AppId is over the quota
September 14 2011, Lynn Gilmartin
The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, is a 560-mile coastline along the southeast border of France. It's one of the most prestigious regions of this wonderful planet we live on, oozing with glamour and sophistication. On Oct. 7, the poker world will descend on the heart of the Riviera when, after four consecutive years in London, the World Series of Poker Europe heads to Cannes.
Cannes’ port is lined with yachts owned by the world’s most privileged, it’s the home to the most famous film festival and the private beaches are regularly graced with bikini-clad Hollywood superstars. Although, all the glamour of Cannes is just scratching the surface when it comes to the offerings of the Côte d’Azur.
Language: French, English is widely spokenCurrency: EuroWeather: An average high of 20°C/68°FTaxi: Taxis de Cannes (04) 9299 2727Tourist Office: 00 33 49299 8422, Palais des Festivals, La CroisetteThe Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport in Nice, France, just 17 miles up the coast from Cannes, is the main airport servicing all of the French Riviera. Flights from London take approximately two hours. Many major airlines such as British Airways, Aer Lingus and EasyJet fly into Nice. Kayak.com has the easiest way to find the best deals on flights. There’s a direct TGV train from Paris to Nice that takes approximately six-hours, or you can hop on one of the many other railways from various French and Italian cities. Once you arrive in Nice, there are a few different options of making your way to Cannes:
The World Series of Poker Europe will be held at the Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette and the Hôtel Majestic Barrière. The WSOP staff has doubled 2010's capacity and has planned for 75 poker tables across the two facilities.
For a centrally located place to stay in the heart of Cannes, the Hôtel Majestic Barrière and the Hotel Gray d’Albion are suggested for the WSOPE. These are said to be more than just hotels. They are the hotels that host the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and which will also host the heads of state at the G20 Summit in November. These are destination resorts sought after by people all over Europe and vacationers from elsewhere around the world. There are special hotel rates for WSOP players.
Promenade de la Croisette
A walk through Cannes’ Promenade de la Croisette (French for “Little Cross Drive”) is an eye-opening reality to just how luxuriously some people in our world live. There you'll find some of the fanciest restaurants, hotels and boutique shops, stretched over a mile along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and lined with parked cars that we could probably only dream of ever affording. Described as "Cannes’ catwalk beside the sea," it’s the center of tourist activity.
Just beware when heading out to eat here, if you’re not decked out in Chanel and Prada, restaurants will reluctantly seat you, and it will be in the most hidden table possible. That’s what happened to me and my friends when we went out for breakfast, fresh from the beach. We weren’t quite up to the fashion standards of the café owner who snarled up her nose and sat us out the back (literally out the back, not even inside the café) of the completely empty restaurant!
Down La Croisette is Palais des Festivals, where the world-famous Cannes Film Festival is held. Snapping a picture in front of the 22 steps leading up to the entrance is a must!
While walking along La Croisette, not only will you witness some of the most extravagant yachts that you’ve ever laid eyes on, but you’ll also notice that the majority of the beaches are reserved for private use only. Anyone can rent a day bed at most of the private beaches for approximately €30. If you’d rather not pay, then the incredibly crowded public beaches can be found at the very far east and west ends of town.
Le Suquet
Known as "Old Town," Le Suquet is the old quarter of Cannes where you’ll get more of a local taste of the town, realizing it’s not all just yachts on the harbor. It’s one of the nicest places to visit with boutique stores and outdoor cafés perched up on a hill. To get up there, you have to take a five-minute walk up the hill of winding, 400-year-old cobbled lanes, which takes some effort, but is a great way to get some exercise and well worth the experience, and the view. If you go in the morning, check out the Marche Forville market at the bottom of the hill for a spectacular food experience. On the top of the hill is the Provençal Gothic Church, dating back to the 14th century. Be sure to stop in because the inside has been turned into a 19th century gallery.
