- News
Full EPT Season Six schedule announced – posted 04.11.09
The second half of the PokerStars.com EPT Season Six schedule was announced today including dates for the spectacular EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo as well as the addition of a brand new event – EPT Snowfest in the Austrian Alps.
EPT Snowfest will take place in Saalbach-Hinterglemm from March 21 -26, 2010 and is bound to prove a huge hit with players. The resort is one of Austria’s finest ski areas giving players the chance to enjoy winter sports action when they’re not competing at the poker tables. PokerStars qualifiers will be staying at the luxury Alpine Palace hotel during the six-day €5,300 event and will also benefit from hotel/airport transfer plus six days’ ski package (lift pass, skis, boots and poles).
The European Poker Tour is now the world’s richest poker tour in terms of both player numbers and prize pools and takes place in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations. The new EPT schedule and “Festival of Poker” formats are already proving a huge draw. The recent EPT London Main Event smashed all record for UK tournament with 730 players. The EPT’s chief executive John Duthie said: “Players really relish the chance to play more side events with a variety of games and buy-ins. We had huge names entering – and winning – these events in London which created massive interest throughout the week.”
Online satellites for the new EPT event in Vilamoura and for the PCA are running now on PokerStars with buy-ins from as little as $2.22. Players who qualify on PokerStars don’t just win their seat; they also win luxury hotel accommodation (or cash equivalent) and spending money as part of their prize package.
See individual event pages or http://www.europeanpokertour.com/tournaments/ for more details.
Top International Poker Pros head to Portugal for EPT Vilamoura – posted 29.10.09
A wealth of top international poker pros are heading to the Algarve coast in Portugal for EPT Vilamoura this November.
Among those competing at the €5,300 event are Team PokerStars PROs Peter Eastgate, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Arnaud Mattern, Luca Pagano, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Jan Heitmann, Rino Mathis and George Danzer as well as local heroes Henrique Pinho, Luis Medina and Nuno Coelho.
More than 30 PokerStars players have already won seats to Vilamoura, the first EPT ever to be held in Portugal, which runs November 17-22 2009.
Satellites continue on PokerStars.com until at least November 8, giving players the chance to win a prize package worth $10,120 including tournament buy-in, a week’s accommodation at the stunning Tivoli Marina Hotel and $1,000 spending money.
Superb poker action is promised during the week-long tournament. The schedule reveals a range of side events including €1,100 NLHE and PLO events, a €220 NLHE tournament, €330 NL Turbos, NL Shoot-outs and a €330 Ladies Only event as well as cash games running daily and €200+ Sit and Gos.
Away from the poker tables, Vilamoura offers a wide choice of leisure activities. For the sporting-minded, the Tivoli Marina has a dedicated Golf Desk helping guests book discounted rounds at any one of the 31 courses in the region, as well as a free shuttle to and from the Vilamoura courses (Old Course, Millennium, Laguna, Pinhal and Vila Sol) – and a putting green located at the hotel.
Other sports facilities nearby include riding, tennis and lawn bowling, but for those seeking flat-out relaxation, there are fabulous treatments available at the Tivoli’s famous Angsana Spa. Out and about in Vilamoura, great shopping and lively nightlife attracts locals and visitors alike with restaurants, bars, stores and night clubs.
French businessman Christophe Benzimra wins EPT Warsaw – posted 10.25.09
French businessman Christophe Benzimra has won EPT Warsaw and a first prize of 1,493,170 PLN (approx. €358,644).
The 47-year-old from Nice, who runs a Plexiglas factory in Bucharest, Romania, beat Italian pro Alfio “aLFiosNob” Battisti to win the title. He only took up poker three years ago but has taken part at almost every EPT in the last two seasons. He said: “I think I was lucky today. I am not a professional, I play for fun. I’m not giving up work! I play poker just for the pleasure of it.” As part of his prize, Benzimra also wins a seat into the Season 6 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
The 25,000 PLN EPT Warsaw Main Event attracted 203 players to Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, generating a total prize pool of more than 4.7 million PLN (approx. €1,145,826).
Runner-up Battisti, a SuperNova Elite on PokerStars, takes 834,840 PLN (approx. €200,520) back home to Latina, near Rome in Italy.
Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano was knocked out in fourth place for 357,790 PLN (approx. €85,938). It was a bitter-sweet experience for the 31-year-old Italian who broke all his own records in Warsaw - reaching a fifth EPT final table and recording his 12th cash finish. Pagano now overtakes fellow Team PokerStars PRO Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier to top the EPT all-time Tournament Leader Board, but his best result in money terms remains his sixth place finish at the Season 4 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, worth €337,000.
Canadian PokerStars qualifier Clayton Mozdzen, 26, one of 33 players to win their Warsaw seats on PokerStars, came sixth, earning 233,750 PLN (approx. €56,144). Among the 24 players to cash were PokerStars Passport winner Shaun Deeb and Polish PokerStars player Wojciech Polak. Team PokerStars PRO Dario Minieri won the EPT Warsaw high roller event earning €77,206 (approx. 322,375 PLN).
The next event of EPT Season 6 is EPT Vilamoura in Portugal from November 17-22, 2009. Satellites are running on PokerStars for both Vilamoura and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.
Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano makes record fifth EPT final – posted 10.24.09
Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano has broken all his own records at EPT Warsaw by making his fifth EPT final table and 12th EPT cash. The 31-year-old from Treviso, Italy, started Day 4 as one of the shortest stacks but has staged a great recovery to reach the final in second place.
The current chip leader is Ukranian pro Oleksandr Vaserfirer, a friend of Team PokerStars PRO Alex Kravchenko. Canadian PokerStars qualifier Clayton Mozdzen, one of 33 players who won their seats online, is in third place with 978,000 while Italian PokerStars SuperNova Elite player Alfio Battisti is in fifth place. 
The other four finalists are Ruslan Prydryk from Ukraine, French EPT stalwart Christophe Benzimra and Russians Anatoly Gurtovoy and Alexander Klimashin.
All are vying for a 1,493,170 PLN first prize, around €359,000. A total of 203 players competed in the 25,000 PLN event at Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency Hotel generating a total prize pool of 4.7 million Zloty (around €1,145,830).
In the high roller event, Italian Team PokerStars PRO Dario Minieri is chip leader, heads-up against David Steicke from Australia.
For more details, please see the PokerStars blog tournament reports http://www.pokerstarsblog.com and videoblogs on PokerStars.tv http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/46FY/warsaw-english.html
Former chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer leads at EPT Warsaw – posted 10.23.09
Former chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer is dominating the action at EPT Warsaw and has nearly a million in chips as the 25,000 PLN event goes into Day 4.
Sarwer is one of 24 players who remain in the tournament and are now in the money, with a guaranteed a minimum payout of 28,620 PLN (around €6,874). 
Sarwer is one of several players who have made the transition from chess to poker, much like 2008 World Series finalist and Team PokerStars PRO Ylon Schwartz. He learned chess at the age of four and one of his matches was the inspiration for the climax in the film Searching for Bobby Fischer. He has been playing poker seriously for around a year and cashed at EPT Prague last year. He also plans to attend next week's PokerStars Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
In second place is PokerStars qualifier Clayton Mozdzen from Canada. Mozdzen’s Day 2 chip lead had a rocky Day 3, but he ended with 574,000. Fellow qualifier Alexander Debus from France is in third place with 479,500. The pair are among 33 players who won their seats online with PokerStars.
