If you're looking to combine poker with travel, Bucharest is a great spot to hit up. Known as 'Paris of the East' because of its beautiful architecture, it's also the home for 888Poker's LIVE series next month, with nine days of non-stop poker action in the Romanian capital.
Running March 16-24, the 888-branded Poker Room Bucharest plays host to the second stop of the year for 888poker LIVE, after an impressive Madrid opener last month. It was there that hometown hero Manuel Ledesma scooped the Main Event for a whopping €58,000.
Lower buy-in for Bucharest
The Madrid event boasted an impressive 435 runners and Bucharest could tempt even more, with a Main Event buy-in down from the usual €888 to €560, and unlimited rebuys across four Day 1s to encourage action starting on March 20. By March 23, players who have bagged a stack will join up for Day 2, with the final table playing out on March 24.
Main Event schedule:
- March 20, 5pm: Main Event – Day 1A
- March 21, 5pm: Main Event – Day 1B
- March 22, 3pm: Main Event – Day 1C
- March 22, 5pm: Main Event – Day 1D Turbo
- March 23, 5pm: Main Event – Day 2
- March 24, 3pm: Main Event – Final Day
The finale will be live streamed on the 888pokerTV Twitch channel, where you can expect one or all of the site’s StreamTeam to show off their commentating skills.
Meanwhile, the 888poker ambassadors, including Ian Simpson and Vivian Saliba, will be hard at work too, looking to avoid the scalp-hunters (but hopefully not the autograph hunters).
You’ll find them playing not only the Main Event but other tournaments on the schedule, with the highlights being a €220 buy-in Opener, a Mystery Bounty at the same pricepoint, and the €1,100 High Roller.
Win your $1,500 Bucharest package on 888poker
888poker LIVE Bucharest packages worth $1500 are up for grabs in the run-up to the festival, and you can satellite your way to a 'Paris of the East' adventure online for as little as $0.01, or via $109 direct qualifiers. Win a qualifier and you'll pocket a Bucharest package worth $1,500.
The Package includes:
- $610 (€560) buy-in to the 888poker LIVE Bucharest Festival Main Event
- $500 for 4 nights’ accommodation
- $390 for travel expenses
- An 888poker LIVE Kit
Check out the 888poker LIVE Bucharest schedule for a complete list of all events.
What to do in Bucharest when you bust
There's always another tournament. But, if you fancy broadening your horizons, there's plenty to do in Bucharest.
From the 1100-room communist-era Palatul Parlamentului government building, to the 15th-century Curtea Veche Palace, where Vlad The Impaler – the man behind the Dracula legend – once ruled, history and architecture are everywhere.
If it’s nightlife you’re after, then OXYA and BOA are the clubs of choice, with plenty of cocktail bars for before and afters. Lipscani is the hip area and Calea Victoriei is where you’ll find the brand shops – remember, it’s the 'Paris of the East', so make the most of it.
