European Poker Tour (EPT) – Schedule, Venues & History

The European Poker Tour (or EPT) is widely known as the “Champions League” of live poker, offering the richest and most prestigious tournaments outside of Las Vegas . Established during the poker boom, the series attracts a unique mix of professional grinders and wealthy recreational players, making it the dominant poker tour in Europe. Whether you are hunting for massive prize pools or the glamour of venues like Monte Carlo or Barcelona, the EPT sets the gold standard for competitors in Europe.

At a Glance

This section provides a quick overview of the key facts about the EPT, including its founding year and major venues. The list below helps you get up to speed with the essential characteristics of the series before diving into the detailed history and tournament schedule.

• Founded: 2004
• Region: Europe
• Currency: Euro (€)
• Iconic Venues:
  • Casino Barcelona
  • Sporting Monte-Carlo
  • King’s Casino Prague
• Owner/Sponsor: PokerStars

History & Prestige

The history of the EPT spans over two decades and is one of the most defining success stories of modern poker. Over the years, the series has continuously adapted to player needs while maintaining its prestige and leading role on the continent.

Origin Story

The EPT was founded in 2004 by John Duthie, a television director and poker player who recognized the need for a unified European poker series to rival the World Poker Tour (WPT) in the US . The inaugural season began in Barcelona, which remains the only stop to have appeared in every single season of the tour’s history. In the early years, the series quickly gained popularity as television broadcasts brought the excitement of poker to a wide audience.

Evolution

Fuelled by the online poker boom and the backing of PokerStars, the popularity of the EPT skyrocketed in the late 2000s. It evolved from smaller buy-in events in local casinos to massive festivals held in Europe’s most luxurious destinations. The series briefly rebranded as the “PokerStars Championship” in 2017 but returned to the beloved EPT brand in 2018 due to popular demand .

Records & Fame

The EPT is famous for creating superstars and generating the largest prize pools on the European continent. It is a key component of poker’s “Triple Crown” title, which requires winning a WSOP bracelet, a WPT title, and an EPT trophy.

• Victoria Coren Mitchell became the first player in history to win two EPT Main Event titles (London 2006 and Sanremo 2014) .
• EPT Barcelona frequently sets records for field sizes; the 2022 Main Event drew 2,294 entries, generating a prize pool of over €11 million .

Events & Structure

EPT festivals are not just about a single tournament but offer a series of diverse poker events lasting several days. The structures are designed so that players of all bankrolls can find a suitable challenge, from satellites to the highest stakes tournaments.

Flagship Events

The backbone of a typical EPT festival consists of several “must-play” tournaments that guarantee the highest prestige and the juiciest prizes. These events attract the most media attention and the cream of the poker world:

• Main Event: Usually a €5,300 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. This is the main attraction, featuring a deep structure that favors skillful play.
• High Rollers: The schedule typically includes a €10,300 High Roller and a €50,000 or €100,000 Super High Roller, attracting the world’s elite.
• EPT Mystery Bounty: A newer addition, usually with a €3,000 buy-in, where random bounty prizes add to the excitement.

Player Experience

The EPT is renowned for its slow, deep-stack structures, often with hour-long blind levels in the Main Event, allowing plenty of room for strategy. This attracts top-tier professionals, but the glamour of venues like Monte Carlo or Paris ensures a healthy ratio of recreational players and satellite qualifiers, keeping the field composition exciting and mixed.

Online Qualification

The most cost-effective way to get to live events is by participating in online satellites, which offer the chance to enter the biggest tournaments for a fraction of the cost. Modern online poker offers numerous paths to qualification, even for complete beginners.

Official Satellites

As the series is owned by PokerStars, this is the exclusive online site where players can win seats or full travel packages to EPT events. The system aims to take low-stakes players to the biggest live stages:

• Power Path: A modern qualification system allowing players to work their way up from as little as €0.50 to a “Gold Pass” (worth $10,300) or “Silver Pass” (worth $2,500), which can be used for EPT packages .
• Direct Satellites: Traditional qualifiers run in the weeks leading up to major stops like Prague or Barcelona.

General Online Poker

While direct EPT qualification is available exclusively on PokerStars, players can build their bankrolls for live events by taking advantage of softer fields and high-value promotions at our partner rooms. These rooms provide an excellent alternative for preparation: GGPoker, WPT Global or Natural8.