European Poker Tour
The European Poker Tour, EPT also, launched in 2004 as part of the worldwide popularity explosion of Texas Hold'em. There, a series of poker tournaments is played in a similar tournaments of the World Poker Tour. It was created by TV producer and poker player John Duthie to life.
The most important difference between the competing poker tournaments was the buy in ( entry fee ) and to the prize pool, with the EPT had its effect in the buy half the size of those of the WPT. The resulting effect was that the EPT had less "Star Power" and lower prize money. However, the winner of the first two EPT events prices contributed in the range of € 100,000 to take home lucrative enough to attract the attention of many top players.
2007/2008 increased the buy ins and the number of participants, so that have now been found on the EPT all stars. Superstars like Phil Ivey, Joe Hachem, Marcel Luske, Ram Vaswani, Patrik Antonius or Andy Black who sat on several final tables.
Furthermore, there is the final table of eight players instead of six as at the WPT.
The EPT is subsidized by PokerStars.com and was transferred to Germany from € sports on TV. The parent company TF1 France has decided in May 2007 to cancel all televised poker and to adhere to the French government.
The finale of the third season in Monte Carlo, in which the Americans Gavin Griffin won, with over 700 players reached a new record and was the hitherto bestdotierte tournament outside the United States. In the tournament participated in a large number of well-known professionals from around the world.
2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was the first tournament of the EPT which took place in the Bahamas outside Europe.
2010, the EPT was attacked at the Hyatt hotel in Berlin by several armed robbers who were a few days later arrested by the police. From the prey is no trace. Mastermind of the raid was a member of the Berlin Abou- Chaker clan.
Event Overview
Season 1
- Period: 2004-2005
- Number of players: 1468
- PokerStars qualifiers: 350
- Total Prize Pool: € 4,780,972
Season 2
- Period: 2005-2006
- Number of players: 2009
- PokerStars qualifiers: 363
- Total Prize Pool: € 9,824,000
Season 3
- Period: 2006-2007
- Number of players: 3481
- PokerStars qualifiers: 756
- Total prize pool: € 19,571,000
Season 4
- Period: 2007-2008
- Number of players: 5902
- PokerStars qualifiers: 1682
- Total prize pool: € 38,248,788
Season 5
- Period: 2008-2009
- Number of players: 7901
- PokerStars qualifiers: 3077
- Total prize pool: € 54,940,712
Season 6
- Period: 2009-2010
- Number of players: 9157
- PokerStars qualifiers: 3841
- Total prize pool: € 56,672,284
Season 7
- Period: 2010-2011
- Number of players: 7819
- Total prize pool: € 44,632,456
Season 8
- Period: 2011-2012
- Number of players: 8261
- Total prize pool: € 45,445,077
Season 9
- Period: 2012-2013
- Number of players: 6602
- Total prize pool: € 37,326,200