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Gavin Hall
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03 Nov 2010
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After what seems an eternity of waiting, the newest venue on the London Poker scene finally opened its doors: The Fox Club on Shaftesbury Avenue.
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Never one to miss out on being seen in the trendy new places, I have been there a few times to sample the ambiance and the local brand of sushi. Basically, if you liked the International, but not travelling to Old Street, then the Fox will be right up your street. It's central location is a definite plus point, but other than some nice decor, you find pretty much the same as you do in any other cardroom in London (or anywhere else in the UK for that matter): crapshoot tournaments and a few cash games, £1/2 being the biggest I have seen get going.
Serious cash game players have no reason to leave the Vic, or for the high roller Palm Beach. And the only advantage to tournament players is probably slightly bigger fields and hence more prize money than they are used to. Maybe I am being overly critical, or maybe they are a victim of their own marketing - 'London's first legal poker club', etc - but I think they gave everyone the impression that Dusk Till Dawn was going to be transported down to London. Maybe I have just been spoilt recently with lots of nice 10,000 chips, 45-minute clocks and slow structure tourneys.
That being said, I am looking forward to their month-long London Calling festival, mainly for the opportunities to play something other than Hold'em live, i.e. H.O.R.S.E. and Seven-Card Stud. Indeed, the Stud tourney provides a bit of a dilemma as it clashes with what should be a very good Black Belt Poker Academy on October 30. Hopefully, when they can get their 3am closing time sorted out and their structures refined a bit, then we will truly have a club worthy of the title of London's First Poker Club.
This weekend sees a rare venture for me: a poker tournament in a foreign land. Yup, it's IPO time, and for this Dublin virgin it's a trip I am most definitely looking forward to, mainly for a good weekend break and hopefully a decent shot at bringing back some much needed Euros. My only previous venture into a foreign poker tourney was back in March 2009 when I went to play a WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Rincon (just outside San Diego). I doubt the weather in Dublin will be as pleasant, but still, there is always something about the feeling of having your last pint on English soil before embarking on your plane. Hopefully I will make another trip soon after for the UKIPT Galway, but first a new grand plan (like my one to target the GUKPT Summer Series) needs to be formalised.
It's an awesome buzz to sit down in a major tournament with some of the household poker names, even if they do knock you out. Maybe you will be feeling Foxy and get to knock me out of one of the London Calling events.
Enjoy the Craic
SOURCE: BlackBelt Poker
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