Ok, so due to recent developments regarding U.S. players i remembered to open this thread for you to ask me what you want from Portugal.

so, fire up.

best place to live in Portugal for poker both live and online?

where has best cost of living for standard of living?

as for online poker pretty much the whole country.

we are set with one of the best cable/fiber optics network in europe all around the country.

as for live cash game poker it is legal to play in casinos and you can find games (small to middle stakes) in most (11) of them.

North casinos:

CASINO DA PÓVOA DE VARZIM
VARZIM-SOL – Turismo, Jogo e Animação, S.A.

CASINO DE ESPINHO
SOLVERDE - Sociedade de Investimentos Turísticos da Costa Verde, S.A.

CASINO DE CHAVES
SOLVERDE - Sociedade de Investimentos Turísticos da Costa Verde, S.A.

Center casinos:

CASINO DO ESTORIL
ESTORIL-SOL (III)- Turismo, Jogo e Animação, S.A.

CASINO DE LISBOA
ESTORIL-SOL (III)- Turismo, Jogo e Animação, S.A.

CASINO DE TRÓIA
GRANO SALIS - Investimentos Turísticos, Jogos e Lazer, S.A.

CASINO DA FIGUEIRA DA FOZ
SOCIEDADE FIGUEIRA PRAIA, S.A.

South casinos:

CASINO DE VILAMOURA
SOLVERDE - Sociedade de Investimentos Turísticos da Costa Verde, S.A.

CASINO DE MONTE GORDO
SOLVERDE - Sociedade de Investimentos Turísticos da Costa Verde, S.A.

CASINO DE PORTIMÃO
SOLVERDE - Sociedade de Investimentos Turísticos da Costa Verde, S.A.

Island casinos:

CASINO DA MADEIRA
ITI-SOC. DE IVESTIMENTOS TURÍSTICOS NA ILHA DA MADEIRA, S.A.

as for live tourneys they are also legal in casinos and you can find a wide range (medium thru high-stakes) of mtts in the casinos of grupo solverde, in the casino estoril and in the casino of madeira.

the live scene in portugal is much bigger tourney-wise than cash game tbh.

as for best cost of living for standard of living i would go with the center national area in places like Coimbra.

Its a great city with a great vibe and a significant lower cost than the Capital city, wich is Lisbon.

How hard is it to get a visa/90 day visa? How hard is it to open up a foreign bank account? 1 bedroom apt to just grind - what is the average montly rent in a safe area?

thanks for your time

How hard is it to speak and be understood if you know a decent amount of Brazilian Portuguese?

I'm brazilian and in some cases, their portuguese is kinda difficult, but u can understand

for U.S. citizens (assuming you are one) not hard at all.

actually U.S citizens
dont need visa for stays up to 90 days.

As to open up a bank account here for a non-portuguese citizen (i think that was your question) it depends on the type of bank account required and the bank itself, but generally it`s pretty easy if you have ID and a certificate of residency.

As for prices for 1bedroom apt in a safe area prices range go from 250€ to 450€.

not hard at all.

it`s the same language (portuguese) obviously with subtle differences.

some promotional videos.

also check this and this.

Don't you think Portugal will follow the Italy/France model and prohibit its residents from playing the global poker sites? I know they were looking at it at the end of last year. Any idea where that stands? The last thing any of us want to do is go through this again.

i heard that portugal faces major economical issues would that be safe for opening bank accounts there?

thnx for doing this. Where do you live in portugal?

I really love Portugal when I go on holidays, however what is the weather like in the winter?

Also, as an EU citizen, I can live there with no hassle right?

Is poker taxed there?

How are the Portuguese women with regards to meeting and dating foreigners?

Best place for mix of golf, live poker, beaches and prices?

