PokerStars Open Namur: Everything you need to know
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If you’ve got questions about PokerStars Open Namur, you’re in the right place. Here’s what’s going on…
Where is Namur?
Great question. Namur is in Belgium, about 30km to the east of Charleroi, and 50km to the southeast of Brussels. That puts it in the Wallonia region of the country where French is the more common language. But it’s also conveniently positioned to get to from France, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
How do I get there?
The international airport in Brussels is an important hub and is well connected around the world.
Namur is also well served by trains.
From London you can travel by Eurostar to Brussels before getting a connecting train to Namur (total journey time roughly 3 hours 24 minutes). Alternatively, Google maps says it’s a six-hour drive. Or you could walk it in four days. Although if you’re reading this after Friday 23 May you may need to run parts of the route.
From Paris there are similarly frequent trains to Brussels where you can find connecting trains (less than 3 hours). Likewise Amsterdam (3 hours 33 minutes). Basically Brussels is very well connected.
What’s Namur like?
It’s great. Although you would expect us to say that.
Namur is an old town on the banks of two rivers, the Meuse and the Sambre. The Ancient Citadel of Namur is on the right side (the Casino is on the quieter left side) and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Wikipedia will tell you they have a baseball team and jousting on stilts (both true), but for poker players looking to add an element of adventure (not including overplaying medium pairs) there’s plenty to fulfil that idea.
It’s the type of town that has a mix of colourful modern and gothic architecture, café culture, ice cream, selfie spots, museums, footbridges, street food, churches, statues, riverside walks, cathedrals, public transport, churches, trees, ducks, waffles, coffee, pedestrianised zones, town squares, street performers, forests, shopping districts, cobbled streets, city walls, roof top views, beer, bars, bridges, clock towers, cable cars, boat tours, scooters, rentable bikes, turrets.
It’s the type of place people make YouTube videos about. Check them out.
Why should I go all that way?
Well, you might like all that street food and footbridges. But even if you don’t the real reason to go to Namur is the packed PokerStars Open schedule and the biggest poker festival in Belgium.
PokerStars Open Cup: May 28 – June 01 – €400
PokerStars Open Main Event: May 31 – June 08 – €1,100 (€1,000,000 GTD)
PokerStars Open Super High Roller: June 02-03 – €5,000
PokerStars Open High Roller: June 06-07 – €2,200
PokerStars Open Mystery Bounty: June 07-08 – €800
How many players are expected?
Lots. We can’t be specific, but it’s going to be big.
What’s going on aside from the poker?
Glad you asked.
To start with they’ll be a player lounge with daily happy hours, live DJs, Belgian Street food, a football night and more.
The Players’ Lounge will be the hub of daily activity, running from 12:00 until late throughout the event. They’ll be Spin and Win giveaways with exclusive prizes.
And on May 31, the lounge will be transformed into a fan zone for “the big football match”, with live coverage Tripick Night, featuring local craft drinks and tastings.
We’ll also be embracing some of the best of Belgian culture. No, we don’t mean Rubens or Tintin, we mean food.
So June 5 is Crazy Fries & Fricadelle Day. We’re not sure it’s official but we’re making it a thing. That’s from 13:00 on the Casino Terrace. Get a taste of the country’s iconic street food.
The following day June 6 is Waffle Day (surely a national holiday?) from 13:00, also on the terrace. So they’ll be plenty of sweet treats to conclude the festival.
CAN I QUALIFY?
Another great question. And yes you can.
Online qualifiers of all levels now have the chance to win their way to Namur through PokerStars Power Path.
The four-step qualification route has buy-ins starting at $0.50. From there you get the chance to win Gold, Silver, or Bronze Passes. Or, the new PokerStars Open Passport.
Qualifiers also get to enjoy a dedicated meet-up on June 4 at 19:30 on the Terrace, followed by Barbeque Night (open to all players).  They’ll be entertainment, food until late, drinks until later and prizes to be won throughout the night.
Where can I find more?
There’s always a link, and this is it: https://www.pokerstarslive.com/pokerstarsopen/namur/
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