Thirteen countries will host tournaments as part of the sixth season of the PokerStars-sponsored European Poker Tour (EPT). The festivities kick off on August 17th from Moscow, a brand new addition to the EPT schedule of events.
PokerStars unveiled a total of seven events on Monday. The number of countries visited increases to 13 during Season Six, including new stops in Portugal and Russia. John Duthie, Chief Executive of the world’s most popular online poker room, commented in a press release, “The new EPT season includes many events which have made the past five seasons such a triumph with record breaking fields and prize pools across Europe. We have set very high standards and we aim to improve on this still further in Season Six – with new additions to the schedule as well as a richer mix of games and buy-ins to cater to more players.”
The total prize pool of the Season Five EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final exceeded €9.3 million, which, according to PokerStars, was the largest European tournament prize pool ever. Pieter De Korver emerged as its champion, pocketing €2.3 million and besting a final table that also included professional poker player Dag Martin Mikkelsen. The 935 players who turned out to the storied Monaco casino comprised the largest field ever for the event, which serves as the finale of each EPT season. The Season Five PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Monte Carlo Grand Final, San Remo, and Barcelona tournaments were “the four richest prize pools available in poker tournaments outside the United States” over the past year.
Here’s a look at the first six tournaments to be held as part of EPT Season Six. The remainder of the schedule has not yet been released:
EPT Moscow: August 18th to August 23rd
Buy-in: 200,000 + 12,000 RUB
Host Venue: Radisson SAS
Host Country: Russia
EPT Barcelona: September 4th to September 9th
Buy-in: €8,000 + €300
Host Venue: Casino Barcelona
Host Country: Spain
EPT London: October 1st to October 7th
Buy-in: ₤5,000 + ₤250
Host Venue: Hilton Metropole
Host Country: England
EPT Warsaw: October 20th to October 25th
Buy-in: 20,000 + 1,000 PLN
Host Venue: Hyatt Regency
Host Country: Poland
EPT Vilamoura: November 17th to November 22nd
Buy-in: €5,000 + €300
Host Venue: Casino Vilamoura
Host Country: Portugal
EPT Prague: December 1st to December 6th
Buy-in: €5,000 + €250
Host Venue: Hilton Prague
Host Country: Czech Republic
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure: January 4th to January 14th
Buy-in: $10,000 + $600
Host Venue: Atlantis Hotel and Casino
Host Country: Bahamas
Players will need to secure their spots before each tournament reaches its predetermined capacity. The Poland stop has the smallest cap at 400 players, while Moscow, Vilamoura, and Prague can each accommodate 600 runners. The EPT’s Barcelona stop has a capacity of 700 players and the London tournament reaches its maximum when 800 poker hopefuls sign up. The largest field will undoubtedly occur in the Bahamas, where the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure can accommodate 1,600 players. Last year, the EPT’s lone Western Hemisphere sojourn attracted 1,347 entrants and was won by Canadian poker player Poorya Nazari, who took home $3 million.
Satellites for the Moscow stop began today on PokerStars and start at $2.20. Packages up for grabs on the USA-friendly site include hotel, tournament entry, and spending money. The poker world will anxiously await the London festivities, which will once again feature High Roller and Omaha events. Last year, American Michael Martin won the EPT London Main Event, while newly minted World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder Jason Mercier took down the High Roller event for nearly $1 million, besting 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda heads-up. Others at the final table of the High Roller spectacle were Isaac Haxton, Scotty Nguyen, David Benyamine, Isabelle Mercier, and Mike “SirWatts” Watson.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest EPT news and results.
