Germany Entertains EPT Crowd

For the first time in 2008 the European Poker Tour (EPT) is back on European soil after returning from the more sunny climbs of the Bahamas. The German city of Dortmund is playing host to this EPT event.

The EPT German Open will take place from January 29th until 2nd February in Dortmund. The Casino Hohensyburg will be the venue for this leg of the tour, with the buy-in set at €8,000 and the attendance capped at 500 players.

Casino Hohensyburg, located just outside of Dortmund, is considered by a lot of poker players as one of the most beautiful casinos because of its location. The building rests on the top of a hillside, surrounded by forests giving players a serene gaming environment.

Last year, a slightly lower buy-in of €5,000 attracted a then record for an EPT event 493 players that generated a prize pool of €2.3 million with eventual winner Andreas Hoivold of Norway taking home a massive €672,000. It was actually well deserved since the final table lasted a tough seven hours.

When not at the table and need to refresh why not take a look at the city of Dortmund? Located in the NordRhine Westfalen, Dortmund is a city with a population of 590,000.  Dortmund is well known for its breweries and was once a very industrial city, with steel manufacturing and mining common. 

Dortmund is also known for the Westfallen Park which features a zoo, Botanical gardens, the TV tower “Florian” which stands at 211 metres tall, the Westfallen Halle, a Concert Hall displaying the Emblem on the Union Brewery on it’s roof, and the Westfallen Stadium, which is one of the stadiums in which the 2006 FIFA World Cup football games were played.

So what can you expect from the weather during the tournament? The winters are relatively mild with January having an average temperature of 30°F.

So a good time to be spending indoors playing poker, where the prize pool is expected to soar compared to last year.