Amsterdam. It’s a name synonymous with adulterous red lights and clouds of smoke. The stereotypes of Amsterdam and the Dutch of Holland are unfortunately completely incorrect. Most Dutch people do not smoke marijuana and even though there is legal prostitution, this is more of a tourist attraction than anything else. But when you combine poker and Amsterdam, you get Holland Casino. Holland casino is the place to play poker in The Netherlands. They have 14 casino locations conveniently serving you with the grand daddy epicenter of them all being the custom poker tables room in Amsterdam’s Holland Casino.
Why is the Holland Casino in Amsterdam the place to play Texas Hold’Em? They put the money on the table… all day long. Their cash poker game tournaments run every hour or so and range in buy-in from 200 Euros to 2,000 Euros. They host a few of the Holland Casino Series of Poker events, the Holland Casino Dutch Open, and the Master Classics of Poker tournament where the winner takes home a cool 623,000 Euros. Basically anything big on the poker scale in The Netherlands, happens at this Holland Casino.
I re-iterate Holland Casino because Amsterdam does have the most casinos per capita than any other city in the country and probably the neighboring countries as well. Some caution should be taken if you are lured into another casino claiming they have a poker room. As some might have this nowadays, I would not recommend it as a safety tip. The dive casinos are places were robbery can happen, rip off scams, high cover charges, and other shady business is likely.
With that being said, Holland Casino lures in some of Europe’s finest players. I would stick to the low ante tables at first and gauge the competition closely. Play tight and or play loose, but be consistent. Dutch locals especially can run the gauntlet on any custom poker tables, so be forewarned. It’s poker at its finest in arguably Europe’s most cultural, exciting, and adventurous city. Good luck!