Summer in the City
Where is the place to stay in Europe after a long and exhausting time at the
World Series of Poker in Las Vegas?
I know only one answer to this question: Velden, Austria!
When I arrived back home in Germany on July 16, I just dropped my bag, changed clothes, took a shower, and went straight on an eight-hour drive in my car to Velden. The small village is located beneath one of the most beautiful lakes in the German-speaking countries, with water so clean and clear that you can't resist jumping in for a refreshing swimming round. The landscape is breathtaking, and during July and August, the village turns into a tourism centre. Each year for one week, Velden is also a poker capital in Europe. Casinos Austria organizes a small series of tournaments. In accordance with an old tradition, one of the two main events is held in seven-card stud. With a buy-in of €1,500, this tournament is one of the biggest stud competitions you can find on your annual calendar, and of course a lot of specialists from everywhere are showing up.
But it's not only the competition that attracts the poker players. The quality of life here is unique; you find six beautiful golf courses around the lake, dozens of gourmet restaurants, and countless bars and nightclubs, which make the festival in Velden one big party, lasting for a whole week.
Reflecting on the
WSOP, you can easily analyze the results of the 18-month poker boom in Germany. Two bracelets, 10 final-table participations, and plenty of prize-money finishes gave us unofficial third place after the U.S. and Canada in the nation rankings. But I guess that this is only the beginning. With more and more Germans entering the European Poker Tour and the traditional big tournaments, considering the high level of poker education, a lot of amazing results and finishes will appear within the next 12 months. The only facts to worry about are the political circumstances. With the new state contract about games of chance on its way of legalization, trying to establish the government monopoly and the pending legal affairs against Germany from the European Union, trying to force down the current monopoly, nobody can predict where it is going to end. It's remarkable that so far, poker is almost not affected by the current discussion. Maybe one reason is that the officials are not sure yet if poker is a game of chance or a game of skill. So far, you can transfer money without any problems to and from online gaming sites; this and the still growing group of several millions of German online players are the most obvious testimonials for this situation of tolerance. Some American online pros already have moved to Germany, because there, they can practice their job without being bothered by "Big Brother." And if it turns out that things get worse in Germany, an alternative is still left with Austria, the island of freedom and tolerance in Europe.
Finally, the end of the 2007
WSOP was also an important date for me personally. My first book,
Living on the Edge, was released to the public on July 19. Designed as an autobiography, I talk about important facts besides technical skills in poker. Table selection, money management, creating a social network, profiling, and table image are some of the main themes. My 10 years of personal experience on the international tournament circuit is a rich pool for interesting stories around the game. So far, it is available only in German, but we might publish an English edition by the end of the year.
Michael Keiner is a German poker pro sponsored by 888.com.You can find him playing online at www.pacificpoker.com.
