11 Mar Where to Play Poker in Essex
Though the poker boom happened in the early to mid-2000s, despite popular belief, playing Texas Hold ‘em, Omaha, Five-Card Draw, and Seven-Card Stud did not fade into obscurity as an activity of yonder. On the contrary, it maintained a decent player base throughout the years and has now made a comeback, attaining popularity unseen in the past decade.
No one can question poker’s status as the world’s most established card game, present in all corners of the globe. It has reached this prominence due to its communal and skill-based aspects that make it a pastime suitable for social and real money play. Essex residents are no strangers to it, as the area used to have a non-profit league, and some pubs still host Nuts Poker League games. If you are into tournament play, you can also enjoy that at a few local casinos.
Essex may be famous for its coastline and as the county with the largest number of islands in England, but since 2017 it is also home to the most successful online poker player ever. Chris Moorman, a graduate of Essex University, is an Essex resident and the only poker player to cross the milestone of earning over £10 million while playing on internet platforms. He is also the only person to claim twenty-nine Triple Crowns, an award given out for winning three tournaments on three networks with a prize pool of $10,000 or above with one week. If those accolades inspire you to throw chips on a table, we list the best venues that you can do that at in Essex below.
Grosvenor Casino
Grosvenor Casinos is the largest casino chain in the UK, with 53 locations throughout the country. You can find their Essex venue in Southend. It is a stylish and intimate establishment located on Church Road next to the Park Inn by Radisson Palace. If it is a long drive from your location, you can look into online poker for real money as a viable alternative to satisfy your card-playing appetite. However, if you do decide on visiting Grosvenor’s spot by the sea, then aside from poker tables, you will also get treated to thrills on games such as slots, electronic roulette, and blackjack. Grosvenor Casino Southend has a superb restaurant serving a great range of food and a sports bar that shows events on high-definition TVs with state-of-the-art surround sound.
The Rendezvous Southend Casino
Located in the iconic Kursaal building in Southend, the Rendezvous Casino is one of the most exciting places to visit in Essex, featuring Vegas-style glamour. It boasts a gaming floor with 28 slots, 22 electronic roulette machines, and more than twenty game tables. When it comes to poker, the Rendezvous has a dedicated section with four tables, home to daily cash games and tournaments. When the thrills of gambling become too much to handle, you can step aside to grab a drink at the Fahrenheit Bar. It incorporates an informal atmosphere with live entertainment and is the ideal spot to cool down and relax. If you want to get a quick meal in before returning to the gaming floor, you can step over to the Fahrenheit Bistro for some quality dining at affordable prices.
Genting Casino
Opened in 1987, Genting Casino Westcliff is UK’s largest provincial casino and the second-largest gaming spot in Britain. You can find it in a suburb of Westcliff-on-Sea on the Western Esplanade. Its gaming space houses slots with a minimum payback percentage of 94% and 23 table games. Table action includes blackjack, baccarat, dice, American roulette, and casino-poker variants such as Three-Card Poker and Crazy 4 Poker. When it comes real poker, Genting provides Texas Hold ‘em, No-Limit Hold ‘em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Dealer’s Choice tables with buy-ins that range from £0+ £3 to £100+ £10. Drink options are the Late Bar and the Fahrenheit, serving customers from 10 AM to 5 AM. For snacks, next door is a typical Fahrenheit restaurant that serves traditional English food and sandwiches. There, you can get a decent two-course meal for £13. If you plan on visiting the Genting by car, know that there are 82 dedicated free parking spots at this venue.
To Wrap Up
Poker is back in the limelight. Though it is unlikely that it will ever recapture the magic of the 2003-2006 era, it remains a highly-entertaining game that can put money in your pocket if you know its intricacies. If you believe that you can read people and out-bluff players, we suggest visiting any of the venues mentioned above. Genting would be our top choice. If you do not want to travel, explore the internet’s massive offer of poker sites, claim a promotion and test yourself at an online platform. The experience should be surprisingly similar.
About the Author
Shelly Schiff has been working in the gambling industry since 2009, mainly on the digital side of things, employed by OUSC. However, over her eleven-year career, Shelly has provided content for many other top interactive gaming websites. She knows all there is to know about slots and has in-depth knowledge of the most popular table games. Her golden retriever Garry occupies most of her leisure time. Though, when she can, she loves reading Jim Thompson-like crime novels.
