From the European Bureau Chief

Back to the Future

The Amsterdam Master Classics has been around almost as long as some of today's young poker players. Recently the 17th renewal of the much loved festival threw up two winners who proved that the young guns of the game such as World Series of Poker main event winner Peter Eastgate do not always have it their own way.

Veteran Brit Surindar Sunar took down the €1,000 pot-limit Omaha event for €105,000, before moving on to make the final table at the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour grand final at the Victoria Casino in London two weeks later.

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Jan Sørensen from Denmark then triumphed in the €6,000 main event at Holland Casino, Amsterdam lifting €623,000 for his win, and bringing his career earnings to over $2 million.

Sørensen was the third Dane to win a major event in just over one week after Eastgate's phenomenal WSOP victory for $9.1 million and online star "hahila" scooping the Ladbrokes European Online Championship of Poker for $230,000.

Check out the Card Player World Tracker on the inside back page of this issue for proof that the Danes really are the best poker players in the world.

Poker and the Environment

Poker is a resource intensive activity. From the production of cards, chips, tables, and chairs, to the huge amounts of heat and light used at tournaments, and the often huge distances travelled by players in search of a game, there is no doubt all this activity takes its toll on the finite resources of the planet.

Even online poker, which on the face of it may seem considerably more innocuous, requires massive amounts of energy to power the server farms which keep people in action, not to mention the executive activity necessary to keep the wheels of industry turning.

In this issue of Card Player we highlight some companies who are trying to raise awareness of the issues and make a difference on the impact poker has on the earth.

As is common when each New Year rolls around people across the world make resolutions and it would seem fitting that our industry, our game, can and should do more to ease the burden on the environment. We are, after all, consumers as well as producers in this hyper-connected global economy.

Through 2009 Card Player will bring you news and features focusing on how a little innovation or a few simple lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the carbon foot print of businesses and players in poker.

If you're involved in promoting environmental awareness within the poker community or are a player taking positive steps to reduce your carbon footprint, let us know.

And finally, a happy and prosperous New Year to all of you!