Photo / CC BY 4.0
Caption: What’s missing from this beach scene?
As exciting as it is to travel abroad and experience a relaxing holiday, why not try something a little bit different for your 2019 vacation? There are all sorts of ways to combine your favourite activities with international travel, especially if you’re a fan of that increasingly popular mind sport — poker. Yes, if you love to indulge in a round or two in the king of card games or if you’re a Daniel Negreanu in the making, you can try playing your hand in the most exciting of locations.
Combining international travel with poker tournaments is usually something you’d associate with high-rolling superstars. However, even a beginner to the discipline is bound to find an event they can enter in one of the many poker tournaments held on exotic shores that make up the international calendar for 2019.
Incheon, Korea
As the third-largest city in South Korea, Incheon is a bustling metropolis filled with the unexpected. Located within an easy reach of the capital city of Seoul, Incheon played a pivotal role in the history and development of the country, as it was the location where this once-secretive nation opened its doors to the rest of the world for the first time in 1886. These days, Incheon is a hub of transportation systems, contains a vibrant Chinatown and port harbour and is the location for the Korean stop of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT).
This annual poker tournament covers the breadth of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Macau, the gaming capital of the world, and Manila host most of the events on this tour. However, Incheon is where you want to go to experience those baffling contradictions that happen when East meets West.
Where to play poker in Incheon: Paradise City is the top spot for poker in the city. As well as officially hosting the APPT tournament, this ultra-modern complex also contains a hotel and convention centre.
A must-do in Incheon: get lost in the city’s grand park. Sprawled over 727 acres, Incheon Grand Park borders two mountains: the Gwanmosan Mountain and the Sangassan Mountain. As the largest green space in the city, it’s the place to go for outdoor activities and a blissful escape into nature.
Photo by sssangtab / Public Domain
Caption: The Incheon harbour docks at night.
The Bahamas
With its coral reefs, white sands and glorious weather, this archipelago of over 700 islands in the Atlantic doesn’t need much of an introduction. After all, as a destination, it’s the epitome of “sun, sea sand and a poker championship.” You can even find an entire island devoted to leisurely pursuits like gaming and entertainment only a short walk across the bridge from Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
On Paradise Island, you’ll find everything you could possibly want from a holiday resort. At the beginning of January each year, the world’s best poker players (and some familiar celebrity faces) descend on the island to compete for the main event in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) tournament — yet another highlight on the professional calendar.
Where to play poker in the Bahamas: even though the Atlantis Casino hosts the PCA tournament, the best place for poker in the Bahamas is easily the Baha Mar Casino. Located on a beachfront boulevard in Nassau, this complex has dedicated poker rooms.
A must-do in the Bahamas: the 21st-century luxury of beach resorts is all well and good, but to get a glimpse of the real Bahamas, take a trip to the glorious Out Islands.
Photo by Didier Moise / CC BY-SA 4.0
Caption: The beach life.
Sochi
Known throughout Europe as “the pearl of the Black Sea,” the gateway to the Russian Riviera is a favourite with local and international holidaymakers alike. Sochi famously hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, and this seaside resort is home to all manner of entertaining activities, including eco-tourism, skiing and snowboarding, outdoor sports, nightlife, shopping and, of course, a variety of poker tournaments.
Sochi is an official stop on the European Poker Tour (EPT) as well as numerous other events, including the Eurasian Poker Tour (EAPT) and the Sochi Winter Poker Festival. Each of the events takes place at the Casino Sochi, situated in the Gorky Gorod Resort, which is one of the most luxurious resorts found in Eastern Europe.
Where to play poker in Sochi: the private poker room in the Kazino (Casino) Sochi, which officially opened last December, is arguably the best place in town to enjoy the game.
A must-do in Sochi: take advantage of the sunny climate and explore the surrounding areas, including Sochi National Park, which is a natural preservation area, and the impressive Mount Akhun.
Photo by: Sergei Kazantsev / CC BY-SA 4.0 (PL) Caption: Dive into Sochi’s National Park.
