A Poker Festival Like No Other
It is a testament to the atmosphere at the Winamax SISMIX that it has taken until the third day of the festival for the tournament to actually feel like a proper tournament. That's not to say that poker hasn't been being played because it has, but rather down to the excitement and atmosphere away from the tables.
Both Spanish Winamax Team Pros Leo Margets and Adrian Mateos have bagged up ahead of Day 2 and would be enjoying a day by the pool today. Well if it wasn't for a spot of rain.
Two days of glorious sunshine has seen poker players from all over Europe, but predominantly Spain and southern France flock to Lloret de Mar to sample a taste of what could become by the end of the day the largest six-max poker tournament in history. There was talk of players driving down from France to play a nightly tournament just to experience a SISMIX tournament.
Now in its sixth year, the Winamax SISMIX Main Event has grown from 670 in 2014 when Davidi Kitai to almost double that in the space of four years when Adrian Mateos won it last year. And now it looks set to double again in a single year, something that organizers weren't expecting.
The change of venue from the Casino de Marrakech to the Gran Casino Costa Brava has eliminated the need for flights, and as a result, has seen fields soar. So much so that the Main Event is now a "soft" freezeout, with reentry only possible in the Day 1d Turbo flight later on tonight. Sides have been capped or even cancelled to make space for the Main Event.
So what makes the tournament so special? Well, being an action-packed recreational player-friendly deep stacked six-max tournament certainly helps, but it's everything off the felt as well that adds so much to what would just be a festival with a €500 Main Event.
The atmosphere by the pool was more like a music festival than a poker festival. Speakers blaring DJ sets, with live music accompanying the latter stages of a thrilling Beer Pong Open that saw over 100 teams competing. Each night a different form of entertainment, from techno to swing to summer rhythms, there's something to suit everyone's taste.
It's sometimes too easy to look ahead to the next iteration of a poker tournament, and the organizer's desire to fulfil even more player demands or requests and to aim for bigger and better things. The SISMIX is unique in that it never fails to deliver and has always surpassed expectations. Last year it set the record for the largest poker tournament ever held in Africa, and this year even more records fall.
After such a success this year - you can safely say that even with Main Event registration still open - you would imagine the tournament would return to Lloret de Mar in 2020 with renewed purpose. Another record? Maybe. Another packed pool party? Perhaps. Another unique festival on the European poker calendar? Definitely.