There’s hard to discuss world-renowned live poker tours without mentioning the EPT. EPT or European Poker Tour saw the light of day in 2004 when founder poker entity PokerStars organized for the first time in Barcelona. Since then the EPT has kept on growing bigger and bigger and the tour is still going strong today attracting some of the biggest names in the game. Everyone wants to get their hands on an EPT trophy.
Presumably, Sweden’s Alexander Stevic didn’t know exactly how big the EPT would become after he secured the maiden EPT title in Barcelona 2004. His €80 000 first place payout looks somewhat pale compared to what an EPT win brings today, with the number being close to €1M.
The EPT was off to a solid start and the following years there were roughly 10 EPT stops per year. The tour grew in popularity and famous poker professionals were eager to snag a title of their own. A lot of big names have won an EPT title in their career, including Patrik Antonius, Jason Mercier, Jens Kyllönen, and many many more.
In 2017, PokerStarsrebranded the EPT to PSC (PokerStars Championship). However, this attempt to change things up only lasted a year and the tour returned to its original name in 2018.
In 2020, only two EPT events were played before the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on society. In conjunction with this, an online edition of the EPT was played on PokerStars and won by the Swede “WhatIfGod”.
Fast forward to 2022, when Giuliano Bendinelli won the EPT Barcelona, which to this date is the biggest EPT ever to be played, proving that the tour has only grown stronger through the years. A whopping 2 294 participants generated a prize pool at roughly €11M and Bendinelli got €1 491 133 for his victory.
When Mike Watson won the EPT Monte Carlo in 2023, he became only the third person to have won two EPT titles. The only other two members in this club is Mikalai Pobal and Victoria Cohen (“Vicky”, who was also the first woman to ever win an EPT title).
Back in the day, when PokerStars first launched the EPT, the event only lasted for two days. Today, the EPT is a much bigger live poker event that runs for a week minimum. It has emerged into a poker festival and The EPT Main Event is no longer the only tournament. High roller tournaments have become an ordinary compliment to the Main Event. In conjunction with all EPT Buy-In tournaments, PokerStars are also arranging tournaments with smaller buy-ins. An example of this is the Eureka Tour which usually features 2-3 events with a somewhat smaller buy-ins compared to the EPT tournaments. This is surely one of the reasons that the EPT has seen such growth during the last couple of years. In Eureka Prague 2023, Austria’s Alexander Tkatschew emerged on top and earned €511 710 for his feat.
In 2023, Paris got to host an EPT for the first time ever. The French capital is also featured in the EPT Paris Schedule 2024. There are many exciting tournaments in each EPT. For example, an EPT Mystery Bounty will be played during the Paris stop, also accompanied by three FPS tournaments.
The last EPT of 2023 was EPT Prague. Irishman Padraig O’Neill won it all and claimed €1 030 000 and the coveted EPT trophy. The EPT Prague schedule featured seven different tournaments (counting three Eureka events) and the event lasted for 12 days. Compared to when the tour first launched back in 2004, it’s amazing to see how far the EPT has come and there’s no doubt that PokerStars has done a great job promoting the tour.
EPT 2024 Schedule
Obviously, the EPT is now stronger than ever and in 2024 the tour has a total four stops planned. As previously mentioned, Paris will once again roll out the red carpet for the EPT and this is the first PokerStars EPT stop of the year running February 14th-25th.
The EPT 2024 adventure will then continue when the tour visits the amazing city of Monte Carlo. This is the seventeenth time an EPT Monte Carlo will be played and with such noble history, you better believe this is a title everyone highly values. The event will be played April 24th-May 4th and four EPT tournaments are accompanied by three FPS tournaments.
Next stop is going to be EPT Barcelona. This is where Bendinelli won the biggest EPT ever in 2022 with the 2023 edition generating quite the prize pool as well. EPT Barcelona 2024 is scheduled August 26th-September 8th. The luxurious Casino Barcelona will act as host for three ESPT tournaments and four tournaments with the EPT emblem.
Last but certainly not least, the EPT 2024 season will culminate in Cyprus. Just like Paris, Cyprus hosted EPT for the first time in 2023 and it was an unforgettable experience at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. There’s no doubt EPT Cyprus 2024 will be a fitting way to end the season. There are three Eureka and four EPT tournaments to be played at EPT Cyprus 2024.