Luca Pagano is the last remaining Team PokerStars PRO in the tournament. Pagano, from Italy, who has 112,500 in chips, is cashing for the 12th time at an EPT – breaking his own record. His best result so far was sixth place at the Season 4 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €337,000.
PokerStars passport winner Shaun Deeb has had a tough day sitting two seats along from Jeff Sarwer but is still in the tournament with 192,500. French players Antony Lellouche and Michel Abecassis are also both still in the running for the 1,493,170 PLN first prize.
A total of 203 players from 33 countries competed in the Main Event creating a total prize pool of some 4.7 million Zloty (around €1,145,830).
The tournament, which ends October 25, has attracted some of the best players in the world to Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The high roller event also kicked off today featuring Team PokerStars PROs Dario Minier from Italy and Florian Langmann from Germany. Finnish high stakes player Sami Kelopuro from Finland is also competing.
PokerStars players jostle for lead at EPT Warsaw – posted 10.22.09
A group of PokerStars players are jostling for the lead at EPT Warsaw as the 25,000 PLN event goes into Day 3 with just 55 players remaining.
American PokerStars qualifier Carter Phillips, who won EPT Barcelona last month, spent most of Day 2 way ahead of his rivals only to lose the lead to fellow qualifier Clayton Mozdzen from Canada. Mozdzen now has 332,300 and Phillips has 299,800. The pair are among 33 players who won their seats online with PokerStars.
Others in the running for the 1,493,170 PLN first prize are PokerStars Passport holder and WCOOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb and PokerStars qualifier Anton Genadiew. Italian Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano , world champion Peter Eastgate and Dutch PRO Thierry Van Den Berg also move to Day 3.
A total of 203 players from 33 countries competed in the Main Event creating a total prize pool of some 4.7 million Zloty (around €1,145,830).
The tournament, which runs October 20-25, has attracted some of the best players in the world to Casinos Poland at the Hyatt. You can follow all the action on the PokerStars blog and watch videoblogs on PokerStars.tv.
Carter Phillips keeps the lead at EPT Warsaw - posted 10.21.09
PokerStars qualifier Carter Phillips is still chip leader at EPT Warsaw as the 25,000 PLN event goes into Day 2. 
From the total field of 203 players who entered EPT Warsaw, 148 players now move forward to Day 2, with Carter’s 194,850 stack ahead of Frenchman Antony Lellouche who is in 2nd place with 131,475.
Phillips, 21, from North Carolina, USA, is on something of an EPT roll after winning EPT Barcelona for €850,000 last month. Also still up among the leaders is Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano from Italy who goes into Day 2 with 101,575.
A total of 203 players from 33 countries competed in the 25,000 PLN Warsaw main event creating a total prize pool of some 4.7 million Zloty (around €1,145,830).
Still in the running for the 1,493,170 PLN first prize are Team PokerStars PROs Peter Eastgate, Arnaud Mattern, Marcin Horecki, Alex Kravchenko, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Dario Minieri and Thierry Van Den Berg as well as PokerStars-sponsored EPT presenter Michelle Orpe.
The tournament, which runs October 20-25, has attracted some of the best players in the world to Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency including 1998 world champion Scotty Nguyen as well as 33 players who won their seats online with PokerStars.
Follow all the action from EPT Warsaw on the PokerStars blog and watch videoblogs on PokerStars.tv
Carter Phillips is EPT Warsaw chip leader - posted 10.20.09
The online world has known about Carter Phillips for quite some time. The “live” world only found out about him last month when he snatched an amazing €850,000 victory at EPT Barcelona. Now, at the end of Day 1a of EPT Warsaw, the 21-year-old American, who won his seat on PokerStars, is once again in the lead. His 194,850 stack is nearly double his nearest rival, PokerStars qualifier Clayton Mozdzen.
Phillips, from North Carolina, notched up numerous online successes before EPT Barcelona, including winning the PokerStars €500k guaranteed and the PokerStars Sunday Second Chance tournament. He has also won the PokerStars €100 rebuy event three times.
Also thriving in Warsaw is Team PokerStars PRO Luca Pagano who has ended Day 1a with 101,575. Team PokerStars PRO Mexico players Angel Guillen and JC Alvarado have been knocked out but Peter Eastgate, Arnaud Mattern and Alex Kravchenko are all through to Day 2. Team PokerStars PRO Marcin Horecki who at one point was down to just 75 in chips enjoyed a miracle recovery and is now on 9,850.
A total of 88 players took their seats today for the 25,000 PLN main event, which runs October 20-25 at Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency; well over 100 are expected for Day 1b tomorrow. They include Team PokerStars PROs Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Katja Thater, Florian Langmann, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Dario Minieri, Thierry Van Den Berg and William Thorson as well as PokerStars-sponsored players JP Kelly and EPT presenter Michelle Orpe.
Other big names set to play tomorrow include 1998 world champion Scotty Nguyen, Danish poker pro Gus Hansen, last year’s finalist Ludovic Lacay and WCOOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb.
World champions among field at EPT Warsaw – posted 10.20.09
Two world champions are among the scores of players taking part at EPT Warsaw in Poland. The current world champion and Team PokerStars PRO Peter Eastgate took his seat at table eight. He will be followed into the casino by the 1998 world champion Scotty Nguyen who has bagged himself a seat for tomorrow - Day 1b. 
Around 70 players are competing on Day 1a of the 25,000 PLN buy-in event including Team PokerStars PROs Arnaud Mattern, who came 5th last season, local hero Marcin Horecki, Player of the Year Luca Pagano and Russian Team PokerStars PRO Alex Kravchenko, as well as JC Alvarado and WSOP 2009 bracelet winner Angel Guillen, both members of Team PokerStars PRO Mexico.
Other big names today include PokerStars qualifier Carter Phillips, who won EPT Barcelona in September for €850,000. He is among the 33 PokerStars players who won their trip to Warsaw via online satellites – a package which included buy-in, spending money and accommodation at the luxury Hyatt Regency hotel.
Ukranian Alexander Dovzhenko, runner-up at EPT Kyiv is also playing today, alongside German Nico Behling, second-place finisher here last season and Mikhail Tulchinskiy who came third at the Monte Carlo Grand Final in May. Others include French veteran Michel Abecassis, French chess master Almira Skripchenko, Oskar Silow from Sweden andVoitto Rintala from Finland
Stars head to Poland for EPT Warsaw – posted 10.19.09
A host of champion poker players are heading to Poland for EPT Warsaw which begins on Tuesday (October 20) at Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Among the pros taking part in the 23,500 PLN buy-in event are world champion and PokerStars Team PRO Peter Eastgate alongside fellow team members PCA high roller champion Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, 2009 WSOP bracelet winner Angel Guillen, as well as Arnaud Mattern and Dario Minieri, who both made last season’s final table. 
Other stars competing include Team PokerStars PROs Marcin Horecki from Poland, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Katja Thater from Germany, Dutchman Thierry Van Den Berg, Player of the Year Luca Pagano from Italy and Swedish star William Thorson. The new EPT presenter Michelle Orpe is also playing, sponsored by PokerStars.
