-blind game or something a little bigger. The poker craze is in full effect in Paris, and most of the cardrooms that usually make their bread and butter with the classic casino table games are catching up at lightning speed. Thus, I'm introducing my unofficial (and sometimes partial) guide to Paris cercles de jeux.
Cercle Wagram: Located within walking distance of the Arc de Triomphe, Wagram was the first cardroom to offer poker games in Paris (along with the Aviation Club), back in 1995. Known for its wild, aggressive cash games spread over 15 tables, this old-fashioned club is the place where pros like Fabrice Soulier and Anthony Lellouche started their careers. Its weekly tournaments have the best structure available in town. Food is available on demand, and the dress code isn't too strict.
47, avenue de Wagram (17th district, metro: Ternes); 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.; contact: +33 (0)1 43 80 65 13, www.cerclewagram.com
Cercle Gaillon: A sister property to the Aviation Club, this little gem is hidden behind the Champs-Elysées. With the dark-light setting, the jazz music, the free drinks, and the quiet, low-key atmosphere, it's impossible not to love the place, which looks more like a lounge bar than a cardroom. Plus, the staff is among the friendliest I ever met. They launched poker games in March last year and are working hard to reach high-quality standards. There are currently five cash-game tables available, offering a mix of no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha (buy-ins: €100 and €250). Rumour has it that this number might increase in the near future. Also, Gaillon is part of the
National Poker League, a new series of televised tournaments around the world with an innovative (and somewhat complicated) concept. Thus, the Paris Open will take place in May with a €4,200 buy-in. More details are available on their website.
11, rue de Berri (8th district, metro: Georges V; very easy to find: when you leave the Aviation Club, head down to the left, then it's the first turn left; there it is); 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.; contact: +33 (0)1 45 62 08 33; www.cerclegaillon.net
Cercle Haussman: The most beautiful cardroom in Paris recently reopened its poker tables, starting slowly with a daily €30 freezeout tournament every afternoon. A classy venue with an "upper-class" crowd, Haussman is also the home of the "biggest game in town" every Monday, attended by celebrities such as Patrick Bruel and Vincent Lindon.
22, rue de la Michodiere (2nd district, metro: Opéra); 2 p.m. to 7 a.m.; contact: +33 (0)1 47 42 67 82; no website yet
Cercle Concorde: I already wrote about this newcomer in a previous column. After its reopening last year, the Concorde quickly attracted a new breed of young players, perhaps attracted by the absence of a dress code (in opposition to most of the other Paris cardrooms). A €500 supersatellite to the
World Series of Poker main event will be held in May. Three tickets are guaranteed, including airfare and hotel accommodations in Las Vegas.
14, rue Cadet (9th district, metro: Cadet; within walking distance of the Gare du Nord); 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.; contact: +33 (0)1 48 01 87 77; www.pokerconcorde.fr
A.C.I.C.: Located near the Place de l'Opera, the A.C.I.C. (an acronym that stands for "Commerce and Industry Club") is an intimate cardroom with only four poker tables and a crowd composed mostly of regulars who love to gamble (a lot). Daily tournaments are set at 9 p.m., and cash-game buy-ins range from €50 to €1,000 (with a preference for the latter, which means this might not be the place to go if you're looking for low-limit tables). The latest unofficial news states that the A.C.I.C. might move to a bigger location, thus becoming the biggest club in Paris.
2, rue de la Chaussée d'Antin (9th district, metro: Opéra); 2 p.m. to 7 a.m.; contact: +33 (0)1 45 23 09 85; http://www.acic-poker.com
Of course, with its ideal location and highly competent staff (not to mention, excellent restaurant), the Aviation Club de France remains the place of choice to gamble in Paris, especially if you want to play big. In addition to the traditional pot-limit games, fixed-limit cash-game tables with high buys-ins are becoming a prominent fixture, with €80-€160, €100-€200, and €200-€400 mixed games being regularly spread (including the infamous Badugi). And during festivals, the sky is the limit. Speaking of festivals, the
Grand Prix de Paris is on its way. The first stop of the sixth season of the
World Poker Tour will take place earlier this year (May 6-11), most likely to fit with the
World Series of Poker schedule. Expect a full report soon for this €10,000 buy-in competition, taken down last year by Danish player Christian Grundtvig.
Benjamin Gallen is a reporter for www.clubpoker.net.
