Top 10 Best Land Based Casinos That Offer Poker in the UK
Ever since the end of the pandemic, live poker has been well and truly booming in the UK. The UK poker scene has quickly become alive again and is arguably the best place to play live poker in Europe. It has recently boasted live poker series like the UKIPT and EPT stops as well as Grosvenor’s Goliath, one of Europe’s biggest prizepool for a small guarantee. There are multiple places that you can play in the UK, whether you are looking for juicy cash games or huge tournament series which are the best in Europe for live poker.
Other than the WSOPE, the UK is home to the biggest and best tournament series and has even had PokerStars Players Championship Platinum Pass tournaments lately. For cash games, some of these casinos have the juiciest low stakes in live poker for UK players, as well as exclusively having high-stakes games running at the same time. Here is the list for the top 10 best poker casinos in the UK:
#1 - Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham
The biggest and best poker room by far. It was the first legal poker club in the UK when it was opened by friends Rob Yong and Nick Whitten in 2007. The live poker venue has gone on an incredible journey on its way to becoming the premier place to play live poker in the UK. The casino can host more than 45 tables and has hosted huge live UK poker series like the UKIPT and partypoker’s Grand Prix recently. The venue now has even more live poker events coming up, including the GGPoker UK Poker Championships, WSOPE Live Satellites, the Amateur Poker Association Tour, and the Festival Series, which is happening from February 13.
Dusk Till Dawn makes it very easy to play live poker in the UK even if you are just exclusively into cash games. The casino runs No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha cash games, with stakes going from £1/£1 to £5/£10 and even higher in the private games held in Trickett’s Room. The poker club is also in the development of a streaming feature table, perfect for all the premier events that stop off in the Nottingham poker venue.
#2 - The Poker Room @ the Vic, London
This London-based Grosvenor Casino has 35 poker tables and is often heralded for having some of the best cash games available in the capital. It has held highly-rated poker series before, like the GUKPT London and 888poker LIVE London events. The poker room holds the title as one of the biggest in Europe and has seen high-level talent walk through the doors due to the incredible tournaments they offer.
The Vic is one of the premier casinos in London, so top-level comfort and service are a guarantee when you visit to play live poker. The games here can scale from £1/£1 to £50/£100, so you will find a game that fits your stake. There is a Grosvenor poker app that allows you to get yourself on the list for live poker games, a bonus in the time it saves you. It should be noted that the player pool at The Vic can often be tougher than other venues, due to the juicy stakes and games that run in the casino.
#3 - Aspers Stratford, London
The Aspers Casino is the largest in the UK and is just a hop-and-a-skip from the Stratford tube station in the capital. Stratford city also has a convenient car parking complex, making it a very desirable spot for poker players looking to play at a high-class venue. The poker venue is sponsored by 888poker and has around 30 tables with more tables on offer during various poker festivals. It doesn’t open 24/7 like other poker venues, instead opening from 10 am to 5 am every day.
The Aspers has played host to huge poker series, similar to the others mentioned on this list. Most notably, the Super High Roller Bowl, Lex Live, The Cash Game Festival, The Unibet Open, The British Poker Open, WPT, and more have played host at the Aspers before. There is an upcoming Autumn Festival with a £540 buy-in and a £120,000 guarantee, making it a fantastic live poker option for UK players. Aspers has some fantastic cash games running while they are open, and include some high-hand jackpots which reward 25 players every single month!
#4 - Hippodrome, London
The Hippodrome is a stand-out poker room as it has a partnership with the world’s largest online poker provider, PokerStars. This partnership has to lead to a poker room that can take the crown for the most lavish and stylish in the UK. For live poker, it is incredibly comfortable, and luxurious and holds one of the best locations as it is dead-center in the heart of London near Leicester Square.
The poker room has played host to the UKIP and has held national PokerStars events exclusively for the UK. The poker room at the Hippodrome has multiple floors, with one hosting cash games and another exclusive for tournaments. There are some of the biggest cash games happening in the UK live poker here, with the stakes starting from £1/£12 and rising to £100/£200 in No-Limit Hold’em, and £50/£100 for Pot-Limit Omaha.
#5 - The Empire Casino, London
The poker room at the Empire Casino is most notable for its friendly atmosphere, welcoming and accommodating staff, and soft and fun cash games that run around the clock. The buy-ins work to fit all players, with a minimum buy-in of £50 for their cash tables and tournaments running from £58 and upward.
The Poker Room has recently been revamped, with a newly refurbished bar and HD screens placed alongside mobile phone charges, making it an incredibly comfortable place to play the UK live poker. The Caesars-owned property plays host to the WSOPE, and whilst it doesn’t have the tables or size of other poker rooms, it can be much more intimate and friendly than the others because of this.
#6 - Les Ambassadeurs, London
Based in the uber-wealthy Mayfair, London, Les Ambassadeurs is a hallmark for any poker or casino connoisseur as it is steeped in history and fable. The casino was used in the original James Bond film Dr.No as well as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. It is a place for the highest stakes in the UK live poker, notably for private games where you will need connections to get in. It is most known for hosting the Les Ambassadeurs Triton Private cash game.
#7 - Grosvenor Casino, Leeds
The Grosvenor Casino in Leeds is arguably the flagship poker room for the poker operator based in the North of England. The poker room has held multiple huge tournaments for UK live poker, including multiple GUKPT stops which have boasted huge guarantees. There are usually multiple tables running around the clock hosting cash games of £1/£2 and £2/£5, with higher stakes opening if the demand is there.
#8 - Manchester235, Manchester
Manchester235 is a poker room that has been building a strong reputation in the North West of the UK for the quality of the room and the friendliness of the staff. The live poker venue holds 10 full-sized tables with a host of tournaments, cash games, high-hand jackpots, and the ability to play either No-Limit Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha. Similarly to the Empire Casino, it is a great place for a new poker fan or a seasoned poker veteran to play. It offers exclusive poker packages where you can get a group and have a night of fun poker games for as little as £20 per person, great for a night out in Manchester. The poker venue operates a Match The Stack policy when it comes to cash games, and starts games from £1/1 to £5/£10 with Hold’em, PLO, and Dealer’s Choice game variants running.
#9 - Alea Casino, Glasgow
Alea Casino’s poker room in Glasgow is known for being Scotland’s best option for cash games and tournaments, as well as being a comfortable and fantastic live UK poker room. There are multiple TVs situated across a comfortable poker room, meaning it is a great place to play and not miss any action. It uses the Bravo Poker app to allow players to get in the queue ahead of time for cash and works with a No Flop No Drop policy which is very popular amongst grinders, as no rake is taken from hands that do not make it to the flop. Whilst the games often run at £1/£2 and rarely higher, the live poker venue has been known to run 4-card PLO for patrons on certain days.
#10 - Alea Casino, Nottingham
Despite having to compete in the same city as the top-ranked Dusk Till Dawn, the Alea Casino in Nottingham has found itself as one of the better options to play UK live poker in, thanks to its artistic and smart design, 13 poker tables, and a friendly and accommodating staff who are great for new and experienced players alike. It runs a popular Match The Stack policy in its cash games and keeps it friendly with a £40 to £300 buy-in requirement. It also does an immediate payout of £300 for anyone who gets quads, and this is replaced every hour!