A total of 33 PokerStars players won their trip to Warsaw via online qualifiers– a package which included buy-in, spending money and accommodation at the luxury Hyatt Regency hotel.
Last season’s EPT Warsaw was won by Joao Barbosa from Porto, Portugal for €367,141. It was Barbosa’s third EPT cash in Season Five and he made the money a further three times to cement his reputation as one of the best players in Europe.
PokerStars qualifier Aaron Gustavson wins EPT London Main Event – posted 10.08.09
American Aaron Gustavson beat Team PokerStars PRO and World Champion Peter Eastgate today to win the EPT London Poker Festival Main Event and a £850,000 first prize.
Online pro Gustavson, 23, was one of 149 PokerStars qualifiers at the £5,300 event. A total of 730 players entered the tournament creating a prize pool of £3,540,500 and making it the biggest poker tournament ever held in the UK.
Gustavson and Eastgate, who wins £530,000 as runner-up, started their heads-up battle straight after dinner. It lasted just seven hands when Gustavson’s A-Q beat Eastgate’s A-9.
Gustavson said: “I’m speechless, totally overwhelmed. I don’t think it’s going to hit me for a quite a while. Having this title is amazing – a dream come true.”
Gustavson, known online as “Aguskb”, plans to spend some of his winnings buying a house in Vegas and a Porsche. He also wins entry into the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. He has a string of successes on PokerStars including winning the PokerStars Sunday Warm Up for $135,000 and 12th place in the PokerStars $530 NLHE World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) event last month.
Also in the final was PokerStars qualifier Martin Gudvangen from Norway (4th place, £227,000), British PokerStars player Dominic Cullen (5th place, £173,000) and Raymond Wu from Taipei, a member of Team PokerStars Asia, who finished 7th for £87,000.
A total of 104 players cashed including Kevin Schaffel, the PokerStars-sponsored World Series of Poker “November Nine” finalist, Friend of PokerStars Darus Suharto, Team PokerStars PROs Maria Mayrinck and Arnaud Mattern, as well as the PokerStars-sponsored former England footballer Teddy Sheringham.
This season’s EPT London Poker Festival featured 16 different events. Side event winners included Team PokerStars PROs Joe Hachem, Jason Mercier and William Thorson.
The next EPT event this season is EPT Warsaw from October 20-25, 2009. Satellites are running now, as well as for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.
World champion Peter Eastgate makes EPT London final – post 10.07.09
We’ve gone from 730, to 318, to 111, to 24 and now – after five days of intense and dramatic poker, we are down to our final eight at the EPT London Main Event.
Today’s final table players hail from eight countries on four continents but all have just one goal in mind – becoming the next EPT London champion and taking home the £850,000 first prize.
The final comprises some highly talented players, not least the Team PokerStars PRO and current world champion Peter Eastgate who is second in chips. Three PokerStars players have also made it into the final – American qualifier Aaron Gustavson is the massive chip leader with more than double Eastgate’s stack. Martin Gudvangen from Norway, who is playing only his second EPT and Dominic Cullen from the UK are also through.
Finalist Raymond Wu, 24, from Taipei, a member of Team PokerStars Asia, has a loyal team supporting him on the rail – including his mother, girlfriend, friends, team mates and his manager.
The £5,000 Main Event attracted a record 730 players, making it the biggest tournament ever held in the UK and generating a £3,540,500 prize pool.
A total of 96 players have already cashed including Michael Berry, who won his seat via a PokerStars/Daily Mirror promotion, Kevin Schaffel, the PokerStars-sponsored World Series of Poker “November Nine” finalist, Friend of PokerStars Darus Suharto, Team PokerStars PROs Maria "maridu" Mayrinck and Arnaud Mattern and the PokerStars-sponsored UK footballer Teddy Sheringham.
EPTLive continues today at 12:00 today (October 7) with expert commentary in seven languages. See http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/TPI/live.htmlfor full broadcast details.
PokerStars qualifier Michael Berry leads field at EPT London – posted 10.06.09
PokerStars qualifier Michael Berry has free-rolled his way into a major chip lead in the EPT London Main Event. With only 24 players left as the tournament goes into its penultimate day, the entrepreneur from South Yorkshire, UK, could well be looking at an £850,000 happy ending.
Berry is one of thousands who took part in a special PokerStars online tournament run in conjunction with the Daily Mirror newspaper. Only 290 made the final and it was Berry who won the $12,000 package – a seat in the Main Event and five nights luxury hotel accommodation at the Hilton Metropole. 
He finished day one with a below-average stack but bagged up at the end of Day 2 with a tidy 324,000. Now he’s on 1,837,000.
Berry is not the only PokerStars player. Brazilian qualifier Rodrigo Dos Santos Caprioli is in second place with 1,647,000 while PokerStars player Benjamin Spindler, who came 3rd at the PCA in January, is on 1,110,000.
Still in the Main Event, which attracted a record 730 players generating a £3,540,500 prize pool is Team PokerStars PRO Peter Eastgate, the current world champion as well as Raymond Wu from Taiwan, a member of Team PokerStars Asia, and Kevin Schaffel, the
PokerStars-sponsored World Series of Poker “November Nine” finalist.
Another event which has proved immensely popular at the EPT London Poker Festival is the £200 Ladies Event which started yesterday and was still going strong at midnight. The big turnout – 120 players – amazed everyone and included seven who won their seats online on through PokerStars.
EPTLive is providing coverage of the final two days of the EPT London main event starting at 12:00 today (October 6). See http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/TPI/live.html for full broadcast details.
Kevin Schaffel makes Day 3 of EPT London – posted 10.04.09
Kevin Schaffel, the PokerStars-sponsored World Series “November Nine” finalist, is among the chip leaders as EPT London goes into Day 3. Schaffel, from Florida, has been a golfer for more than 25 years. It’s been a family affair for Schaffel at EPT London. He has been supported by his brother Jordan throughout the tournament, while his cousin, Martin, busted earlier in the day.
It was a brutal day for many players, with more than 200 heading for the door. The early hours of play tomorrow (October 5) will also be decisive – only 111 players remain and the money kicks in at 104 players. Most players will have their eyes set on the EPT title and the £850,000 first prize, rather than the £7,500 min cash on offer to the first eight players out.
Still in contention are numerous PokerStars qualifiers and players as well as Team PokerStars PRO Peter Eastgate, the current world champion, Raymond Wu of Team PokerStars Asia, Maridu Mayrinck from Team PokerStars PRO Brazil and the latest team member Arnaud Mattern from France.
A total of 730 players entered the EPT London Main Event, creating a total prize pool of £3,540,500.
EPT London smashes record for UK poker tournament – posted 10.04.09
The EPT London Main Event has smashed records for the biggest poker tournament ever held in the UK with a starting field of 730 players. The record field has staggered players and media alike and is well over 100 players more than last season’s event.
With 426 players taking their seats for Day 1b today, the cavernous Kings Suite of the Hilton Metropole Hotel was virtually filled - however less than half survived the Day 1b.
The Day 1b chip leader – by some distance - is the young German, Nikolai Senninger, with 323,100. Senninger came third in the first ever PokerStars Latin American Poker Tour Rio event in Brazil $ 86,350 and recently won the Bodensee Poker Championships 2009 in Bregenz for €40k.
