Howard Swains reports from Baden...

The playing area here in Baden is spread across two main rooms and a couple of nooks and crannies.

The main poker room is a vast rectangular affair, which feels familiar to anyone who's ever been to any event of this size. But the second room, and its two adjoining wings, is amazingly bright and airy, putting paid once and for all to the notion that poker is a game played in smoky, dingy backrooms of pubs and clubs. This is more like a circular greenhouse, with a colourful mural-cum-mosaic on the ceiling.


Main room from above


The adjoining, more airy, poker room

Along one side of the room is a line of flags representing many of the players' nations, while waiters and waitresses wheel trolleys of drinks around like flight attendants. A cheery sign wishes all players "Good luck!" and best of all, the table numbers dangle from the ceiling on Christmas tree baubles.




Add to all this a very well received player's buffet -- there's nothing poker players enjoy more than a good feed -- and the net result is a poker tournament that feels uncharacteristically friendly. I'm certain there are more smiles than usual in the opening levels of such an event.

Photos (c) Neil Stoddart