EPT 2024 – Schedule
Date
Event
Location
February 14th-25th
EPT & FPS Paris
Le Palais des Congrès
April 24th-May 5th
EPT & FPS Monte Carlo
Sporting Monte Carlo
August 26th-September 8th
EPT and ESPT Barcelona
Casino Barcelona
October 9th-20th
EPT and Eureka Cyprus
Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa
Qualify for the EPT
As previously stated, PokerStars is the mastermind behind EPT. Players can qualify to PokerStars EPT through something they call Power Path.
The Power Path concept is simple yet extremely beneficial. You could think of it like a ladder that has four steps and in the final one you’ll have a chance to win either a Bronze- Silver- or a GoldPower Pass.
The first step is a delicate $0.50 Spin & Go. These tournaments are available in an “on demand”-like format. When you take your seat at a Spin & Go table, a spinning wheel will appear that decides what’s at stakes.
Power Path Spin N’ Go Prizes and Probability
Prize
Odds
$10 300 Gold Power Pass
1 in 1 000 000
$2 500 Silver Power Pass
10 in 1 000 000
$109 Bronze Power Pass
500 in 1 000 000
$11 Power Path Step 3 Ticket
11 500 in 1 000 000
$1 50 Power Path Step 2 Ticket
351 422 in 1 000 000
$1 Power Path Step 2 Ticket (Sit N’ Go)
636 567 in 1 000 000
So already through the first step you could win a Gold Power Pass, which you can use to finance any EPT stop of your choice.
As can be understood from the table above, the Spin & Go’s will most likely take you to Step 2 in the Power Path EPT. If you win in Step 2, you’ll go through to Step 3 and if you win in Step 3, you’ll get to Step 4. Step 4 is played in the form of a $109 MTT and the player who manages to win the tournament will receive a Gold Power Pass. The runner-ups will have to settle with Silver- and Bronze Power Passes – which is still quite the consolation prize!
It should be mentioned that players can choose to buy-in directly to Step 2 and/or 3. However, in order to participate in Step 4 you’ll need to acquire a ticket through the qualifying steps.
PokerStars Power Pass Descriptions
Prize
Specification
$10 300 Gold Power Pass
Can be used for any EPT stop of your choice.
$2 500 Silver Power Pass
Can be used for selected live events or selected PokerStars online tournaments.
$109 Bronze Power Pass
Can be used for selected PokerStars online tournaments or Power Path step 4.
How Do You Buy In for a EPT Tournament?
If you’re feeling like experiencing the thrill of live poker, maybe the EPT is the tour for you. If you don’t manage to qualify through the Power Path you can always just do a standard buy-in to the tournament. When you arrive to the EPT venue, the first thing you must do is to set up aPSLive Account, if you haven’t already done so. Then you can buy in to the tournament using various methods. The EPT Luxon Pay integration allows players to use Luxon Pay when buying in for an EPT tournament. Other means of purchase could be credit-/debit card, casino wire transfer or (in some cases) cash.
Whether or not you are obligated to pay tax on poker winnings depends on a couple of factors. The main one is your country of residence. All live poker players are highly recommended to find out what rules apply regarding this matter in their country.
