Poker Travel — The Complete Guide for Playing Poker Abroad

Poker travel refers to players who travel specifically to play live poker — usually around a well-known tournament or series, but sometimes simply to play at a destination casino with a different player pool and vibe than back home. The trip usually mixes regular tourism with cash games, tournaments, and meeting an international poker community. Part of the experience is exactly that change of routine: a different table, different opponents, and sometimes slightly different currency and rules.

Before heading out, it helps to understand the tournaments available and your comfort level, and to practice first against real opponents through our Israeli ClubGG club.

Cyprus — a very popular destination among Israeli players thanks to its geographic proximity, short flights and developed casino culture. Casinos in Cyprus typically offer a mix of cash tables and tournaments, including periodic events of varying sizes.

Europe — destinations like Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain host EPT-style festivals throughout the year with a range of buy-in levels, structures, and an international player mix.

Las Vegas — still considered the "mecca" of world poker, mainly thanks to the WSOP (World Series of Poker), held there annually with dozens of events across many stakes.

Important: schedules, prices and brand affiliations change year to year. Always check the official website of the relevant series or casino before booking flights — don't rely on old information.

WSOP and EPT are two of the best-known brands in live poker, each with its own structure of events — from low-buy-in tournaments suited to newer players to flagship high-stakes events with significant prize pools. Beyond these, there are many other regional and local series running throughout the year at various destinations.

The right approach isn't to "chase" a specific brand but to pick an event matching your experience level and budget, and always confirm with official sources which tournaments are actually running on the dates you plan to travel.

Financial planning is perhaps the most neglected part of poker trips. Beyond flight and hotel costs, you should budget for: tournament buy-ins, a separate cash game bankroll, everyday spending money, and a reserve in case of an early loss. A common rule of thumb is not to put more than a small percentage of your total trip bankroll into a single tournament.

We strongly recommend reading our bankroll management guide before you travel — proper money management is the difference between a trip that ends after one day and one that lets you play with confidence until the end.

The switch from online to live poker surprises many players. The pace is much slower — a single hand can take long minutes instead of seconds, and you need to get used to patience and focus over long sessions. There's also far more non-verbal information at the live table: body language, timing, eye contact, even the way a player stacks their chips — all can serve as "tells" with no online equivalent.

On the other hand, online poker lets you play far more hands in less time and practice different scenarios. Combining both worlds — online practice to build strategic fundamentals, live play to develop read skills — is the best way to grow as a player.

Every casino and tournament has accepted norms worth knowing in advance: act only in turn, don't expose cards mid-hand, avoid discussing a hand with players who already folded, and keep a reasonable pace of play. Dealers and veteran players appreciate players who know the norms — it also helps you fit in faster at an unfamiliar table.

It also helps to know blind structures, all-in rules and prize distribution in advance so you're not caught off guard mid-tournament. More on rules and strategy is available in our tournament strategy guide.

Many competitive poker players use a "staking" model — an external backer funds part or all of a player's buy-in in exchange for a percentage of winnings. This is a common tool for reducing personal risk and funding higher buy-ins relative to a player's own bankroll.

Important: every staking arrangement should be agreed and clear upfront — profit split percentage, who covers losses, and repayment terms. This area requires mutual trust, and it's wise to consult experienced players before entering such an arrangement.

The smartest way to arrive prepared for a poker trip is to start practicing well before the flight. We recommend starting with free poker to sharpen fundamentals without financial risk, continuing with comprehensive strategy learning at our poker academy, and practicing against real players in our Israeli ClubGG club — so that when you reach the live table abroad, you arrive with confidence, not seeing a real table for the first time.