The leading PokerStars-sponsored player is Raymond Wu from Taiwan, a member of Team PokerStars Asia, with 130,000 in chips while PokerStars qualifier Andreas Johansson has bagged up 184,100.
Six members of Team PokerStars PRO are through to Day 2 including the 2008 WSOP runner-up Ivan Demidov and Lex Veldhuis, a member of Team PokerStars PRO Netherlands. They are all among the 318 players returning to the Kings Suite for Day 2 of the £5,000 event – all with their eyes set on the £850,000 first prize.
The total prize pool for the event is £3,540,500; 104 players will cash.
PokerStars qualifier leads field in EPT London Main Event – posted 10.03.09
French PokerStars qualifier Mario Cordero is leading the pack at the end of Day 1a of the EPT London Main Event with 218,000 in chips.
A total of 305 players turned up for the first day of the £5,000 event which now has a swanky new home in the spacious Kings Suite at the Hilton Metropole Hotel. At least 350 more are expected for Day 1b making the EPT London Main Event the biggest poker tournament ever held in Britain. 
Among the 129 Day 1a survivors is Team PokerStars PRO’s newest member Arnaud Mattern from France (pictured right). He bagged 116,000 in chips while fellow team member Maridu Mayrinck from Brazil has amassed a tidy 115,000 and world champion Peter Eastgate from Denmark is sitting on 122,000.
PokerStars Team PROs Alex Kravchenko, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Florian Langmann, Victor Ramdin and EPT5 Grand Final winner Pieter de Korver all made it through the grueling nine-level day, as did Kevin Schaffel, the PokerStars sponsored “November Nine” WSOP finalist, who will be returning on Sunday for Day 2 along with his cousin Martin.
Team PokerStars SportStar Fatima Moreira de Melo, one of Holland’s best known field hockey players, competed but bust towards the end of the day.
For reports on all the day’s action, please see the PokerStars blog and video blogs on PokerStars.tv - http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/3T9P/london-english.html.
EPT London Main Event looks to smash record / High Roller Crowned – posted 10.02.09
One high stakes tournament ends as another juicy one begins; the champion of the EPT London High Roller event was crowned just minutes ago taking home a whopping £542k while the EPT Main Event started with over 305 players.
The Main Event of the PokerStars.com EPT London started Day 1a today with 305 players, making it very likely the £5,000 event will be the biggest poker tournament ever held in the UK.
Among the main stars taking their seats was world champion and Team PokerStars PRO Peter Eastgate. He was joined by fellow stellar team members EPT3 London winner Vicky Coren, last season’s Grand Final winner Pieter de Korver, Player of the Year Luca Pagano, EPT5 Barcelona winner Sebastian Ruthenberg and EPT5 Dortmund winner Sandra Naujoks.
EPT London has also signaled a welcome return for Team PokerStars SportStar Fatima Moreira de Melo, one of Holland’s best known field hockey players (pictured right).
Wearing the Team PokerStars PRO patch for the first time was the popular French player Arnaud Mattern who won EPT Prague in Season 4. Today’s field also included Kevin Schaffel and Eric Buchman, two of the PokerStars-sponsored “November Nine” World Series finalists, limbering up in London before returning to Vegas next month.
American Carter Phillips, who won EPT Barcelona last month, is also here, as is his British heads-up rival Marc Goodwin. Other poker heavyweights in attendance include Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Roland de Wolfe and Freddy Deeb.
In related news, the winner of the EPT London High Roller was crowned just a few minutes ago taking home £542,000. American high-stakes player Matt Glantz has won the £20k PokerStars.com EPT London High Roller event after beating Canadian Erik Cajelais heads-up.
Glantz, who had four deep finishes at this summer’s World Series, snatched the title and £542,000 first prize shortly after the dinner break when his A-2 triumphed over Cajelais’ Q-J. A 5-Q-J flop gave French-speaking Cajelais top pair but an Ace on the turn sealed it for Glantz.
The final table featured Team PokerStars PROs Dennis Phillips and Leo Fernandez. American Phillips came seventh for £60,000 while Fernandez from Argentina finished fourth for £104,000.
A total of 75 players entered the prestigious High Roller event including 13 members of Team PokerStars PRO. The High Roller event was the first of 16 tournaments taking place during the eight-day EPT London Poker Festival at the Hilton Metropole Hotel.
Team PokerStars PROs make EPT London High Roller final – posted 10.02.09
Team PokerStars PROs Dennis Phillips from the USA and Leo Fernandez from Argentina have both made it through to the final table of the PokerStars.com EPT London High Roller event.
The pair are the last two survivors from a 13-strong pack of Team PokerStars PROs which started the £20,000 event at the Hilton Metropole Hotel on September 30.
They will have their work cut out for them though as the current chip leader, Canadian Erik Cajelais, stands with a monster stack of 893,500. Fernandez and Phillips will be no pushovers though as both have made final tables before.
Phillips first came to public attention when he became one of the original November Nine finalists at last year’s World Series. Fernandez came sixth at LAPT Mar del Plata in April and took home $63,520 for his troubles.
A total of 75 players entered the event; 31 survived to Day 2 and we are now down to our final eight.
Seat 1: Eugene Katchalov, USA, 530,000
Seat 2: Shane Reihill, Ireland, 236,000
Seat 3: Matt Glantz, USA, 647,500
Seat 4: Dennis Phillips, USA, 218,500
Seat 5: Ilari Sahamies, Finland, 311,000
Seat 6: Leo Fernandez, Argentina, 460,000
Seat 7: Adolfo Vaeza, Uruguay, 468,000
Seat 8: Erik Cajelais, Canada, 893,500
The final table is being filmed for broadcast and will also be shown on EPTLive starting at 12:00 local time today (October 2). Please see http://www.pokerstars.tv/channels/TPI/live.html for details. You can also follow all the action on www.pokerstarsblog.com.
Ilari Sahamies leads in EPT London High Roller - posted 10.01.09
Finnish high stakes player Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies is leading the field at the start of Day 2 of the PokerStars.com EPT London High Roller. Ilari has amassed 373,800 despite turning up for the £20,000 event four and a half hours late.
A total of 31 players are left in the three-day tournament from a starting field of 75. Seven Team PokerStars PROs are still in contention with EPT London Season 3 winner Vicky Coren heading the PokerStars PROs pack with 152,100. The others are former world champion Joe Hachem, Dennis Phillips, Leo Fernandez, Alex Kravchenko, Humberto Brenes and William Thorson.
November Niner Phil Ivey was the first to bust on Day 1 with other knocked-out notables including Tom Dwan, plus Team PokerStars PROs Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Luca Pagano, JC Alvarado and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.
It was a double-bust day for Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott who was still in a separate poker tournament at the start of the day. He was knocked out of that event in 35th place for £21,142. He then hot-footed it over to the Hilton Metropole, handed over almost all of his winnings but unfortunately busted out several hours later.
For non-stop coverage of the action, check out the PokerStars blog. EPTLive starts at 13:00 CET (12:00 GMT) on October 2 with coverage of the EPT London High Roller final table. See PokerStars.tv for details.
Poker Pros Flock To UK For EPT London Poker Festival - posted 09.11.09
With EPT Barcelona now safely out the way, all eyes are set on London for what promises to be the biggest poker festival ever held in the UK.
