The 2013 Prague Mind Sports and Poker Festival is going to be bigger and better than ever and we've got the complete schedule of events plus innovations right here.
In December, the Czech capital will again hold an extensive tournament festival featuring poker, as well as games like chess, Scrabble and Magic: The Gathering.
In fact this event has quickly grown into the biggest of its kind.
But this shouldn't come as a surprise since the Czech Republic borders Germany, the biggest poker market in Europe. Plus the beer is cheap and Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Read on as we give you the what, where and when for all the events at the 2013 Prague Mind Sports and Poker Festival.
Poker Main Events
Get ready for WPT Prague
A number of poker majors will be playing out during the festival. Here are the biggest, in chronological order.
- Eureka Poker Tour, Dec 8-12, €1100 buy-in; Location: Hilton Hotel Prague.
- Online satellites at PokerStars. Live Satellite for day 1B on Dec 8, 4PM, €165 buy-in, three seats guaranteed. Another one at 7 PM, €110 buy-in (€50 rebuy/add-on).
- The Grand, Dec 10-14, €1100 buy-in; location: Card Casino Prague.
- Online satellites at Interpoker, RedKings Poker. Live satellites on location, daily at 9 PM, starting Dec 5, €125 buy-in.
- European Poker Tour (EPT), main event, Dec 12-18, €5300 buy-in; location: Hilton Hotel Prague.
- Online satellites at PokerStars. Live satellites on location, Dec 9, 8 PM, €110 (unlimited rebuys/add-on €50), one seat guaranteed.
- Further satellites: Dec 10, 9 PM, Dec 11, 7 PM, Dec 12, 7 PM, €550 buy-in (1rb/add-on). Last satellite: Dec 12, 9 PM, €1050 last chance turbo.
- World Poker Tour (WPT) Prague, Dec 15-21, €3300; location: Card Casino Prague
- Online satellites at bwin poker, PartyPoker. Live satellites in location: daily at 9 PM from Dec 11, €100 Buy-in, and on Dec 14, 6 PM, €330 buy-in.
More Poker Tournaments
In addition to the majors, there will be a range of tournaments with lower buy-ins geared towards recreational players.
- ECOAP Amateur Team Championship, four players per team, Dec 5/6, 12 AM, €440 buy-in.
- 888poker “Knights of Prague” championship, Dec 7/8, 12 AM, €330 buy-in. Online satellites at 888poker.
- Everest Poker live, Dec 8/9, 12 AM, €275 buy-in. Tournament schedule.
- World Sit’n’Go Masters, Dec 14-16, 12 AM, €750 buy-in.
- This 3-day event is now in its fifth year, and Prague hosting it for the second time. There are numerous qualifiers.
- Mode: Collect as many points as you can in four rounds of SnG to qualify for the final.
- WPT X-PLO-sive, Dec 16, 3 PM, €500 buy-in, Pot Limit Omaha. Tournament schedule.
- WPT Big Stack, Dec 17/18, 3 PM, €1000 Buy-in. Tournament schedule.
- WPT Wanted Bounty, Dec 18, 3 PM, €600 buy-in. Tournament schedule.
- Daily events at 3 PM, €100 buy-in, and at 7 PM, €150 buy-in.
Non-Poker Events
The Mind Sports Festival takes place on Dec 2-8, and will host Scrabble, Magic: The Gathering, and chess tournaments.
There are special Scrabble events in different languages, too. The buy-in is €50.
Innovations
New location Card Casino Prague.
New location: Except the EPT, all the events used to be played out at the Corinthian Hotel, but now the festival is moving.
The new location is the “Card Casino Prague”, the largest casino in the Czech Republic.
Player of the series: For the first, there will be an award for the best player of the series.
All the tournaments that take place in the Card Casino count towards the POTS ranking, except satellites and team events.
There will be €10,000 awarded, divided among the top three players of the ranking.
New sponsor: The GPI, having become the landmark of poker statistics after purchasing the Hendonmob database, is going to track the data for the ranking list as a new partner of the Prague Poker Festival.
The GPI is generating lists of the best player of the year and of the last three years. These ranking lists are generally acknowledged as the main reference for the strength of players all over the world.
Accommodation: 4* hotel Andel’s is the official festival hotel, and located right next to the Card Casino.
Rooms are available from around €80, but a lot of them have already been taken.
Don’t worry, though, there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels in the vicinity. Of course, you can book your hotel online, on websites like hrs.com or booking.com.
Pay attention the EPT is not part of the rest of the series and will be hosted in a different district.
To get, you either take a taxi or the metro. It takes a mere ten minutes to get from the Card Casino to the Hilton, and you won’t have to change the train.
Tickets are sold at your hotel reception, so you don’t have to take your dictionary and learn to say “day ticket” in Czech.
Be careful with taxis, as they are relatively expensive, especially at night. Always agree on the fare before you get in the car!
Food: The Bohemian cuisine is not for the faint hearted. Let’s just say you don’t go to Prague to lose weight. The food is heavy and rich but it is also delicious.
Besides that, the Czech Republic is the inventor of Pilsner beer, of which you can get a pint for €1,50 in regular bars.