Previous EPT Main Event Winners
Event
Winner
Payout
Total Prize Pool
Entries
EPT Prague 2023
Padraig O’Neill
€1 030 000
€6 101 300
1 285
EPT Cyprus 2023
Gilles Simon
$1 042 000
$6 402 000
896
EPT Barcelona 2023
Simon Wiciak
€1 134 375
€10 282 000
1 593
EPT Monte Carlo 2023
Mike Watson
€749 425
€5 325 300
775
EPT Paris 2023
Razvan Belea
€1 170 000
€7 708 800
1 159
EPT Prague 2022
Jordan Saccucci
€913 250
€6 144 950
918
EPT London 2022
Ian Hamilton
£664 400
£3 632 650
532
EPT Barcelona 2022
Giuliano Bendinelli
€1 491 133
€11 125 900
1 686
EPT Monte Carlo 2022
Marcelo Simões
€939 840
€5 204 050
747
EPT Prague 2022
Grzegorz Glówny
€692 252
€5 771 500
885
EPT Open Sochi 2021
Evgeniy Starinkov
₽16 029 300
₽142 296 000
739
EPT Sochi 2021
Artur Martirosian
₽24 633 000
₽131 899 810
548
PokerStars EPT Online 2020
“WhatIfGod”
$1 019 082
$6 520 000
1 304
EPT Sochi 2020
Ruslan Bogdanov
₽15 984 500
₽98 722 260
428
EPT Prague 2019
Mikalai Pobal
€1 005 600
€5 596 900
860
EPT Open Sochi 2019
Yi Ye
₽19 306 000
₽103 370 400
879
EPT Barcelona 2019
Simon Brändström
€1 290 166
€9 641 800
1 489
EPT Madrid 2019
Jakub Grzegorzek
€176 357
€1 104 960
1 151
EPT Monte Carlo 2019
Manig Löser
€603 777
€4 471 700
922
EPT Sochi 2019
Uri Gilboa
₽27 475 000
₽145 500 000
563
EPT Prague 2018
Paul Michaelis
€840 000
€2 512 300
259
EPT Open Sochi 2018
Vyachesav Bondartsev
₽12 063 300
₽75 543 600
198
EPT Barcelona 2018
Piotr Nurzynski
€1 037 109
€9 365 350
1 474
EPT Monte Carlo 2018
Nicolas Dumont
€712 000
€3 768 450
574
EPT Sochi 2018
Arsenii Karmatckii
₽27 300 000
₽146 171 460
861
PSC Prague 2017
Kalidou Sow
€675 000
€4 146 750
855
PSC Barcelona 2017
Sebastian Sorensson
€987 043
€8 157 700
1 682
PSC Sochi 2017
Pavel Shirshikov
₽29 100 000
₽150 000 000
387
PSC Monte Carlo 2017
Raffaele Sorrentino
€466 714
€3 635 000
727
PSC Macau 2017
Elliot Smith
HK$ 2 877 500
HK$20 769 800
536
PSC Panama 2017
Kenneth Smaron
$293 860
$1 775 100
366
PSC Bahamas 2017
Christian Harder
$429 664
$3 376 712
738
EPT Prague 2016
Jasper Meijer van Putten
€699 300
€5 781 200
1 192
EPT Malta 2016
Aliaksei Boika
€355 700
€2 340 000
468
EPT Barcelona (2016)
Sebastian Malec
€1 122 800
€8 657 250
1 785
EPT Monte Carlo 2016 (Grand Final)
Jan Bendik
€961 800
€5 325 300
1 098
EPT Dublin 2016
Dzmitry Urbanovich
€561 900
€3 025 000
605
EPT Prague 2015
Hossein Ensan
€754 510
€5 063 400
1 044
EPT Malta 2015
Niall Farrell
€534 330
€3 255 000
651
EPT Barcelona 2015
John Juanda
€1 022 593
€8 215 900
1 694
EPT Monte Carlo 2015 (Grand Final)
Adrían Mateos
€1 082 000
€5 640 000
564
EPT Malta 2015 (St. Julian’s)
Jean Montury
€687 400
€4 340 750
895
EPT Deauville 2015
Ognyan Dimov
€543 700
€2 841 600
592
EPT Prague 2014
Stephen Graner
€969 000
€5 368 950
1 107
EPT London 2014
Sebastian Pauli
£499 700
£2 619 000
675
EPT Barcelona 2014
Andre Lettau
€794 058
€7 480 000
1 496
EPT Monte Carlo 2014 (Grand Final)
Antonio Buonanno
€1 240 000
€6 500 000
650
EPT San Remo 2014
Victoria Coren
€476 100
€2 480 872
556
EPT Vienna 2014
Oleksii Khoroshenin
€578 392
€4 413 500
910
EPT Deauville 2014
Sotirios Koutoupas
€614 000
€3 220 800
671
EPT Prague 2013
Julian Track
€725 700
€4 883 950
1 007
EPT London 2013
Robin Ylitalo
£560 980
£2 929 400
604