A total of 16 events are planned for the PokerStars EPT London Poker Festival which will run over eight days from September 30 to October 7. Among the top pros taking part are Michael Martin, the EPT London defending champion, as well as EPT London Season 5 High Roller winner Jason Mercier, former world champions Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and current world champion Peter Eastgate – all members of Team PokerStars PRO.
EPT London will also give European's their first chance to see three of this year’s World Series “November Nine” finalists competing against each other. Joe Cada, Eric Buchman and Kevin Schaffel – all sponsored by PokerStars - are all set to play the £5,300 EPT London main event.
Satellites for EPT London Poker Festival events are running now on PokerStars, giving players the chance to win their seat in major live events for as little as $2.22.
For the first time, EPT London will be taking place outside the confines of its traditional home – the Grosvenor Victoria Casino – and moving just a few hundred yards up the road to the Hilton Metropole Hotel. The change of location has enabled PokerStars to seriously ratchet up the festivities and provide an action-packed and varied roster of top events.
The start of the festival is September 30 with the return of the EPT London £20k High Roller event. This tournament was sensationally won by young American Jason Mercier last year against one of the toughest fields in poker history. Mercier, now on Team PokerStars PRO, defeated a raft of leading pros including John Juanda, Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen.
The £5,300 EPT London main event starts on October 2 with other tournaments kicking off throughout the week including the first-ever £2k European 8-Game Championship as well as a £500 8-Game event, a £1k Pot Limit Omaha High-Low event, a £1k No Limit 6-Max event and a £2k PLO event. The festival follows the two-week European Poker Championships being held at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino, and will once again cement London’s reputation as the poker capital of Europe.
Pokerstars Qualifier Carter Phillips Wins Pokerstars EPT Barcelona - posted 09.09.09
American PokerStars qualifier Carter Phillips has won EPT Barcelona and a first prize of €850,000. The 20-year-old from North Carolina beat UK veteran Marc Goodwin to the title after a tense three-hour heads-up match.
A total of 478 players entered the €8,300 Main Event creating a total prize pool of €3,382,000. Despite his young age, Phillips has racked up numerous online wins including the PokerStars €500k guaranteed and the PokerStars Sunday Second Chance tournament. He has also won the PokerStars €100 rebuy event three times.
Phillips said: “It’s unbelievable. I was hoping that I’d be in this position some day, but for it to happen so early in my career is amazing. Marc Goodwin is a great player. It was a tough battle.”
His heads-up up opponent Goodwin, 49, is a veteran of live events all over the world with a poker career going back nearly three decades. He won his first tournament in 1979 and his live tournament earnings now total more than $1.4 million.
The third-place finisher was PokerStars-sponsored player Santiago Terrazas who takes €300,000 back home to Madrid - the biggest sum ever won by a Spanish player at an EPT.
Nearly 50 players – including Phillips – won their seats to EPT Barcelona online with PokerStars. Among the top pros who competed were Team PokerStars PROs Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Jason Mercier as well as Team PokerStars SportStar Boris Becker and the PokerStars-sponsored French rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes.
The next event of EPT Season 6 is the EPT London Poker Festival. With 16 events planned - including the £5,300 main event and £20k high roller, EPT London promises to be the biggest series of poker tournaments ever held in the UK. The festival kicks off September 30, 2009 at Hilton Metropole Hotel. See www.ept.com/tournaments/london for event details.
Two PokerStars qualifiers make EPT Barcelona final table – posted 09.09.09
Two talented young PokerStars qualifiers have made it to the EPT Barcelona final table. American Carter “bdybldngpkr” Phillips, 20, from North Carolina is the chip leader with 4,421,000 while Canadian Matt “Lapozie” Lapossie, 23, lies in third place with 2,138,000. Both players have put in notable performances throughout the €8,300 Main Event and are in with a good chance of scooping the €850,000 first prize.
Carter Phillips qualified for Barcelona twice and nearly won the €1k side event last week – eventually chopping with Team PokerStars PRO Jason Mercier and Dag Martin Mikkelsen. Matt Lapossie has only played one EPT before Barcelona but, since the event started, has never been far from the chip lead. 
In second place, with 3,100,000 in chips is leading UK pro Marc Goodwin. Goodwin has had three EPT cashes to date but this is his first EPT final table. Santiago Terrazas, sponsored by PokerStars and the last remaining Spaniard in the tournament, is also through with 546,000.
A total of 478 players entered EPT Barcelona, creating a total prize pool of €3,832,000. Five former EPT champions made it to Day 4, including Team PokerStars PRO Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and EPT Dortmund winner Mike McDonald but by 9pm last night all had been eliminated.
EPTLive continues today (September 9) at 14:00 local time providing live coverage and expert commentary in five languages.
Former Champions Line Up To Claim Unique EPT Double– posted 09.08.09
It’s the record that dozens have been chasing but no one has yet achieved – becoming the first ever EPT champion to win the main event for a second time.
As EPT Barcelona goes into Day 4, five former EPT winners – including Team PokerStars PRO Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier from France - are still in contention.
ElkY took down the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2008 while Frenchman Jan Boubli won the main event here in Barcelona back in Season 2. The other contenders are EPT3 Dublin winner Roland de Wolfe, EPT4 Dortmund winner Mike McDonald and last season’s Copenhagen winner Jens Kyllonen.
At the other end of the spectrum is the young Canadian PokerStars qualifier Matt Lapossie. He has only played one EPT before, but since Barcelona started has never been far from the chip lead. He is currently lying in second place with 1,664,000, just behind the young Greek pro Georgios Kapalas who has 1,724,000 in chips and is hoping to become Greece’s first ever EPT champion.
Only 23 players remain from the starting field of 478 at the €8,300 NLHE event. All are chasing a first prize of €850,000.
EPTLive kicks off today (September 8) at 12:30 local time providing live coverage and expert commentary for the final two days.
Players enter the money at EPT Barcelona – posted 09.07.09
The 478-strong field at the start of EPT Barcelona has now been whittled down to just 72 players here at the end of Day 2. All remaining players are now in the money with a guaranteed payday of at least €12,000.
Canadian PokerStars qualifier Matt Lapossie, 23, is the chip leader on 700,300. He won his trip to Barcelona in an $800 satellite on PokerStars and is one of 50 players to win their seats online.
Only days after receiving his Guinness World Record, Team PokerStars PRO Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier is putting in a dynamite performance at EPT Barcelona and ended Day 2 in fifth place with 454,200 in chips.
As well as PCA champion “ElkY” and EPT1 Copenhagen winner Boeken, four former EPT champions are still in the running in Barcelona. They are EPT3 Dublin champ Roland de Wolfe, EPT5 Copenhagen winner Jens Kyllonen, EPT4 Dortmund winner Michael McDonald and Frenchman Jan Boubli who the EPT Barcelona Season 2 title in 2005.
The only other Team PokerStars PROs still in the tournament are also both from the Netherlands - Noah Boeken and Thierry Van Den Berg. Lex Veldhuis, a teammate who was among the chip leaders, suffered a couple of brutal hands late yesterday and busted out of the €8,300 event just two places short of the money.
A day of rapid-fire poker also ended well for young Latvian Kaspars Renga. He has 88,900 in chips and is now the first player from his country ever to cash at an EPT.