PokerListings has been reporting from the growing festival of poker in Prague for years on a regular basis, and we will be there for you again this December.
Don’t forget to try your luck in one of the satellites!
In December, the Czech capital will again hold an extensive tournament festival featuring poker, as well as games like chess, Scrabble and Magic: The Gathering.
In fact this event has quickly grown into the biggest of its kind.
But this shouldn't come as a surprise since the Czech Republic borders Germany, the biggest poker market in Europe. Plus the beer is cheap and Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Read on as we give you the what, where and when for all the events at the 2013 Prague Mind Sports and Poker Festival.
Poker Main Events
A number of poker majors will be playing out during the festival. Here are the biggest, in chronological order.
Eureka Poker Tour, Dec 8-12, €1100 buy-in; Location: Hilton Hotel Prague.
Online satellites at PokerStars. Live Satellite for day 1B on Dec 8, 4PM, €165 buy-in, three seats guaranteed. Another one at 7 PM, €110 buy-in (€50 rebuy/add-on).
The Grand, Dec 10-14, €1100 buy-in; location: Card Casino Prague.
Online satellites at Interpoker, REdKings Poker. Live satellites on location, daily at 9 PM, starting Dec 5, €125 buy-in.
European Poker Tour (EPT), main event, Dec 12-18, €5300 buy-in; location: Hilton Hotel Prague.
Online satellites at PokerStars. Live satellites on location, Dec 9, 8 PM, €110 (unlimited rebuys/add-on €50), one sewat guaranteed.
Further satellites: Dec 10, 9 PM, Dec 11, 7 PM, Dec 12, 7 PM, €550 buy-in (1rb/add-on). Last satellite: Dec 12, 9 PM, €1050 last chance turbo.
World Poker Tour (WPT) Prague, Dec 15-21, €3300; location: Card Casino Prague
Online satellites at bwin poker, PartyPoker. Live satellites in location: daily at 9 PM from Dec 11, €100 Buy-in, and on Dec 14, 6 PM, €330 buy-in.
More Poker Tournaments
In addition to the majors, there will be a range of tournaments with lower buy-ins geared towards recreational players.
ECOAP Amateur Team Championship, four players per team, Dec 5/6, 12 AM, €440 buy-in.
888poker “Knights of Prague” championship, Dec 7/8, 12 AM, €330 buy-in. Online satellites at 888poker.
Everest Poker live, Dec 8/9, 12 AM, €275 buy-in. Tournament schedule.
World Sit’n’Go Masters, Dec 14-16, 12 AM, €750 buy-in.
This 3-day event is now in its fifth year, and Prague hosting it for the second time. There are numerous qualifiers.
Mode: Collect as many points as you can in four rounds of SnG to qualify for the final.
WPT X-PLO-sive, Dec 16, 3 PM, €500 buy-in, Pot Limit Omaha. Tournament schedule.
WPT Big Stack, Dec 17/18, 3 PM, €1000 Buy-in. Tournament schedule.
WPT Wanted Bounty, Dec 18, 3 PM, €600 buy-in. Tournament schedule.
Daily events at 3 PM, €100 buy-in, and at 7 PM, €150 buy-in.
Non-Poker Events
The Mind Sports Festival takes place on Dec 2-8, and will host Scrabble, Magic: The Gathering, and chess tournaments.
There are special Scrabble events in different languages, too. The buy-in is €50.
Innvoations
New location: Except the EPT, all the events used to be played out at the Corinthian Hotel, but now the festival is moving.
The new location is the “Card Casino Prague”, the largest casino in the Czech Republic.
Player of the series: For the first, there will be an award for the best player of the series.
All the tournaments that take place in the Card Casino count towards the POTS ranking, except satellites and team events.
There will be €10.000 awarded, divided among the top three players of the ranking.
New sponsor: The GPI, having become the landmark of poker statistics after purchasing the Hendonmob database, is going to track the data for the ranking list as a new partner of the Prague Poker Festival.
The GPI is generating lists of the best player of the year and of the last three years. These ranking lists are generally acknowledged as the main reference for the strength of players all over the world.
Accommodation: 4* hotel Andel’s is the official festival hotel, and located right next to the Card Casino.
Rooms are available from around €80, but a lot of them have already been taken.
Don’t worry, though, there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels in the vicinity. Of course, you can book your hotel online, on websites like hrs.com or booking.com.
Pay attention the EPT is not part of the rest of the series and will be hosted in a different district.
To get, you either take a taxi or the metro. It takes a mere ten minutes to get from the Card Casino to the Hilton, and you won’t have to change the train.
Tickets are sold at your hotel reception, so you don’t have to take your dictionary and learn to say “day ticket” in Czech.
Be careful with taxis, as they are relatively expensive, especially at night. Always agree on the fare before you get in the car!
Food: The Bohemian cuisine is not for the faint hearted. Let’S just say you don’t go to Prague to lose weight. The food is heavy and rich. Unfortunately, it is also delicious.
Besides that, the Czech Republic is the inventor of Pilsner beer, of which you can get a pint for €1,50 in regular bars.
PokerListings has been reporting from the growing festival of poker in Prague for years on a regular basis, and we will be there for you again this December.
