Merlin Poker Tour
We’ve been in the poker world since the Chris Moneymaker boom of 2003. Grinding Sit N Go’s and tournaments on PokerStars in its heyday, whilst travelling around Central and Eastern Europe 2006-2011 was cool. We then got big into the UK poker scene (we’re from England) and played a lot of the small to medium buy-in live freeze-outs up and down the country. We were regulars at the Gutshot club in Farringdon, London – a place where Liv Boeree and Ronald de Wolfe used to frequent before they ”made it”. Slowly, we transitioned more and more into playing live cash as the online scene got harder and harder to crack.
Pokertourist.net – our agency for international offers – has been around for a few years now. And off the back of this, we decided to launch the Merlin Poker Cash Game Tour. It’s one of the newest poker tours in Europe, which launched in October 2025. What makes our events unique is that they are solely focused on CASH GAMES. We don’t do tournaments. Our goal is to provide a consistent fixture on the international poker circuit, JUST for cash game players. It’s an event that they can go to, and they know they will consistently get very good cash game action, with an abundance of new players to meet. Cash game players are crying out for good live games, and that’s what we intend to deliver.
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Lets explore the roar from the cash floor
On my recent trip to the Irish Open my main aim was to play cash. I knew I was only there for one night and wanted to enjoy the event as well as the poker. Alas, the draw of the Craic Den was too much. Each time I made my way through the enormous RDS hall where the tournaments ran, the atmosphere was intense, with players locked in and focused on the task at hand. When I walked into the cash area, the sound levels, excitement and action all increased.
But so did the wait.
At times there was over two hours to wait just to get a seat, which shows the sheer magnitude of how many people at these events are there to play cash.
Let’s take a look at the Cash Game…
Live cash games remain the foundation of poker. There is no structure, no end point, and no prize pool. Players buy in with real money, play as deep as they choose, and leave at any time. The largest sums in poker history have consistently come from live cash environments rather than tournaments.
Some of the most well-known long running high stakes cash games have taken place in Las Vegas, particularly in the Bellagio Poker Room. The game commonly referred to as the Big Game has featured blinds reported as high as $4,000 and $8,000 dollars. Regular participants have included Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Bobby Baldwin.
Image from www.Pokerdiscovery.com
Televised and streamed cash games have provided verifiable evidence of large pots. High Stakes Poker documented multiple six and seven figure pots. More recently, Hustler Casino Live has broadcast million-dollar pots in real time. These shows confirmed the scale of the hands that are being battled over. As the winnings won at the cash table aren’t logged unlike tournament poker that players can check on sites like The Hendon Mob.
Private games are often referenced in poker culture, but due to a lack of independent verification they are not reliable as factual benchmarks.
Las Vegas remains the most active live cash poker market globally. The Bellagio Poker Room and ARIA Poker Room run daily games across a full range of stakes.
The World Series of Poker is scheduled from May 26 to July 15, 2026 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. During this period, cash games run continuously across multiple casinos. This is the highest concentration of live cash action each year.
London provides consistent year round live cash games. Key venues include Genting Casino Stratford and The Hippodrome Casino.
Both venues run daily cash tables with stakes scaling based on demand.
Image from https://www.hippodromecasino.com/
Dublin has a smaller daily scene but becomes a major location during festival periods. The Irish Poker Open as mentioned being alive with cash game action. This is also evident when the Irish Poker Tour is in town; as well as Dublin, Galway and Killarney both see massive festivals that have cash games running throughout. Next IPT event coming up is The Monster, held at the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Monday, May 4, 2026
Prague is a key continental hub. The World Series of Poker Europe is running from March 31 to April 12, 2026. During this period, venues including King’s Resort host continuous cash games across multiple stakes.
Bratislava also offers consistent action hosted by the Banco Casino. The Slovak Poker Open is scheduled from April 7 to April 13, 2026. As with other festivals, this event increases the volume and availability of cash games throughout the venue.
Instead of being the side act to tournament poker, a company has instead made the cash game the Main Event. The Merlin Poker Tour is a live cash game-focused tour operated under the PokerTourist network, designed specifically around cash players rather than tournament schedules.
Events are built to attract travelling players and create consistent action across multiple stakes. A key part of their model is offering incentives such as free hotel accommodation, airport transfers, and food packages.
Their next confirmed event is scheduled in Bratislava at Banco Casino from May 26 to June 1, 2026.
For more details on The Merlin Poker Tour, and Bratislava specifically, visit https://merlinpoker.com/
Or to find out more about Merlin, here’s my first article about them and the wonderful world of cash poker.
Merlin Cash Game Tour
In an era where people are looking to reconnect through real world experiences, brothers Stuart and Gas are building something genuinely different with the Merlin Cash Game Tour.
Their journey began in the wake of the poker boom sparked by Chris Moneymaker, grinding their way through the London scene as semi-regs in venues like the Gutshot Club, The Old Vic, and smaller games scattered across Surrey and the South Coast.
From those early live games, they expanded into online poker and later moved to Eastern Europe, gaining experience across a wide range of player pools and environments. The varied path as players shaped their approach, giving them a clear understanding of what the modern poker player needs and wants.