EPTLive starts tomorrow (September 8) with coverage of the final two days in five languages including English, Spanish and French.
Team Pokerstars PRO Lex Veldhuis Rocks Day 1b Of EPT Barcelona – posted 09.06.09
Some of the biggest names in poker are competing at EPT Barcelona but it was Team PokerStars PRO Lex Veldhuis (pictured) who dominated the action on Day 1b and is now in eighth place as the €8,300 event goes into Day 2.
The 25-year-old from Rotterdam was up to 100,000 in chips by the end of Level 1 and kept up a relentless pace throughout the day.
He wreaked havoc at Table 19 which also – at various times - featured fellow Team PokerStars PROs Peter Eastgate, William Thorson and Daniel Negreanu. Veldhuis now has 149,500.
Other stars who took part on Day 1b included former world champions Scotty Nguyen and Carlos Mortensen as well as tennis legend and Team PokerStars SportStar Boris Becker, French film star Patrick Bruel and French rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes who was sponsored by PokerStars.
“Kid Poker” Negreanu survived the day and currently has 106,100 in chips, but unfortunatly both Thorson and Eastgate busted out. Other Team PokerStars PROs still in the running for the €850,000 first prize include Noah Boeken, EPT Dortmund winner Sandra Naujoks, PCA and WPT champion Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and WSOP 2008 runner-up Ivan Demidov. The chip leader remains Spanish PokerStars qualifier Diego Arias who has 193,300.
EPT Barcelona attracted a total of 478 players creating a total prize pool of €3,832,000. More than 50 players won their trip to Barcelona on PokerStars after qualifying in online satellites.
PokerStars qualifier leads field at EPT Barcelona – posted 09.05.09
Day 1a of PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona has come to an end with the young Spanish PokerStars qualifier Diego Arias leading the field. Arias (pictured), who has 193,300 in chips, won his €8,300 seat after qualifying in an $800 satellite on PokerStars run especially for Spanish players.
PokerStars qualifier Friedrich Franz from Germany is also doing well with 146,550 while PokerStars players Carlos Lopez and Jorn Walthus are following closely behind.
The first day of EPT Bacelona started with a total of 207 players but only 107 move on for a shot at the EPT Barcelona title.
Unfortunately, of the Team PokerStars PROs playing Day 1a, only EPT4 London runner-up Florian Langmann from Germany has made it through.
Day 1b will see a roster of star names turning up including Team PokerStars PROs Daniel Negreanu and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier as well as Team PokerStars SportStar Boris Becker and the PokerStars-sponsored French rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes.
EPTLive will be providing great coverage of the final two days with expert commentary in five languages including English, Spanish and French while the PokerStars blog will be keeping readers bang up to date from Day 1.
It’s official - ElkY receives the Guinness World Record – posted 09.04.09
They said it couldn’t be done – but Team PokerStars PRO Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier proved them wrong when he won the world record for winning the most online poker tournaments in an hour. At last night’s Welcome Party for EPT Barcelona, ElkY was officially presented with the Guinness World Record for his spectacular achievement.
The challenge was set back in April on Day 1a at the EPT Season 5 Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Cheered on by dozens of spectators, ElkY took to the stage of the Salle des Etoiles ballroom in front of a bank of screens. He had an hour to play as many Sit and Go tournaments as possible – and had to end up with a positive balance. ElkY raced through his way through 62 SNGs to clinch a $23.67 profit – his world record was in the bag.
Now several hundred players face a challenge of their own – the start of EPT Barcelona – one of the toughest tournaments on the European Poker Tour.
Among those who will be taking their seats for Day 1a today are Team PokerStar PRO Germany and defending champion Sebastian Ruthenberg. He will be up against numerous EPT champions and World Series Of Poker bracelet winners today including Team PokerStars PRO Jason Mercier. Mercier won a WSOP bracelet this summer to add to his two EPT titles and will be hoping to better his sixth place finish in Barcelona last year.
Other Team PokerStars PROs who will setting their sights on an EPT title today include Marcin Horecki from Poland, Dutch players Noah Boeken and Thierry Van Den Berg, Nordic heroes Johnny Lodden and William Thorson as well as Ruthenberg’s Team PokerStars PRO Germany colleague Katja Thater.
The overall cap for the €8,300 event is 700 players and it looks certain to sell out. Last season, EPT Barcelona attracted a record 619 players and created a prize pool of nearly €5 million.
EPTLive will be providing great coverage of the final two days with expert commentary in five languages including English, Spanish and French while the PokerStars blog will be keeping readers bang up to date from Day 1.
Champions descend on Barcelona for next stop on EPT Season 6
– posted 08.26.09
Champion poker players will be out in force for the start of EPT Barcelona which begins next week. Defending title holder Sebastian Ruthenberg will be up against numerous EPT champions and World Series Of Poker (WSOP)* bracelet winners as well as the current world champion Peter Eastgate and runner-up Ivan Demidov.
Ruthenberg faces serious competition from American Jason Mercier, now a member of Team PokerStars PRO. Mercier won a WSOP* bracelet this summer to add to his two EPT titles and will be hoping to better his sixth place finish in Barcelona last year. Ruthenberg will also need to watch out for Dutch Team PokerStars PRO Pieter de Korver, winner of last season’s EPT Grand Final and fellow Team PokerStars member Sandra Naujoks, winner of EPT Dortmund.
Last season, EPT Barcelona attracted a record 619 players and created a prize pool of nearly €5 million. This season’s field includes a wealth of stars guaranteed to fuel another riveting week of poker at the Gran Casino.
The Team Poker PRO roster for the €8,000 event, which runs September 4-9, is a roll-call of top names including Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier who last year won $2,000,000 at the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure.
Poker legend Daniel Negreanu and EPT Player of the Year Luca Pagano will also grace the felt with their skills.
As if this wasn’t enough tennis legend and Team Pokerstars SportStar Boris Becker is competing. PokerStars-sponsored rap star Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes will be bringing the drama, while home-grown competition comes in the form of Spanish Team PokerStars players Juan Maceiras and Juan Manuel Pastor.
Other notable players include Vanessa Rousso, Marcel Luske, Lex Veldhuis, Katja Thater, Johnny Lodden, Dario Minieri and Noah Boeken.
More than 50 players won their trip to Barcelona on PokerStars – a package worth nearly $16,000. This included Main Event buy-in, accommodation at the luxury AB Skipper hotel, spending money and a VIP pass for the PokerStars welcome party.
PokerStars’ qualifying satellites for EPT Barcelona have now ended, but PokerStars PlatinumStar VIP players still have until Sunday, August 30 to buy in to the event using W$.
EPTLive will be providing great coverage of the final two days of EPT Barcelona with expert commentary in five languages including English, Spanish and French while the PokerStars blog will be keeping readers bang up to date from Day 1.
Maxim Lykov Wins Ept Kyiv – posted 08.23.09
Maxim “Decay” Lykov, 21, from Moscow, became the first Russian to win an EPT today when he took down the €5,000 EPT Kyiv tournament for €330,000.
Nearly 300 competitors – including near 80 PokerStars players - attended the first event of EPT Season 6 which was held at the Kyiv Sports Palace in the Ukraine capital.
