In 2018 I visited Belgium for the first time, but it was only a 1.5 day stop in Ghent and Antwerp so I didn't get to play any poker during that trip. This time I finally added Belgium as my 24th country of poker. The main destination this trip was to Namur (another city in Belgium) for a tournament series but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop and play in Brussels, the capital of Belgium and also the European Union.
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| My favourite photo this trip |
Brussels is no Ghent or Bruges but it is still a very beautiful European city. I love old architecture and windy alleyways and Brussels has lots of them. I was pleasantly surprised by the poker scene in Belgium. I played at the Grand Casino Brussels Viage, and every night they had 4-8 tables running strong. On weekdays the stakes are €2/4 and on weekends €2/5+. If my observations were right, rake was capped at €20 for both games.
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| Won on cash games |
The tables were reasonably soft, with a scatter of tight aggressive regs but not overly tough. One unique thing is they allow the Mississippi straddle of up to 10x bb I believe. Drinks are not free and can be quite expensive. First time entering the casino you'll need your passport and there is a one time charge of €10. It comes with a free €5 rolling chip and a welcome drink.
The game starts at 7pm but finishes at 2:30am. The casino closes at 4am but for some reason poker games end way earlier. I would suggest to leave the game 10 minutes before as the cash out queue can get quite long. Queuing for the games are easy, leave your name and they will give you a buzzer that tells you when you are being called for a seat. They are pretty cool with table changing as well so you can pick the best tables to sit at.
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| Fritland frites |
The food scene in Brussels is great, you have to try their waffles, fries, mussels, and chocolate. For fries I recommend Fritland and chocolate you will get exquisite chocolate - at a premium price at Elizabeth's, but worth it difference in my opinion. We had better mussels elsewhere maybe because we picked a touristy area to try it, but still a satisfying experience. Overall food is on the pricier side of European standards. But it didn't stop me from putting on weight from this trip.
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| Dinant, the birthplace of the Saxophone |
The tournament I played in was in Namur, another city in Belgium but I will write a separate review for that. We also took a couple of day trips to Bruges and Dinant. They were beautiful and totally worth going. Overall I had a great time in Belgium, probably my favourite poker destination in Europe so far. (followed closely by Prague)
