“Norwegian” Poker Championships

The seventh Norwegian Poker Championships kick off on April 28, but they won’t quite have that Norwegian feel.  Because the country’s officials have deemed poker illegal, the Championships will be moved to the Dusk Till Dawn club in Nottingham, England. 

Poker has floated around in a cloud of uncertainty in Norway, home of online prodigy and WSOP Europe Main Event winner, Annette Obrestad.  It was played, but people weren’t exactly certain about its legality.  Last year, several live events were raided by police, putting this year’s Championships at risk.  After the government lumped poker in with illegal lotteries, the writing was on the wall. 

Expekt.com, sponsor of the event, will actually charter a plane so that several hundred Norwegian players can play in the Championships.  Because Dusk Till Dawn is being generous enough to host the event, organizers will also allow a certain number of players from the UK to participate, although that number is yet to be determined.