Biggest poker club in Europe at last hurdle

With 15,000 square feet, 46 tables, and a building high on the "wow" factor, the Dusk Till Dawn poker club is about to raise the bar for poker venues in the U.K. Only catch: one last hurdle to cross with the Nottingham magistrates.

With £4 million already spent building Europe's biggest poker club and another £3m plunged into a 15-year lease, entrepreneur and club owner Robert Yong must be convinced the last step - a gambling license - is merely a formality.

And once their magistrate hearing ends tomorrow, it's likely full steam ahead for the venue intent on providing the best possible poker experience for its members.

"We will be making Nottingham one of the world's biggest poker centres," Yong said in an interview with the BBC.

With Yong at the helm, backed by an elite management team drawn almost exclusively from the poker world - including renowned pro Dave "El Blondie" Colclough(pictured) as the club's ambassador - the odds are certainly in their favor.

The 3,600 members they have before even opening the doors is probably a good indication they'll do fine as well.

The club's Live Poker Director, Simon Trumper, also sees a prosperous future for the Nottingham Club, as told to PokerListings.com in a submitted Q&A.

"We intend to raise the bar ..." he says, "providing the best possible poker experience in the biggest purpose built venue.

"The DTD brand is the hottest new poker happening in Europe, and we are still deciding whether to open with an event or a party ... Everyone wants to come, which is a problem as currently we can only allow 700 people into the facility.

"But it's a nice problem to have. Every player I meet can't wait for Dusk Till Dawn to open."

Those excited players won't have much longer to wait: Trumper said DTD expects to announce the date in May, and after the magistrates hearing, opening could be as soon as 4-6 weeks from now.

courtesy of Christopher Hunt

News Added: 26 April, 2007

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