A big part of their vision comes from recognising the clear difference between tournament poker and cash games. Tournament players are often chasing titles and recognition, tracking their results on platforms like The Hendon Mob and enjoying the buzz that comes with final tables and big scores.
The appeal of cash games is hard to fully explain. They give players the freedom to jump in and out at their leisure, allowing them to properly enjoy the often-luxurious locations where poker festivals are held. With no fixed schedule and games running across a range of stakes, anything can happen at any time. That unpredictability creates a sense of excitement that feels like poker in its purest form.
The Merlin Cash Game Tour is built around that mindset and is helping to fill a growing gap. As traditional social spaces like pubs, clubs and even cinemas continue to decline, more people are searching for ways to socialise offline. Live poker provides that environment, bringing people together in a way that feels natural and engaging.
The brothers have leaned into this by creating events that feel less like formal tournaments and more like a community gathering, where players can meet new faces, enjoy exciting play and feel part of something they can return to again and again.
Cash game festivals are increasingly becoming more like a social holiday than a traditional poker trip, making them far easier for groups of friends to organise and enjoy together. With perks like free accommodation built into events organised with PokerTourist.net the cost and planning barriers are reduced, allowing players to travel in groups without the usual hassle.
The next Merlin Poker event takes place at Banco Casino Bratislava from May 26th to June 1st and it perfectly captures what they are trying to build. The schedule includes NLH 1 3, 2 5 and 5 10 alongside PLO 2 2, 5 5 and 10 10, offering something for a wide range of players.
With free accommodation provided at the Crowne Plaza and AC Marriott where you’re playing hours cover your stay. It is a player first approach that removes barriers and keeps the focus on great games and a great atmosphere.
There are more destinations and experiences on the horizon and the Merlin Poker Tour continues to grow as a fresh alternative in the poker world.
To find out what is going on and when –
Join our FREE Poker Tourist WhatsApp Channel
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Full details for upcoming events can be found online, while players looking for wider opportunities and travel offers across destinations like the Caribbean, Cambodia, Greece, Malta and Cyprus can stay updated through www.pokertourist.net/
For more details on the up and coming event in Bratislava – https://merlinpoker.com/
Pack Your Bags for Bratislava: Free Hotels and Big Cash Game Action
Often when a poker trip is being planned, the headache of sorting accommodation ends up falling on one person in the group. Merlin Poker has decided to remove that hassle completely and add a fantastic incentive for players travelling solo or with friends. Players attending the Merlin Poker Cash Game Tour when it returns to Banco Bratislava from May 26th to June 1st, 2026 will receive free accommodation for the duration of the event. The Crowne Plaza, located in the same building as the casino, and the AC Marriott just across the road will be full of travelling players taking advantage of this fantastic promotion and turning the week into a true poker getaway.
The Merlin Poker Cash Game Tour is a relatively new but fast-growing series created specifically for players who love cash games. Instead of the usual tournament focused poker festivals, Merlin Poker is all about deep stacked action, lively tables, and bringing together players from across Europe and beyond. The idea is simple: create great games, in great locations, with a strong international mix of players ready to play.
At the upcoming Banco Bratislava stop there will be plenty of action across a range of stakes in both No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. Scheduled games include NLH 1-3, 2-5, and 5-10 alongside PLO 2-2, 5-5, and 10-10. Whether you are an aspiring low stakes grinder hoping to take a shot or a seasoned mid to high stakes regular looking for fresh action, there will be tables running throughout the week.
One of the most exciting parts of the Merlin Poker experience is the international community that comes with it. The network already includes players from 47 different countries, meaning every session brings the chance to face new opponents and new playing styles. With games regularly running from 2/2 all the way up to high stakes 50/100, there is always the possibility that the next big game is just about to start.
The tour has already hosted successful stops at Banco Bratislava in October 2025 and at Grand Casino Aš in January 2026. Those events attracted a lively mix of players, particularly from France, Switzerland, and the Benelux region, helping to build a strong reputation for great action and a welcoming atmosphere.
Merlin Poker is about much more than just sitting down at the tables. It is about meeting new people, sharing stories after long sessions, and becoming part of a growing network of cash game players who enjoy travelling for the game. For anyone who feels stuck playing the same regulars at home or constantly hunting for good action, these events offer a refreshing change of pace.
The tour is built on the foundations of PokerTourist.net, one of the largest international communities dedicated to live cash games. After years of connecting players and sharing information about the best places to play around the world, the team decided to bring that community together in real life through the Merlin Poker Cash Game Tour.
By focusing entirely on cash games and offering travel perks such as free hotel stays, Merlin Poker is helping create a more vibrant and social cash game scene in Europe. It is poker, travel, and community all rolled into one.
With a full week of games, a packed hotel full of fellow players, and action running day and night, the upcoming Banco Bratislava stop is shaping up to feel less like a normal poker trip and more like a proper poker holiday. For anyone who enjoys live cash games, good company, and the buzz of a busy poker room, this is one event that is well worth marking in the calendar.
Follow the link below for more information and to secure you place –