I had heard so much about it. The photos circulating on social media, those images of poker tables under the Resort's arcades, the stream clips showing the final table being played out under the spotlights, every time I told myself “one day, I'll go”. And this time, it's happening: I booked my package, accommodation and entry to one of the included tournaments, and I sorted out my plane tickets separately, timed to match the festival dates.

Arrival at the airport

The flight lands at Marrakech Menara. Customs, collecting the suitcase, nothing out of the ordinary, except that little spike of excitement coming off the baggage belt: I am finally here. I buy a local SIM card at the counter before heading out, so as to have signal straight away. My package included a shuttle to the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort, so I go and meet it. Had I not had that option, I would simply have withdrawn 200 MAD from the cash machine for a taxi: the journey only takes 15 to 20 minutes and costs between 150 and 200 MAD.

Arrival at the Resort

The Resort lives up to what I had seen in photos, and then some. Eight hectares, several restaurants, swimming pools, a spa set around a century old eucalyptus tree, I understand straight away why the Resort's rooms are so sought after during the festival. I collect my key at reception and take the time to put my things down before going to see what all this looks like up close. No need to rush: the casino is open with extended hours throughout the festival.

Going to the cashier: changing your money

Off to the casino cashier to change my first euros into dirhams. The rate is around 10.5 to 11 MAD for €1. I can also pay in cash, by bank card, or even by Apple Pay. I am also told that I could have made a transfer to the Casino beforehand to have peace of mind on site (at least 2 to 3 weeks before the event).

The membership card, an essential passport

Off to the welcome desk, passport in hand. The membership card is free, but compulsory to play, whether in a tournament, at a cash game or on the slot machines. Within a few minutes, I walk away with a QR code on my phone: my card is ready, no bit of plastic to carry around. This is also where I can register for the tournaments I am interested in, or collect my seat if it was already booked as part of my package.

The pleasure of playing

Passport checked, card activated: I push open the door of the room I had seen scroll past on my screen so many times. Almost 70 International Poker Festivals under its belt, and the line up is enough to give you vertigo: WSOPC, WPT, SISMIX by Winamax, Unibet, Marrakech Poker Open... the biggest names in world poker have all passed through here. I walk into the Jean Bauchet room, the very one where the greatest festivals have been written for over 20 years, and just discovering it, I feel that something is at stake: these walls have seen thousands of hands, bad beats and final tables go by, and I feel I can still hear the echo of chips clacking.

Once the effect of that first entrance has passed, I take the time to explore the rest of what the casino has to offer. Because here, poker is not the only thing running the show: the table game rooms offer cash game at any hour, roulette with its inside and outside bets, black jack and its bonus variants, Ultimate Texas Hold'em against the house, not forgetting the rows of slot machines for those who want to catch their breath between two tournaments. Plenty to move from one table to another without ever leaving the building, or the atmosphere.

And if luck smiles: transferring winnings

I am not thinking about it yet at this moment, but I already know how it will go if I leave a winner: ask for a winnings certificate at the cashier at the end of the stay, with passport and proof of exchange, to change my dirhams back into euros under good conditions, or even arrange a bank transfer directly to my account. But for now, only one thing matters: the first card has just landed on the felt, and the festival I had seen so many pictures of is finally starting for real, with me in it.

Marrakech, a poker like no other

Once the vertigo of the first hand has passed, I realise that poker in Marrakech has something extra that no other festival gives me elsewhere. The climate is ideal, almost tailor made for stringing together tournament days without ever suffering from the heat or the cold. The city, just next door, is just waiting to be explored between two sessions. And the Palace's facilities mean you feel good there from morning to evening, between the tables and the pool. All that remains is to work out what to do with all this free time between two tournaments, and that is another story.