Face-to-face poker, in this age of online, will thrive as long as one human being can keep a poker face at a crowded table. This series of articles looks at the top 10 poker rooms in the old country... Europe. In this article:
The Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London
Among the largest and oldest of the casinos in the UK, the Victoria Casino, now part of the Grosvenor Casinos, offers a well-known cardroom and an assortment of related facilities—including a restaurant, sports bar, two floors of gaming areas, one of the few craps games in the UK, and possibly the largest baccarat table in the known world.
As with other UK casinos, the Grosvenor Victoria is a club, and you need a membership to play—a membership which must be obtained 24 hours before you can enter a game. And, like other casinos, the house makes money from players, who must pay an hourly per table sitting fee. Drinks are restricted to the restaurant and bar area only. Hours are generally 2pm to 6am. Dress code is "smart casual".
Weekly tournaments include No Limit Hold'em on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. (Check with the casino for updates.)
The Grosvenor Victoria featured a classic upset during The Poker Classics, held there March 29-April 3, 2005, when the relatively unknown Andy Church placed first among nearly 200 hundred players, including many who are well-known on the circuit. His first place prize: £110,000. "The competition was extremely tough", commented Martin Ramskill, General Manager of the Casino, "which made it even more exciting to see one of the lesser known players win".
Recent and upcoming major tournaments at the Grosvenor Victoria include the European Poker Championships (2006); the Grosvenor World Masters (2006); the European Poker Classics (2006); the European Poker Tour (EPT), Season 2 (2005); and the World Masters-EPEPT/Pokerstars (2005).
