Holland Casino is The Netherlands’ premium casino brand. As the country’s only land-based casino offering table games, it holds a special place in the Dutch poker scene. Aside from the Master Classics of Poker as its flagship tournament, Holland Casino offers other tournaments as well. With the upcoming legalization of online gambling, many Dutch poker experts are eager to see just what online poker with Holland Casino will look like. What is clear, however, is that online poker will give Holland Casino and players many new options.
Holland Casino Online and the Dutch gambling market
The main reason to anticipate moves by Holland Casino is the enactment of the Remote Gambling Act on October 1, 2021. This date marks the first day when Dutch players can legally play online. Holland Casino has been preparing for a move to online gaming since 2006, and has been working to be ready whenever the Remote Gambling Act made it through the Dutch parliament. While other parties can also enter the online gambling market, Holland Casino remains the household name for most Dutch players, and an authority in poker.
Holland Casino Online
Not much about the online component for Holland Casino is known. Even the name Holland Casino Online is a guess. What is known is that Holland Casino has been cooperating with developer Playtech since 2015. Playtech may have little experience in the Dutch market, but has worked with big brands, such as: Bet365, Ladbrokes, and William Hill (in the past).
Although Holland Casino hasn’t shared their official vision for their online casino component, piecing together different components and information gives a rather good picture. Holland Casino Online will have online slots, a dedicated live casino run from its location in Scheveningen, and a poker room worth watching for.
Master Classics of Poker and Holland Casino Online
Fans of poker inevitably connect Holland Casino to their most prestigious poker tournament: the Master Classics of Poker. This tournament has always featured six different events, but Holland Casino executives have confirmed that the online poker tournaments will be linked to the Master Classics of Poker. In essence, online tournaments will become satellite tournaments through which you can qualify for the real-life poker events.
This alone gives Holland Casino Online a major edge over other online poker events. The Master Classics of Poker is one of the oldest still-running tournaments in the world, and adding ways to qualify gives both the Master Classics of Poker and the poker rooms in Holland Casino Online an edge over comparable services.
My History with Holland Casino
On a personal note, it’s worth including my own story of having played poker at Holland Casino. My first-ever business trip was to Amsterdam, and while in the city I wanted to experience what it was like playing there. The venue, located in the Leidseplein area of the city, was very easily accessible to where I was staying. I was somewhat startled to have to show my passport and pay a 3.50 EUR entry fee, as this is unheard of in American casinos, but apparently it’s the norm in many European casinos.
At the time (this was about a decade ago), they offered 10 EUR buy-in sit n’ go tournaments each evening with no rake, and the top three players cashing for 50, 30, and 20 euros apiece. I played in two such tournaments during my sojourn in the city and busted quickly in one while finishing runner-up in the other, for an overall profit of 10 euros.
Not major stakes by any means, but fun memories to have made and fun times had in a very pleasant Dutch poker room.