EPT Barcelona 2013
Tom Middleton
€942 000
€5 984 900
1 234
EPT Monte Carlo 2013 (Grand Final)
Steve O’Dwyer
€1 224 000
€5 310 000
531
EPT Berlin 2013
Daniel Pidun
€880 000
€4 423 200
912
EPT London 2013
Ruben Visser
£595 000
£3 137 950
647
EPT Deauville 2013
Remi Castaignon
€770 000
€3 753 600
782
EPT Prague 2012
Ramzi Jelassi
€835 000
€4 190 400
864
EPT San Remo 2012
Ludovic Lacay
€744 910
€3 865 449
797
EPT Barcelona 2012
Mikalai Pobal
€1 007 550
€5 247 700
1 082
EPT Monte Carlo 2012 (Grand Final)
Mohsin Charania
€1 350 000
€6 650 000
665
EPT Berlin 2012
Davidi Kitai
€712 000
€3 725 000
745
EPT Campione 2012
Jannick Wrang
€640 000
€2 764 500
570
EPT Madrid 2012
Frederik Jensen
€495 000
€2 313 450
477
EPT Copenhagen 2012
Mickey Petersen
DKr2 515 000
DKr 10 046 400
299
EPT Deauville 2012
Vadim Kursevich
€875 000
€4 267 200
889
EPT Prague 2011
Martin Finger
€720 000
€3 501 700
711
EPT Loutraki 2011
Zimnan Ziyard
€347 000
€1 344 000
336
EPT San Remo 2011
Andrey Pateychuk
€680 000
€3 734 694
837
EPT London 2011
Benny Spindler
£750 000
£3 351 350
691
EPT Barcelona 2011
Martin Schleich
€850 000
€4 055 000
811
EPT Tallinn 2011
Ronny Kaiser
€275 000
€1 071 600
282
EPT Madrid 2011 (Grand Final)
Ivan Freitez
€1 500 000
€6 860 000
686
EPT San Remo 2011
Rupert Elder
€930 000
€4 786 950
987
EPT Berlin 2011
Ben Wilinofsky
€825 000
€3 865 000
773
EPT Salzburg 2011
Vladimir Geshkenbein
€390 000
€1 636 390
482
EPT Copenhagen 2011
Michael Tureniec
DKr3 700 000
DKr15 086 400
449
EPT Deauville 2011
Lucien Cohen
€880 000
€4 276 800
891
EPT Prague 2010
Roberto Romanello
€640 000
€2 730 550
563
EPT Barcelona 2010
Kent Lundmark
€825 000
€3 790 000
758
EPT Vienna 2010
Michael Eiler
€700 000
€2 935 000
587
EPT London 2010
David Vamplew
£900 000
£4 112 800
848
EPT Vilamoura 2010
Toby Lewis
€467 836
€1 862 400
384
EPT Tallinn 2010
Kevin Stani
€400 000
€1 596 000
420
EPT Monaco 2010 (Grand Final)
Nicolas Chouity
€1 700 000
€8 480 000
848
EPT San Remo 2010
Liv Boeree
€1 250 000
€6 014 000
1 239
EPT Salzburg 2010
Allan Bække
€445 000
€1 843 480
546
EPT Berlin 2010
Kevin MacPhee
€1 000 000
€4 725 000
945
EPT Copenhagen 2010
Anton Wigg
DKr3 675 000
DKr14 212 800
423
EPT Deauville 2010
Jake Cody
€857 000
€3 686 400
768
EPT Prague 2009
Jan Skampa
€682 000
€2 842 100
586
EPT Vilamoura 2009
Antonia Matias
€404 793
€1 561 700
322
EPT Warsaw 2009
Christophe Benzimra
zł 1 493 170
zł4 770 500
203
EPT London 2009
Aaron Gustavson
£850 000
£3 540 500
730
EPT Barcelona 2009
Carter Phillips
€850 000
€3 382 000
428
EPT Kiev 2009
Maxim Lykov
€330 000
€1 480 000
296
EPT Monte Carlo 2009 (Grand Final)
Pieter de Korver
€2 300 000
€9 350 000
935
EPT San Remo 2009
Constant Rijkenberg
€1 508 000
€5 713 300
1 178
EPT Dortmund 2009
Sandra Naujoks
€917 000
€3 335 000
667
EPT Copenhagen 2009
Jens Kyllönen
DKr6 542 208
DKr22 176 000
462
EPT Deauville 2009
Moritz Kranich
€851 400
€3 096 000
645
EPT Prague 2008
Salvatore Bonavena
€774 000
€2 764 500
570
EPT Warsaw 2008
João Barbosa
€367 140
€1 172 975
217
EPT Budapest 2008
Will Fry
€595 840
€2 128 000
532
EPT London 2008
Michael Martin
£1 000 000
£3 349 200
596
EPT Barcelona 2008
Sebastian Ruthenberg
€1 361 000
€4 952 000
619
EPT Monte Carlo 2008 (Grand Final)
Glen Chorny