Îles de Lérins
If you have a free day to explore, the Lérins Islands are definitely worth visiting. They are just a 15-minute ferry ride from the Cannes old port. Ferries depart hourly and cost between €8 to €13 depending on what route you take. The smaller is St Honorat, which has a monastery and ruined castle where the monks sell monastery-made food and drink products — a unique souvenir idea! The larger, busier and more commercial island, with a museum, shops, bars, and restaurants, is Ste Marguerite. It’s here that you can visit the cell of The Man in the Iron Mask and perhaps add your name to the hundreds of others that have been written on the walls. The islands are a perfect place to find a quiet cove, some shade from palm trees, and a cheap snorkel around the rocky coves. I suggest having a picnic, because it’s the perfect way to embrace the tranquility of the gardens, and the few restaurants on the islands are quite overpriced.
Monaco
Another adventure for your day off is to visit one of the neighboring cities, especially Monaco, the tiny country hanging off of a cliff on the southern coast of France, just 22 miles from Cannes. It’s a year-round playground for the world’s richest. If you thought Cannes was indulgent, just wait until you see Monaco.
To get there, you can ride cheaply on Bus Azur, but if you want to feel like a real resident in this money-lathered piece of the world, and you can’t quite afford the likes of Lamborghini to own, perhaps you can afford one for the day? Cruise your way along the coast of the French Riviera up to the streets of the Grand Prix in Monaco in a luxury set of wheels from the rental agency JKL, which offers cars fit for a star.
There are countless bars that will make your jaw drop in Cannes such as Le Baoli or L’Atelier. With the rich and famous regular guests, both will give any club in the world a run for its money. Morrisons Lounge is a nice place for a quiet, laid-back drink early in the night, but it picks up later on once the DJ starts (seven nights a week). Morrisons also has an Irish Pub next door, which is perfect for sports fans since there are games always on the big screen. If hiding away with a glass of wine is more your style, then head to Le Bar a Vin for a selection of over 150 wines.
I’ve gone with specifying the cheap eats, because if you want to find an indulgent meal, then walk into the first restaurant you see, and the odds of it being world-class and burning a hole in the wallet are damn high. It takes a little research to eat cheaply in Cannes. Luckily, right by the Casino is Café Florian for some healthy, local cuisine on a budget.
A little further around the port is L'Assiette d'Provencal which offers a three-course set menu for approximately €22. Or for a Parisian bistro vibe, head to New Monaco in the center of town for some traditional French cuisine that also won't break the bank.
The PokerNews Team will be tableside for the entire World Series of Poker Europe, so follow @PokerNews_Live on Twitter to ensure you don't miss any of our live updates!
*Photo of the Majestic Barrière is courtesy of HotelsoftheRichandFamous.com.
Follow Lynn Gilmartin on Twitter — @LynnGilmartin
when he 
all-in 
keep the 
against of Hugh Cohen. The 
Board of Directors 
ran out of 
send 
with the devastating Sevens Prokhorov to rail. 
couldn’t out run Mikko Sundell's 
. Jacobson was eliminated in sixth place and earned €88,900.
flop. Sundell stayed aggressive and bet 85,000. Waxman came back with a raise to 210,000 and then Sundell questioned Waxman for how much he had left. About a minute and a half went by before Sundell reraised to 680,000. Waxman sighed and then moved all-in. Sundell called and a pot worth 3.7 million was born.
for a king-high flush draw. After the 
hit the river, Waxman’s flush proved to be the winning hand and he scooped in the chips. Sundell was crushed down to just 30,000, or one big blind. On the next hand, he was eliminated by start-of-the-day chip leader Kaverman.
and Magen’s Broadway straight won the hand.
, but was dominated by Waxman's 
ran out, Magen was left with a €211,100 payday and the heads-up match between Waxman and Hugo Lemaire was set.
. Waxman checked to the preflop raiser and Lemaire fired 145,000. Waxman check-raised all-in and Lemaire made the call to put himself at risk. He held the 
for top pair while Waxman held the 
for a flush draw. The turn delivered the 
to give Waxman some more outs to a straight and then the river landed with the 
, giving Waxman his flush and the win. For his runner-up finish, Lemaire took home €311,100.