Cost of the following would be great too:

Packet of Eggs
Packet of Bacon
6 pack of Portugese Beer (sagres or superbock) 330ml or 600ml
Packet of Marlboro Light Cigarettes
ticket watching Portugese Liga football match
ticket watching Basketball match
gym membership with sauna
3-4 bedroom house with pool for long term lease in best value/standard of living bracket

Thanks

tbh can`t really tell.

some years ago the portuguese legal owner and concessionary of games of luck/badluck (*santa casa) filed a suit against bwin because they offer sports betting online and they won, but it all stood the same.

at the end of last year there was a comission formed by the govern to study and advise about online gambling.
their advise was that the government should not legalize online gambling and should keep the monopoly of licensed gambling to *santa casa.
they also advised that online gambling should be legislated somewhere in the future because at this moment there is kind of a legal voight.

if they indeed legislate/regulate, there is no idea what is going to be the model to follow.

i sure hope that in the future and facing regulation there will be open a window of oportunnity with the possibility for regulating the whole european market and not country by country.

i would love to think that the italian and french model are somewhat transitory models before the whole european market can be regulated.

with the political/economical environment in portugal (facing major elections soon) at this moment, i would guess that regulating online gambling is nowhere near the top in the agenda, but you can never know for sure.

i would say that at least for one year there must be no major changes on that.

The temperature already rose to a steady 28ºC in early April. Lisboa and Algarve are your top picks for that mix.

Eggs: 1€ for a dozen
Bacon: 8€/kg for the cheapest ones
6pack: 2€
Marlboro: 4€
Football: 30-50€ for the more expensive matches of the portuguese league (good seats), will rise in the UEFA competitions and will lower in non-derby atches.
Basketball: at least a half of the values of the prices applied in football matches.
Gym: 25€+, a complete plan my be achievable for 60-70€/month (free-pass for all services)
House: For a pool house the best value will definitely be Algarve, as it is less expensive and in the summer the entire coast line becomes a party zone..

Expect to see lots of hot girls of every nationality there, lots of clubs and 3 casinos..

There are cultural events going like theatre, live music, shows, fairs, etc going on everyday.

I'd say you could get a T2 with a pool one or two kms from the beach for about 1000€/month.. (some variance here, both upwards and downwards)

I wouldn't worry about online gaming regulation for the next two years (or even 4). There are a lot of going on politically-wise that it would be frowned upon to shift the Government focus to online gaming. The FMI, at the moment, has a delegation that is analyzing the Portuguese' finances so the media discussion is all about that and the crisis that led to that.

again, np.

yes, 100% safe.

we are facing elections soon and imf is going to stay here for a long time.

no problems safety-wise as to open a bank account.

What are some of the more high scale areas that would be good for a poker playing house?


I understand VISA issues are not a problem.

This one looks ok:

http://www.longtermlettings.com/prop...s~27916420.htm

And it's inside this:

http://www.quintadamarinha.com/~informat/index.php

One of the most known luxury resorts in Portugal. If you look for exclusiveness, you'll find it there.

What jobs foreigners can do other than work in bars? I like getting out of the house and meeting normal people. Could I teach English there?

Without a undergraduate degree in Anglo-Saxonic studies you'll not be able to do it (or anything related to it)

Check this

http://youcanteachenglish.com/portugual/

To lecture in University you'll need a Master Degree or equivalent.

Cliff notes:

You might be able, however you'll have to get the qualifications through achieving the required certification (check the link above).

Expected age range of alumni: 5-17

Thanks its definitely a start. We are starting an excel sheet then slowly going to start finding out whose going lol. Want to narrow it to 3 choices eventually then just go

Can you confirm or deny whether marijuana has been decriminalised, and the police will turn a blind eye to your carrying/smoking it?

i would go checking the line that stands between Lisbon and Estoril.

if you look for top houses in one of the best places in the country, you can`t miss it.

and yes, visas are no problem.

that kind of depends on your real skills and academics qualifications.

but you can always look to teach privately if you don`t have a proper degree to teach in schools.