European Poker Tour Releases Details on Season 12
On June 3, the European Poker Tour (EPT) released some new details about their upcoming Season 12, which was originally announced in May here on PokerNews.
With a memorable Season 11 in the books �� which concluded after 20-year-old Adrian Mateos became Spain's first EPT Champion at the EPT Grand Final in Montecarlo �� the new season of PokerStars' live tournament series is now getting ready for another round of fine action with six confirmed events that will consolidate the 'festival' formula featured in recent years.
EPT Barcelona: August 19 - 30
For the ninth time since its inception, the EPT season will kick off in Barcelona with a 12-day long festival that will start on Aug. 19. Barcelona's poker festival will combine the EPT events with those in the schedule of the Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT), Spain's national poker series.
Always regarded as one of the top poker events of the year, the EPT Barcelona will offer a number of great tournaments that include the �1,200 buy-in ESPT Main Event on Aug. 19, the �2,200 ESPT High Roller on Aug. 23, and the �5,300 EPT Main Event starting on Aug. 24.
Those interested in bigger buy-in events will also get their share of action, as the Barcelona's festival will again be home to a �10,300 High Roller Event from Aug. 29-30, a �30,000 buy-in Single Day Super High Roller on Aug. 25, and an explosive �50,000 buy-in Super High Roller to be played on Aug. 22-24.
Here's a look at the schedule of the events already confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Barcelona:
| Date | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 19-24 | Estrellas Main Event | �1,000 + �100 |
| Aug. 22-24 | Super High Roller | �48,500 + �1,500 |
| Aug. 23-24 | Estrellas High Roller | �2,000 + �200 |
| Aug. 24-30 | EPT Main Event | �5,000 + �300 |
| Aug. 25 | Single Day Super High Roller | �25,000 + �500 |
| Aug. 28-30 | EPT High Roller | �10,000 + �300 |
EPT Malta: October 21 - 31
Right after Barcelona, the EPT circus will move to the Mediterranean island of Malta for the second edition of the EPT Malta Festival, an event that brings together the EPT and Italy's Italian Poker Tour.
Hoping to repeat last year's success �� when the EPT Malta also ran together with other remarkable events like the Global Poker Masters and the GPI European poker Awards �� the EPT will invade the island with a calendar that includes a �5,300 Main Event as well as two �5,000 buy-in High Roller tournaments.
Here's a look at the schedule of the events already confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Malta:
| Date | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 21-25 | IPT Main Event | �1,000 + �100 |
| Oct. 23-25 | �25K High Roller | �25,000 + �750 |
| Oct. 24-25 | IPT High Roller | �2,000 + �200 |
| Oct. 25-31 | EPT Main Event | �5,000 + �300 |
| Oct. 26 | �10K Single Day High Roller | �10,000 + �200 |
| Oct. 29-31 | EPT High Roller | �10,000 + �300 |
EPT Prague: December 6 - 16
Dating back to Season 4, the calendar year will end with the highly-anticipated stop in Czech Republic for a festival that will combine the EPT Prague and the Eureka Poker Tour.
Traditionally considered a must-play event by many of poker's top names, the EPT Prague is sure to once again become 'the place to be' in December for those who want to celebrate poker and touch base with the industry. So far the tournaments confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Prague include the �5,300 EPT Main Event, and other marquee events as the �25,500 Single Day Super High Roller, and the three-day �50,000 Super High Roller that will kick off on Dec. 8
Here's a look at the schedule of the events already confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Prague:
| Date | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 6-10 | Eureka Main Event | �1,000 + �100 |
| Dec. 8-10 | Super High Roller | �48,500 + �1,500 |
| Dec. 9-10 | Eureka High Roller | �2,000 + �200 |
| Dec. 10-16 | EPT Main Event | �5,000 + �300 |
| Dec. 11 | Single Day Super High Roller | �25,000 + �500 |
| Dec. 14-16 | EPT High Roller | �10,000 + �300 |
Poker Caribbean Adventure (PCA): January 6 - 14
As usual, the first event in 2016 will take place in the Bahamas for yet another chapter of the widely appreciated PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). Although the preliminary schedule for the 2016 PCA is not out yet, it's a no-brainer to expect that the event will once again offer some thrilling action with all the best names in the game ready to fight for the Main Event, High Roller and Super High Roller titles.
