With it’s 24 casinos and countless number of cardrooms London has been voted the hottest poker destination in Europe by poker magazine Bluff Europe.

In a rundown of the best cities to play poker in, London came out on top in their list, followed by Irish capital Dublin, Tallinn, Barcelona and Monte Carlo.

The poker publication praised London for the diversity of games available, from home games to high profile tournaments, as well as for “the enthusiasm with which the capital has embraced the game.”

However there is no mention of the projected impact of the smoking ban which will come into effect in England on July 1st. The reaction to the ban from a minority of poker players is likely to be less than euphoric and so this award may be a one off for the British Capital.

The WSOP Europe – a European version of the World Series of Poker is set to come to London this autumn. The city will also host the London leg of the European Poker Tour and the Grosvenor Poker Tour Grand Final.
 
“London is super hot right now – it’s really making a name for itself on the poker scene” said Bluff Europe editor-in-chief, Michael Caselli. “While other cities like Dublin and Barcelona are benefiting from the growth of poker, it’s London that is getting the greatest number of big money tournaments. With the WSOP kicking off its European contests here, London is becoming a key destination on the world poker calendar – it’s like Europe’s Las Vegas.”

The poll was greeted with celebrations in the Republic of Ireland also as Dublin was named as the second best city in Europe in which to play Poker.

The Irish Capital has 8 casinos as well as a host of card playing venues with the numbers of both rising annually.