€2 020 000
€8 420 000
842
EPT San Remo 2008
Jason Mercier
€869 000
€3 195 860
701
EPT Warsaw 2008
Michael Schulze
zł2 153 999
zł7 180 000
359
EPT Copenhagen 2008
Timothy Vance
DKr6 220 488
DKr21 086 400
460
EPT Dortmund 2008
Mike McDonald
€933 600
€3 164 700
411
EPT Prague 2007
Arnaud Mattern
€708 400
€2 530 240
555
EPT Dublin 2007
Reuben Peters
€532 620
€1 701 700
221
EPT Baden 2007
Julian Thew
€670 800
€2 143 200
282
EPT London 2007
Joseph Mouawad
£611 520
£2 038 400
392
EPT Barcelona 2007
Sander Lylloff
€1 170 700
€4 181 100
543
EPT Monte Carlo 2007 (Grand Final)
Gavin Griffin
€1 825 010
€6 636 400
706
EPT Warsaw 2007
Peter Jepsen
zł1 226 711
zł4 007 000
284
EPT Dortmund 2007
Andreas Hoivold
€672 000
€2 317 100
493
EPT Copenhagen 2007
Magnus Petersson
DKr4 078 080
DKr13 824 000
400
EPT Dublin 2006
Roland De Wolfe
€554 300
€ 1 847 750
389
EPT Baden 2006
Duc Thang Nguyen
€487 397
€1 572 397
331
EPT London 2006
Victoria Coren
£500 000
€1 393 000
398
EPT Barcelona 2006
Bjørn-Erik Glenne
€691 000
€2 304 000
480
EPT Monte Carlo 2006 (Grand Final)
Jeff Williams
€900 000
€2 801 200
298
EPT Deauville 2006
Mats Iremark
€490
€1 610 300
434
EPT Copenhagen 2006
Mads Andersen
DKr2 548 040
DKr1 192 089 86
288
EPT Dublin 2005
Mats Gavatin
€317 000
€992 000
248
EPT Baden 2005
Patrik Antonius
€288 180
€720 000
180
EPT London 2005
Mark Teltscher
€280 000
€708 630
242
EPT Barcelona 2005
Jan Boubli
€426 000
€1 309 200
327
EPT Monte Carlo (Grand Final) 2005
Rob Hollink
€635 000
€2 110 000
211
EPT Vienna 2005
Pascal Perrault
€184 500
€594 000
297
EPT Deauville 2005
Brandon Schaefer
€144 000
€465 500
245
EPT Copenhagen 2005
Noah Boeken
DKr1 098 340
DKr502 426
156
EPT Dublin 2004
Ram Vaswani
€93 000
€244 500
163
EPT London 2004
John Shipley
£200 000
£763 379
175
EPT Barcelona 2004
Alexander Stevic
€80 000
€229 000
229
EPT – FAQ
What is European Poker Tour?
European Poker Tour (EPT) is a series of poker tournaments that are held in Europe. The tour is extremely popular and has been around since 2004.
Where is EPT played?
EPT is played in various places in Europe. Some of the most popular EPT stops throughout the years has been Monte Carlo Barcelona Dublin London Deauville and Prague.
What is the buy-in for the EPT Main Event?
The Buy-In for the EPT Main Event is €5 300. The Buy-In for the EPT Main Event equivalent to €5 300 on all EPT stops.
How can I qualify to European Poker Tour?
Through Power Path on PokerStars players can qualify to the EPT events through online poker satellites. The Power Path is always running on PokerStars.
What is Power Path?
Power Path is PokerStars qualification series to the EPT. Players can win packages including EPT Main Event Buy-In accommodations and travel money through Power Path.
Padraig O’Neill
Gilles Simon
Simon Wiciak
Mike Watson
Razvan Belea
Ian Hamilton
Giuliano Bendinelli
Marcelo Simões
Grzegorz Glówny
Evgeniy Starinkov
“WhatIfGod”
Yi Ye
Jakub Grzegorzek
Manig Löser
Uri Gilboa
Vyachesav Bondartsev
Kenneth Smaron
Jan Bendik
Hossein Ensan
John Juanda
Adrían Mateos
Ognyan Dimov
Oleksii Khoroshenin
Sotirios Koutoupas
Mikalai Pobal
Jannick Wrang
Ronny Kaiser
Ivan Freitez
Kevin Stani
Nicolas Chouity
Jan Skampa
Antonia Matias
Jens Kyllönen