Lykov was also the first EPT champion to hold the chip lead three days running and then win the event. He said: “On days two and three, I really felt quite confident that I would make the final. I am very proud to win this tournament. It was a hard contest but I believed I could do it.”
In June, Lykov won $145,000 after coming third in the 5k NLHE shootout at the World Series, bringing his total tournament winnings this summer to over €600,000.
EPT Kyiv was the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is the first time the EPT has been held in the region. The 296 competitors who attended, from 33 countries, created a total prize pool of €1,391,200.
Stars who competed included Team PokerStars Pros Ivan Demidov, Alex Kravchenko, Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri as well as Vlad Zhuba, the first member of the new Team PokerStars Ukraine Pro and Team PokerStars Argentina Pro Leo Fernandez. Other pros taking part included Gus Hansen, Shaun Deeb, Cristiano Blanco, John Kabbaj.
The last two days of EPT Kyiv were broadcast live on PokerStars.tv in five languages; the event was also filmed for television.
The next event of EPT Season 6 is EPT Barcelona from September 4-9, 2009.
For full coverage of all the action from EPT Kyiv, see the PokerStars blog and EPT video blogs.
PokerStars qualifiers make EPT Kyiv final - posted 08.22.09
Two PokerStars qualifiers are through to the final of the first ever PokerStars EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship. After a gruelling 12 hours of play, Torsten Tent from Germany and Frequent Point Player qualifier Lucasz Plichta from Poland (pictured below) have both it through to Day 5 of the €5k event.
The two are guaranteed a €30,000 payday but it's the €300,000 first prize and title of EPT Kyiv champion that they're both gunning for. The current chip leader remains Maxim “Decay” Lykov, a 21-year-old profesional player from Russia, with 2,597,000 in chips.
EPT Kyiv attracted a total of 296 players overall, making it the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States with a total prize pool of €1,391,200.
For non-stop coverage of the action, check out the PokerStars blog and EPT video blogs. EPTLive continues at 12pm today local time with expert commentary in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. See PokerStars.tv for details.
EPT Kyiv down to final 32 - posted 08.20.09
Eight players have gone home richer today and 32 more still have their sights set on a €330,000 payday. We are down to the final 32 at the €5,000 PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv and tension is mounting. Tomorrow the EPT cameras start rolling and some players will be getting their first ever experience of sitting at a televised feature table.
Locals and semi-locals – players from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus - dominate the field with chip leader Maxim Lykov from Russia (pictured below ) marginally ahead of his closest rivals. Last night’s chip leader Vitaly Tolokonnikov is now in third. 
The leading PokerStars qualifier is still Michael Meyburg, the former backgammon champion from Germany, who has 240,500.
PokerStars passport winner Shaun Deeb from New Jersey, hugely well-known online and a WCOOP champion, was celebrating his first ever win at a live event after taking down the €20,000 High Roller event – against only two other players.
The EPT Kyiv Main Event attracted a total of 296 players overall, making it the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States with a total prize pool of €1,391,200.
For non-stop coverage of the action, check out the PokerStars blog and EPT video blogs. EPTLive starts tomorrow (August 22) with expert commentary in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. See PokerStars.tv for details.
Kyiv field whittled down to 9 tables - posted 08.20.09
A fierce day of action at the Kyiv Sports Palace saw the majority of the field grabbing their jackets and heading home on Day 2 of the €5,000 PokerStars EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship. A total of 203 players started the day; only 69 finished it.
The current chip leader is Russian Vitaly Tolokonnika (pictured below) who had a miracle comeback from just 12,000 in chips and now has 371,000.
The leading PokerStars qualifier is Michael Meyburg, a former backgammon champion from
Germany, who has 289,300.
Unfortunately, all the remaining Team PokerStars Pros were eliminated today, alongside PokerStars passport winner Shaun Deeb. However, 14 PokerStars players are still in the running for the €330,000 first prize.
The EPT Kyiv Main Event attracted a total of 296 players overall, making it the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States with a total prize pool of €1,391,200.
For non-stop coverage of the action, check out the PokerStars blog and EPT video blogs. EPTLive starts on August 22 with expert commentary in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. See PokerStars.tv for details.
EPT Kyiv speeds into Day 2 – posted 08.19.09
The first ever PokerStars EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship is down to 203 players after a further seven hours of action-packed play at the Kyiv Sports Palace.
The current chip leader is Viktor Ivanov from Russia with 153,825 in chips. PokerStars qualifier Jason Kudron from the US is in third place overall with 118,100. Team PokerStars Pros Katja Thater and Alex Kravchenko are also in the running as well as PokerStars passport winner Shaun Deeb. Other stars who have survived include Nicolas Levi, Dragan Galic, Andrew Feldman and Alexander Kostritzyn.
Day 2 will start tomorrow with numerous stars still in the running for the first prize of €330,000 including Team PokerStars Pro Ivan Demidov (pictured), runner-up in the 2008 WSOP, and his girlfriend Liya Gerasimova. In line with the new EPT structure introduced this season, levels will now be 75 minutes from now until the end of the tournament.
The EPT Kyiv Main Event attracted a total of 296 players overall, making it the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States with a total prize pool of €1,391,200.
For non-stop coverage of the action, check out the PokerStars blog and EPT video blogs. EPTLive starts on August 22 with expert commentary in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. See PokerStars.tv for details.
EPT Kyiv gets off to a flying start - posted 08.18.09
The first event of European Poker Tour Season Six got off to a spectacular start in Ukraine today with players treated to a vibrant welcome ceremony featuring a four-man drumming troupe and more than 50 Ukrainian folk dancers.
The PokerStars.net EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship has attracted hundreds of players to the Ukraine capital for a week of poker which includes the €5,000 NLHE Main Event and a wealth of side events.
This is the first EPT in Ukraine and is already set to be the largest poker tournament ever held in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Among today’s 129 Day 1a players were Team PokerStars Pros Alex Kravchenko and Luca Pagano. Kravchenko has survived with 45,450 in chips but Pagano was knocked out early evening.
A total of 93 players are through to Day 2, the high number of survivors reflecting a brand new structure for EPT main events which gives each player a 30,000 starting stack. The current chip leader is Mihaylo Demidenko from Ukraine with 145,125.
Day 1b will see even more stars take their seats in the cavernous Kyiv Palace of Sports including Team PokerStars Pros Ivan Demidov, Dario Minieri, Katja Thater and Vlad Zhuba, the first member of the new Team PokerStars Ukraine Pro as well as Team PokerStars Argentina Pro Leo Fernandez.
Side events on Day 1b include the €1,100 NLHE freezeout and a €330 Ladies Only NLHE event. Nearly 50 of the players in Kyiv this week won their trip online with PokerStars, including their buy-in, six nights at the beautiful Premier Palace hotel and spending money.
Stars Head To Kyiv For Launch Of EPT Season 6 – posted 08.15.09
The EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship begins in the Ukraine on Tuesday August 18 and marks the start of the season six PokerStars.com European Poker Tour.
The €5,000 NLHE Main Event, the first EPT event to be held in the Ukraine, will feature a wealth of stars including WSOP 2008 runner-up and Team PokerStars Pro Ivan Demidov as well as fellow team members Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri, Katja Thater and Alex Kravchenko. Vlad Zhuba, the first member of the new Team PokerStars Ukraine Pro, is also competing.
