Nothing shouts "high roller" up to Monte Carlo, and nothing shouts "low roller" up to punk.

So, imagine me, a former punk girl having my £49.99 handbag put on its own little chair by considered one of four waiters taking care of me in a Monaco restaurant. 

How did I AM GETTING here? 

People in my family still see poker as a despicable game played by criminals in smoky back rooms. They imagine cowboys in saloons shooting one another in the event that they catch someone bluffing, cheating, or just winning too often. 

If you're reading this, you will probably know poker has become something else. Some might call it a sport.

I never intended to become a certified player. Sure, it's still a dream, the article I'D do if I had the only big break or a lottery win that gave me complete financial freedom without worrying about downswings. I WISHED to work within the industry, and that's what I've done for eight years now. On the same time, being the poker fan-girl that I am, I enjoy spending time with the poker players that live my dream. I enjoy being a part of their world a minimum of a bit bit. 

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Work has brought me to Monte Carlo once or twice now. The primary time was just on my as far back as Nice from covering EPT San Remo 2008 as a blogger. We stopped for a day to have a stroll during the town and a beverage at Cafe de Paris. This definitely wasn't my world. Nothing was real. The streets were far too clean, the folk looked all miserably arrogant, and the costs for anything were unexplainably high.

Just every week later I returned to Monte Carlo again to work as a blogger for the PokerStarsBlog and IntelliPoker Blog on the EPT. The IntelliPoker team didn't book a hotel room, but we got lucky. George Danzer forfeited his room on the Le Meridien to us because he desired to share together with his best buddy Jan Heitmann on the Monte Carlo Bay. The bellhop brought me my luggage with the words, "Welcome, Mrs Danzer!" I DID NOT protest. 

The room had a super view of the famous yacht harbour, which was nice, but a handy guide a rough inspection of the minibar proved the entire horror stories true: Red Bull for €12, water €6, bag of crisps €7... madness!

This first visit to Monte Carlo turned out to be some of the stressful experiences in my life. As a blogger I usually got to bed around 2-3am and needed to be back on the venue at 10am. The dearth of sleep got to me, and my nerves were extra thin. I USED TO BE already overwhelmed by the impressive Salle des Etoilles tournament room. I had only been within the poker business for 2 months, and suddenly I stood in front of Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Antonio Estfandiari, etc. Regardless, I WOULD NOT have missed the chance for the world.

I saw some of these poker heroes and learned a lot, but I COULD NOT see anything of Monaco all the week.

The most amazing poker tournament room on the planet: Le Salle Des Etoilles

So, in 2015 when a pal and co-worker of mine offered to share a room in Monte Carlo, I jumped on it. The speculation was to make it a holiday, actually go sightseeing, and play some poker myself. With a view to share with my friend on the Le Meridien, I only needed to pay €30 extra per night. For that, I also got the whole amazing breakfast buffet. BINK! 

I managed to search out cheap EasyJet flights, so this ex-punk went for a five-day holiday to Monte Carlo. The variation between working there and being there on holiday is it's essential to pay in your own food. There's no daily allowance to maintain you fed and watered. Suddenly a €9 price ticket on a small bottle of Heineken becomes very relevant. 

There were a couple of tricks I applied in this trip:

1. Find someone to share a room with2. Completely overeat on the breakfast buffet and sneak out the occasional banana, apple, or croissant3. Find those bars that still will give you a bowl of nuts whilst you order a drink. Have a plastic bag available to store some or all the nibbles for later4. Pass welcome desks greater than once and either with an issue or simply a smile, bag a complimentary chocolate one at a time5. Refill your water bottles within the hotel gym or on the poker venue water dispensers (I'VE also learned that Monte Carlo tap water is, indeed, drinkable)6. Discover ways to pick filling starters for main entrees in restaurants 7. Party with people who don't watch their pennies up to you do

For those of you that ever have the desire to make the trip to Monte Carlo, consider that France is literally around the road. MOST OF THE hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets are a small walk away, and you may get everything as regards to half the fee. So, you should definitely do your small business in France up to possible.

My sightseeing trip was with a kind of omnipresent Hop-On-Hop-Off busses for €22. It drove me across the mini-country for a while, and that i finally felt I had seen where properly. This satisfaction then allowed me to spend some more time within the poker venue on the poker tables. Unfortunately, I did not capture my Monegasse flag, as I DIDN'T profit either the Omaha8, the Ladies, or the Deuces Wild events.

Two weeks ago, I returned from Monte Carlo again. I have been over for work in my new role as Innovation and Ideation Manager. My task this year was to gather ideas for brand new games, features, or improvements for any of our offerings in poker, casino, sports. It was interesting, and a few cool stuff landed on my desk. It wasn't as stressful as my first business journey here, and that i could even tick off the last missing sightseeing item that I had always desired to do: Le Casino!

My family were very concerned when as a nine-year old I screamed "CAAAASINOOOOOO!" on every occasion we drove past one. As I LIKE games and flashy lights, I'VE BEEN keen on casinos from an overly early age. Vegas casinos are my big unexplainable passion, however the one in Monte Carlo is the crown jewel of all casinos, and that i had always desired to see it from the inside.

This year I USED TO BE staying on the Fairmont Hotel right next to the casino. I DISCOVERED out that you would be able to wander the rooms during daytime for a €10 fee, which I gladly paid. In awe, I shuffled in the course of the impressive rooms with massive chandeliers, paintings and sculptures. I had this place almost to myself, and for some time just sat on an armchair taking within the artwork above and across the blackjack and roulette tables.

Le Casino de Monte-Carlo - essentially the most legendary casino of all time

A staff member of the casino found me taking a selfie, and that i explained what a large fan I USED TO BE of casinos and architecture and i was here for work with PokerStars. He offered me to turn me some private areas of the casino which are usually not accessible for tourists. I happily accepted and saw high-limit private rooms and amazing outside gambling areas with stunning views.

 Enjoying the view from a personal area at Le Casino

There I was, the old punk girl, gazing roulette tables with minimum bets of €3000, touching marble and gold. I USED TO BEn't sure what I was feeling or thinking. But I FEEL it was almost like I THINK once I see amazingly shiny and dear cars driving past me: I'M glad to grasp and spot that this stuff exist, but I'M absolutely fine, not having them in my very own life. It is not what I strive for.

I strive for exactly what happened here in Monte Carlo while working crazy hours as a blogger on the EPT and being a tourist, seeing stuff you don't see every day: 

Collecting moments, not things!

Previously: The Lifetime of an EPTourist

Christin Maschmann is the PokerStars Innovation Coordinator & Ideation Manager

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