Poker In France: Casinos And Players

A lot of people believe that Poker came from the French card game called “Poque.” French settlers brought the game to New France in the early nineteenth century. It spread from the French territory in North America to the United States. That is why many people believe that the forefathers of Poker are none other than the French.

Although there are debates about the origin of Poker, there is one thing we are sure. Courchevel, a five-card Omaha game, is a French Poker game. The dealer puts the door card on the board pre-flop. The name came from a ski resort in France. Urban legend has it that bored guests of the said resort made up a new game. The game became exclusive to French casinos.

Casinos

Since people believe Poker came from France, you might be wondering whether there are any casinos in the area. Monaco, enclaved by France, has Monte Carlo. It is one of the gambling capitals of Europe. France signed the European liquidity deal spearheaded by ARJEL. The French Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en ligne, or ARJEL,  is an independent administrative authority.  It regulates online gambling in France. There are several online sites that offer PKV Games. Other countries, such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy, co-signed in 2017.

French players

There are many poker players around the world. They range from amateurs to professionals who joined the World Series of Poker. Some of them are famous worldwide.

Benjamin Polak. His live tournament earnings are at $12.6 million. Finishing third in the 2017 WSOP Main Event, he got $3.5 million. He also won a €50K NLHE Event during the 2018 EPT Barcelona.

Vanessa Rousso. Known by her online name, Lady Maverick, she was a member of Team PokerStars from 2006 to 2015. She was also a spokeswoman for GoDaddy.com from 2009 to 2013. She earned $3.5 million between 2005 and 2011 by finishing several live Poker events. By finishing second during the main event of the World Championship of Online Poker in 2007, she received over $700,000.

Bernard “ElkY” Grospellier. His live and online Poker career both saw success. He owns one WSOP bracelet from 2011, a World Poker Tour title, two WCOOP titles, and one SCOOP championship. He cashed in a total of $13.6 million in live tournaments. He also won around $2.012 million in online tournaments.

Although live casino gambling in France is not legal, there are around two hundred casinos in the country. The Ministry of the Interior handles licensing and regulation. The ministry works with the gambling-specific advisory board. This board is the Consultative Commission for Circle and Casino games.