What we know for sure is that the PCA �� which is that the biggest poker event to be held outside Las Vegas �� will again be hosted at the stunning Atlantis Resort. There, the organizers hope to beat the numbers generated this year when the huge turnout created a prize pool of close to $8,000,000 for the Main Event, allowing the eventual champ, Kevin Schulz, to walk home with a $1,491,580 first prize.
EPT Dublin: February 10 - 20
For the first time since Season 4 the EPT will head back to Dublin, Ireland to celebrate an all-new festival that brings together the EPT and PokerStars' United Kingdom Poker Tour (UKIPT). Sure to be the perfect combination for those seeking to combine poker with the traditional Irish fun (and pints), the EPT Dublin will be the stage of some great events including two Main Events and four High Roller tournaments.
To be held at the Royal Dublin Society, a historical venue built in 1731 and located just minutes away from the heart of Dublin City, the EPT Dublin comes after popular demand by players - and that's what many believe to be a guarantee for quality, value and numbers.
Here's a look at the schedule of the events already confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Dublin:
| Date | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 10-14 | UKIPT Main Event | �1,000 + �100 |
| Feb. 12-14 | �25K High Roller | �25,000 + �750 |
| Feb. 13-14 | UKIPT High Roller | �2,000 + �200 |
| Feb. 14-20 | EPT Main Event | �5,000 + �300 |
| Feb. 15 | �10K Single Day High Roller | �10,000 + �200 |
| Dec. 18-20 | EPT High Roller | �10,000 + �300 |
EPT Grand Final: April 26 - May 6
As tradition dictates, the twelfth season of the EPT will conclude its journey in the charming Monaco, with an amazing festival to be held at the Monte-Carlo Casino. Like usual, Monte-Carlo's leg of the EPT will be a prestigious series of events with a tournament-heavy calendar built to bid farewell to the season in style.
PokerStars has already confirmed that the festival in Monte-Carlo will include one leg of the France Poker Series (FPS), a Main Event on steroids with a �10,600 entry fee, and it will also feature staggering events such as a �50,000 buy-in single-day Super High Roller and an impressive �100,000 buy-in three-day Super High Roller.
Here's a look at the schedule of the events already confirmed by PokerStars for the EPT Grand Final:
| Date | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Apr. 26 - May 1 | FPS Main Event | �1,000 + �100 |
| Apr. 28-30 | Super High Roller | �98,000 + �2,000 |
| Apr. 29-30 | FPS High Roller | �2,000 + �200 |
| Apr. 30 - May 6 | EPT Main Event | �10,000 + �600 |
| May 1 | Single Day Super High Roller | �98,000 + �2,000 |
| May 4-6 | EPT High Roller | �25,000 + �750 |
The Calendar Still Has a Vacant Spot
Besides the events on the schedule, Season 12 may bring the EPT to land in even more new locations, as the long break between the EPT Dublin and the EPT Grand Final suggests.
With Sanremo pretty much out of the picture after last year's success of the EPT Malta, London replaced by Dublin, and with Deauville off the calendar, speculations are open as to where a new stop may appear.
Many believe that Berlin, which later this year will host the 2015 World Series of Poker Europe could be one a candidate, while others think that 2016 may finally see the EPT hit the ground in Amsterdam.
Given the success of the first-ever World Poker Tour (WPT) held in Amsterdam during May, the Dutch capital seems to be a good candidate to host an EPT - even if EPT President Edgar Stuchly expressed concern about available locations in the city when asked about that by PokerNews.NL's Frank Op de Woerd.
"Amsterdam is a fantastic city, [and it] is definitely a destination where we would like to go but �� more or less the only but at the moment �� is that there are issues with the venue size," Stuchly said.
"We are working with Holland Casino to find a solution," Stuchly continued. "We are working hard, and we are working together with them. So it's an ongoing process, and yes we would definitely love to go to Amsterdam in the near future."
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