Germany is catching up with the poker phenomenon
Slowly but surely Germany is catching up with the poker phenomenon that has spread worldwide. Up until a few years ago, poker was only seen portrayed in movies in Germany, card rooms had all but disbanded from spreading games at all, and poker was pretty much dead. That was all until 2005, when German TV station DSF began broadcasting tournament poker over its airwaves, laying the ground for the poker boom in Germany. Other stations followed suit, German entertainer Stefan Raab expanded poker’s outreach even further by hosting his popular show Poker Night on Pro 7, which puts various celebrities up against players who had qualified online.
The state casino’s have since brought poker back, and are very pleased with the new customer base it has attracted. The only issue is that poker in Germany is ruled a game of chance, and these games may only be offered by the state, in state run casinos. Only one of these casino’s offers online poker, and is only open to Hessian residents. There are however, over 100 private tournaments, legally though, the buy in can not exceed €25, and only material prizes (no money prizes) are allowed.
The German Poker Players’ Association (GPPA), an organization of German-speaking poker players, also organizes private poker evenings and supports a German national poker league. The GPPA estimates there are over 5 million German poker players, and will continue to grow.
With new events starting all the time, The WSOPE, and The EPT, German players have plenty to play for, both live and online. Though technically illegal to play poker in Germany, online sites have been focusing marketing efforts towards Europe, and online poker has definitely seen an increase in popularity in Germany. It will not be long before there are some major superstars coming out of Germany!
