The WSOP Circuit Stops in Marrakech Jan. 14-22
Not to be outdone by tournaments in the Americas and Down Under, Africa has its own big event in January. Poker players from around the world will flock to Morocco for the World Series of Poker International Circuit stop in Marrakech starting Jan. 14.
Not everyone knows it yet, but Marrakech has a rich poker history. Es Saadi Casino is the place to be for poker in one of the country's most popular tourist cities. The locals love the game of poker and come to the casino en masse whenever poker series visit the city. On top of that, French players love to come over to play to make it an exciting venue for anyone to visit.
Besides poker, Marrakech has a lot to offer. We rehash some helpful tips for players with the help of Matthieu Sustrac.
Taxi
- When you arrive at Menara Airport Marrakech, go to the back of the parking lot to avoid cab hustlers asking for 200 Moroccan dirham. Seventy to 100 Moroccan dirham ($10/€9) is the normal price for a cab to go to the city. The price is per car, not per person.
- A lot of cab drivers will claim their meters are broken; settle on a price before you enter.
Places to Eat Close to the Casino
- Cafe Extrablatt - Lunch and breakfast within walking distance of the casino.
- Le Comptoir Darma - Exclusive restaurant with live shows.
- The Pearl Sky Lounge - Expensive rooftop bar.
- Epicurien - Restaurant inside Es Saadi resort.
Supermarket
Carrefour Market la fontaine
Boulevard Al Yarmouk, Marrakech, Marokko
Restaurants You Need to Take a Cab To
The following restaurants are five to eight minutes by taxi, which should cost you about 25 Dirham ($2.50/€2.20). Be sure to ask for the meter to run or a set a price in advance. Smoking inside restaurants is allowed, generally speaking.
- Azar The Oriental Way - Good food, beautiful venue.
- Highway - Good food, good music.
- Chez Lamine - Meat Morrocan-style
- Winoo - Inexpensive Morrocan food. They focus on fruit juices.
- Al Fassia Gueliz - Traditional Moroccan cuisine.
- Kech Burger - Supposedly the best burgers in Marrakech.
- Jemaa el-Fnaa - If you're into street food, you go to Jemaa el-Fnaa (location below) and try your luck. Tea is five dirhams in the shops in the center of the place. One-hundred meters away from Jemaa el Fna, in the Rue Bani Marine, there's a lot of popular (chaabi) restaurants for grilled meat.
Location
PokerNews will be on the floor bringing you updates on the Main Event. You can find the highlights of the festival below or visit the official WSOPC website and download the festival structure for all the satellites and side events as a PDF.
| Date | Time | Days | # | Buy-in | Event | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan. 14 | 6:00 p.m. | 2 | #1 | €365 | NLHM Opening Event | Reentry (cap of 150 players) |
| Mon, Jan. 16 | 6:00 p.m. | 1 | #3 | €275 | NLHM Turbo Deepstack | Single Reentry |
| Tue, Jan. 17 | 6:00 p.m. | 2 | #5 | €550 | Deepstack | Reentry |
| Wed, Jan. 18 | 4:00 p.m. | 2 | #8 | €1,800 | NLHM High Roller | Reentry |
| Thu, Jan. 19 | 1:00 p.m. | 4 | #11A | €1,350 | MAIN EVENT | Reentry |
| Fri, Jan. 20 | 1:00 p.m. | 3 | #11B | €1,350 | MAIN EVENT | Reentry |
| 7:00 p.m. | 1 | #15 | €365 | NLHM | Freezeout | |
| Sat, Jan. 21 | 2:00 p.m. | 2 | #17 | €550 | NLHM MONSTER STACK | Reentry |
| 4:00 p.m. | 1 | #18 | €365 | NLHM / Pot-Limit Omaha | Freezeout | |
| Sun, Jan. 22 | 1:00 p.m. | 1 | #21 | €550 | NLHM Short-Handed | Reentry |
| 1:30 p.m. | 1 | #22 | €2,700 | NLHM Super High Roller | Reentry |
