Playing Poker Globally - Flaghunters
Tournament poker players are familiar with the Hendon Mob database where results from casinos are compiled and ranked but did you know that cashing in different countries is also a ranking?
“Cashed in Different Countries”, has an overall and yearly ranking. This year, Dominick French is leading the 2024 Flaghunter race with 27 unique flags (as of October 13, 2024) with the next best player trailing by 14 flags. To get a flag, a player must cash in a qualifying tournament and the results sent to the Hendon Mob.
*stand as of October 13, 2024
The top 10 players in 2024 mostly hail from European countries and that makes sense as traveling within Europe is quite easy and poker in Europe is booming. Dominick French, the current leader, is from Canada, Ankit Ahuia from India sits 5th in the ranking and Yuri Ishida (Japan) 10th proving that with some planning, cashing in eight countries in one year is possible even if you are not based in Europe.
How many countries is possible?
To plan a flag hunting year, you can start by looking at PokerStars Live Events. These live events include the European Poker Tour (EPT), Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP), North American Poker Tour (NAPT), Eureka and other sponsored events, and you could easily travel to over 12 countries in one year.
If Poker Stars adapts a similar schedule in 2025, you could start growing your flag collection with the European Poker Tours.
FRANCE - EPT Paris (February)
MONACO - EPT Monte Carlo (April)
SPAIN - EPT Barcelona (August)
CYPRUS - EPT Cyprus ( October)
CZECH REPUBLIC - EPT Prague (December)
This would give you five unique country flags - that is of course if you cash at each stop! You can then focus on other tours to try to get another 5 flags.
CAMBODIA - APPT Cambodia
PHILIPPINES - APPT Manila
MEXICO - LAPT Mexico
BRAZIL - BSOP Sao Paulo or BSOP Rio De Janeiro
UNITED STATES - North American Poker Tour (November)
In addition, if you play the EUREKA, there are stops in Namur, Belgium and Hamburg, Germany. Players could potentially cash in 12 different countries in one year, just by playing Poker Stars events.
Of course, if you want to cash in more than 12 different countries in one year, you will need to find other series and tours in addition to Poker Stars. You can join the Globetrotting Poker group for more ideas and sample itineraries, or perhaps Dominick French will share some of his tips.
Records
In 2018, Finnish player, Henri Ovaska, cashed in 21 different countries setting the record for most countries cashed in one year. Before that, 13 countries was the record.
Dominick French has already surpassed this record, with 27 flags so far this year. We will have to wait until December 31, 2024 to see the new record on Hendon Mob.
Top Flaghunter Yearly Rankings
