Poker Online Switzerland
Swiss people are well known as poker fans. What many now call a sport has produced many famous names in Switzerland. Overnight, some of them, such as Michael Friedrich, have become several million dollars richer. In addition, Swiss casinos such as the Grand-Casino Baden organise many poker tournaments where you can compete against beginners as well as professional players.
So you can really expect that there is also a lot to experience around poker online Switzerland. However, for some time now, fans of Poker Online Switzerland have no longer been able to go to the numerous poker rooms on the Internet to win real money, or to win online tickets and freerolls for live tournaments, such as the famous “World Series of Poker” (WSOP) event in Las Vegas. The reason for this is the new Swiss legislation. However, this does not mean that you cannot play poker online Switzerland. Quite the contrary. Swiss online gaming halls offer numerous poker games that can be enjoyed either virtually or in a live casino. However, we will now explain to you what the situation is regarding tournaments and poker online Switzerland.
Here are some top casinos with poker online Switzerland:
Playing legal poker online in Switzerland
Since 2000, the virtual market for online poker has grown rapidly around the world. Numerous international poker sites have emerged, allowing fans from all over the world to participate in online tournaments for the popular card game. This meant that people could enjoy poker online Switzerland without hesitation and prove their skills against others. However, a new money gambling law has been in force in Switzerland since the beginning of 2019 and so the situation with Poker Online Switzerland has changed dramatically.
The new regulation stipulates that online gambling only takes place in licensed casinos on the internet. These must obtain an extended licence from the Swiss Federal Gaming Board (SFGB) and must always be linked to a land-based casino. So far, so good – classic casinos abound in Switzerland. They also always have poker tournaments, just not online. The legal restrictions, on the other hand, have scared off poker providers from abroad and they have withdrawn from Switzerland.
So of course you ask yourself, what is the problem with offering tournaments for poker online Switzerland locally in Swiss casinos? After all, all Swiss online casinos have local casinos, such as the Grand-Casino Baden, behind their backs and they are heavily involved in poker events. The answer to this question is found in the way poker is best played and also in the requirements of the law.
Use the right strategy to compete against other players at poker online Switzerland
The gambling world is diverse. There are some games, such as slot machines, where pure luck determines the final outcome. In some table games such as roulette, pure chance also determines the winnings. With poker online Switzerland, however, the situation is completely different. This is due to the game itself. Although the hole cards are dealt randomly, the strategy of the bets determines the winner. Giving up the hand (fold), calling the big blind (bet) or even raising the stake (rise) – these are the most important decisions that the poker player has to make. He has to assess how strong the poker hands of the other players are. And if you are good at bluffing, it is also possible to force your opponent to fold, even though you actually have the weakest hand.
So to play poker online Switzerland successfully, you have to be able to analyse (read) your opponent’s behaviour and correctly assess the tells, i.e. the signs that give away the player’s hand. All this is not possible in poker online Switzerland if you only play virtually or against the dealer in a live casino. With the exception of the tournaments for Poker Online Switzerland, of course.
International participation in poker tournaments online Switzerland currently not possible
Were the poker tournaments limited to Swiss players only, then the choice of opponents would not be particularly large. Because poker online Switzerland is classically played with nine players, sometimes also with eight or six. And if you wanted to take part in a poker round at night, you would have problems finding enough players. That’s why it’s best to play poker online Switzerland in tournaments at international level. Unfortunately, the new Gaming Act does not allow this. In order to play poker online Switzerland in a licensed gaming hall on the Internet, you have to be a resident of Switzerland and have a Swiss bank account.
All this, of course, robs poker online Switzerland of some of its charm. But there are a few alternatives that players have in Swiss casinos.
Casino poker online Switzerland – play virtually or against the live dealer
The Swiss online gaming arcades allow their customers to compete against the software in RNG poker games. Of course, strategies or bluffing cannot be used here in Poker Online Switzerland, but such a poker variant is perfect for practising. In addition to the real money game, there is also the so-called demo mode, with which you can easily learn the basic rules of poker online Switzerland. This certainly appeals to beginners.
The other option would then be to give preference to one of the numerous variants of Poker Online Switzerland in the live casino of an internet gaming hall. Here there are three poker variations that are particularly widespread and offered by almost all live developers. All are played like classic poker with a deck of 52 cards, whereby the aim is always to form the best hand with five cards.
Casino Texas Hold’em
This is by far the most common variant in Swiss online arcades. Each player receives two cards face down (hole cards). Together with three of the five face-up community cards, they try to form their best poker hand. The game takes place in four rounds: the first betting round, the dealing of the first three community cards (flop), the revealing of the fourth community card (turn) and the fifth common card (river).
Omaha Poker
Unlike Texas Hold’em, players are dealt four hole cards, of which they may use two to form a strong poker hand.
5-Card and 7-Card Stud Poker
In this variant of poker online Switzerland, the player’s poker hand is formed from cards, some of which are open and some of which are only visible to the player.
Poker online Switzerland – the outlook for the future
At the moment, Swiss players enjoy a variety of live poker and rng games. However, in order for them to be allowed to participate in online poker tournaments internationally, the SFGB is in negotiations with a well-known poker provider. It therefore remains to be seen whether other poker sites will also venture into the Swiss market with regard to a possible licence for poker tournaments.