The Best Places To Play Live Poker In The UK

A gambling nation, the UK has a plethora of live casino venues for punters and poker players across the country. If you're visiting Britain, there are several live venues you can't afford to miss, especially:

• Tournament heaven at Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham.
• A plethora of small limit to no limit options at Grosvenor Casinos.
• The centrally located Casino at the Empire, London.
• The many low stakes Hold'em alternatives at Aspers Casinos.

Note - all venues require membership, which is free and simply involves giving over some personal details. You will usually receive a membership card.

Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham

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Doubtless the most famous and well-regarded card room in the UK, and possibly the whole of Europe, Dusk Till Dawn is a dedicated poker club that has surpassed competition and expectations time and time again.

Easily the best selection of small to high stakes tournaments on offer, with massive guarantees and excellent player service, every tournament player in the UK should go out of their way to visit Nottingham and this premier poker venue.

Cash game players can never be disappointed either with games running from £0.50/£1 all the way to £5/£10, plus an action-packed £5/£5 Omaha game. The capable staff are more than happy to accommodate other games and dealers' choice is always an option.

In short, whether you want to play a major UK event or simply enjoy a cash game at the closest poker experience to Las Vegas the country can offer, Dusk Till Dawn is the place to go.

Grosvenor Casinos

The Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London contains arguably one of the most famous poker rooms in the UK. It has hosted countless major tournaments including the GUKPT Grand Final and EPT London. Though the other Grosvenors around the country don't boast such renown, they all promise the same quality and service for poker players.

You can claim a £40 bonus online for visiting a Grosvenor Casino in the flesh, but if you're a strictly brick 'n' mortar man then you won't be losing out. Grosvenor Casinos (or G Casinos) can be found throughout the UK with over 50 to choose from in England, Scotland, and Wales - suffice to say, if you're in the UK then you probably have a local Grosvenor Casino.

Poker players are quite spoiled for choice, too: cash games run around the clock from £1/£1 to £5/£10 (No Limit and Omaha), with the Big Game at "The Vic" running to £50/£100 when enough high rollers are in town. What's more, Grosvenor boasts one of the best and most varied poker tournament schedules with low-to-medium stakes tournaments running all week, all year round at their casinos.

The Casino at the Empire, London

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The largest casino in London's card room was catapulted into poker limelight back in 2007 when it hosted the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe won by Annette Obrestad. Located in the very heart of London in Leicester Square, the Empire undoubtedly offers the softest cash games in England.

However, the size (or lack thereof) of the poker room lead the World Series to immigrate to France, and one can see why. Tournament players don't have much to write home about at The Empire, with a smattering of small stakes events run each week and a de facto player cap of a few tables.

That said, cash game players in London would be mad to avoid The Empire. Renowned for its soft games at stakes of £1/£2 and above (though Omaha aficionados are better off at Grosvenor), the location of The Empire in central London near Chinatown and the banking district attracts a slew of recreational players.

Aspers Casinos

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Aspers Casinos are far less prevalent than Grosvenors but their four casinos deliver when it comes to poker offerings. Their recent arrival atop Westfields shopping mall in Stratford has a vast poker room that accommodates such major tournaments as PKR Live.

Their Milton Keynes casino hosted the recent World Poker Tour National Series in its own 150-seat poker room, and the Stratford venue boasts similar capacity. You'll always get a game in these Aspers venues, from large-field tournaments to a myriad of cash games.

Stake and game selection is not as varied as some other venues, but for a low stakes Hold'em player these casinos are ideal.