A full schedule of events is planned for the week with all the action taking place at the Kyiv Sports Palace from August 18-23. Nearly 50 players have won their trip to Kyiv online with PokerStars, including their buy-in, six nights at the spectacular Premier Palace hotel and spending money.
The EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship is expected to be the largest poker tournament ever held in the Ukraine according to event sponsor PokerStars.com. In addition to the Main Event, tournaments include €1,100, €2,250 and €3,200 NLHE side events, a €330 ladies’ event, a €2,150 Pot Limit Omaha event as well as daily cash games from 4pm to 1am.
Day 1 Seat Draw
| Start day | Full Name |
|---|---|
| Day 1A | Raphael Wurm |
| Day 1A | Sebastian Seelbach |
| Day 1A | Shaun Deeb |
| Day 1A | Allan Bække |
| Day 1A | Raoul Gilmar Refos |
| Day 1A | Rodolphe Lampe |
| Day 1A | Giovanni Mifsud |
| Day 1A | Surow Andriej Nikolajewicz |
| Day 1A | Antoon Pieter Jozef Kleijnen |
| Day 1A | Dominykas Karmazinas |
| Day 1A | Boris Yanpolskiy |
| Day 1A | Fabio Di Giampietro |
| Day 1A | Trazevskij Andriej Borisowicz |
| Day 1A | Guido Meacci |
| Day 1A | Mauro Medico |
| Day 1A | Vlad Mezheritsky Jr. |
| Day 1A | Alexander Fitzgerald |
| Day 1A | Michael Shahnovich |
| Day 1A | Matthew Fletcher |
| Day 1A | Masayuki Nagata |
| Day 1A | Stanislav Shinkarev |
| Day 1A | Wendy Monosky |
| Day 1A | Eren Sergil |
| Day 1A | Torsten Tent |
| Day 1A | Andrew Malott |
| Day 1A | Aleksandr Ivanchenko |
| Day 1A | Ronald Wasiel |
| Day 1A | Vadim Shlez |
| Day 1A | Naletow Michail Andreewicz |
| Day 1A | Brian Green |
| Day 1A | Eduard Poltaves |
| Day 1A | Karpus Sergey Dmitrovich |
| Day 1A | Mardanov Artur Rafikovich |
| Day 1A | Arkadiy Tsinis |
| Day 1A | Alexander Morozov |
| Day 1A | Gregory D Dyer |
| Day 1A | Alexander Kravchenko |
| Day 1A | Yurii Valerievich Alaniya |
| Day 1A | Giuseppe Dario Sammartino |
| Day 1A | Antonio Failla |
| Day 1A | Pier Paolo Fabretti |
| Day 1A | Maurizio Colazingari |
| Day 1A | Kristian El Dosoky |
| Day 1A | Atanas Stoyanov |
| Day 1A | Brendan Murphy |
| Day 1A | Terry Cook |
| Day 1B | Darren Mould |
| Day 1B | Nouri Malik |
| Day 1B | Aleksey Sergeev |
| Day 1B | Børge Dypvik |
| Day 1B | Gaetan Milvaque |
| Day 1A | Menno Mulder |
| Day 1A | Juhász Barnabás |
| Day 1A | Fursov Vasily |
| Day 1A | Mikoulik Taras |
| Day 1A | James Creighton |
| Day 1A | Iodanishvili Beka Bekarovich |
| Day 1A | Vlad Zhuba |
| Day 1A | Luca Pagano |
| Day 1A | Ivan Demidov |
| Day 1A | Mauri Dorbek |
| Day 1A | Arnaud Mattern |
| Day 1A | Luca Falaschi |
| Day 1B | Michael Jurgen Meyburg |
| Day 1B | Eric Turner |
| Day 1B | Jason Kudron |
| Day 1B | Lukasz Plichta |
| Day 1B | Priit Türner |
| Day 1B | Lennart Vahemets |
| Day 1B | Mario Puccini |
| Day 1B | Elio Fox |
| Day 1B | Mario Kühl |
| Day 1B | Xun Yu Chen |
| Day 1B | David Sonelin |
| Day 1B | William Carter Phillips |
| Day 1B | Faraz Jaka |
| Day 1B | Dario Minieri |
| Day 1B | Katja Thater |
| Day 1B | Christophe Benzimra |
| Day 1B | Stuart Rutter |
| Day 1B | Joshua Field |
| Day 1B | Nicolas Levi |
| Day 1B | Tristan Clemencon |
| Day 1B | John Carsten |
Official statement on EPT Moscow- posted 07.25.09
The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour (EPT) announces an alternate venue for its August event, now scheduled to be held in Kyiv, the largest city and capital of Ukraine, at the Kyiv Sports Palace, from August 18-23, 2009. The "EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship" is to be held under the regulation and authority of the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth, Family and Sport, and in partnership with the Ukrainian Poker Federation. This event is expected to be the largest poker tournament ever held in the Ukraine.
The Kyiv event replaces the previously-scheduled 2009 Russian Open poker tournament due to be held at the Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya, Moscow from August 18-23, 2009. That event has been cancelled because our ability to run the event was placed in doubt due to the recent closure of all casinos in Russia.
Euro Poker Tour Ltd. sincerely apologises to all players who were intending to attend the Moscow event, but unfortunately these circumstances were beyond our control. Players are encouraged to consider attending the Ukrainian event instead, and to participate in the opening of the EPT's sixth season.
PokerStars advises its players who qualified online for the Moscow event that their packages (including buy-in and hotel) will be converted to EPT Kyiv packages; however they will also be eligible to take a credit for a future event, or receive the cash equivalent value as alternatives.
The buy-in for the "EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship" Main Event will be 5,000 EUR (4,700 + 300).
Players should note that the Ukraine does not require visas for citizens of the European Union, United States or Canada (among many other countries) when travelling to Ukraine for less than 90 days. Players from other countries should check this webpage (http://www.mfa.gov.ua/uk/en/2322.htm) or with their local embassy for more information.
We appreciate the opportunity to bring the EPT to beautiful and historic Kyiv, and look forward to exploring the sights, sounds and flavors of the rich Ukrainian culture.
The World’s Richest Poker Tour Announces Biggest Season Yet - posted 06.16.09
John Duthie, Chief Executive of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour (EPT), today announced the first half of the schedule for EPT Season Six. The European Poker Tour is now the world’s richest poker tour in terms of both players and prize pools and is sponsored by PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site with over 23 million registered players worldwide.
The new EPT season includes many events which have made the past five seasons such a triumph with world record breaking fields and prize pools across Europe.” said Duthie. “We have set very high standards and we aim to improve on this still further in Season Six - with new additions to the schedule as well as a richer mix of games and buy-ins to cater for more players.”
Last year’s PokerStars EPT season proved a massive success and overtook the WPT in terms of amount of players and prize pools. EPT Season Five generated a total prize pool of almost €55 million (approx $77 million USD) with 7,980 players from 97 countries of which 3,077 were PokerStars players. The four richest prize pools available in poker tournaments outside the United States last year occurred during the fifth season of the PokerStars EPT at: the PCA ($12.7M USD); Monte Carlo ($12.3M USD); San Remo ($7.5M USD); and Barcelona (7M USD).
The EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final generated the biggest ever prize pool in Europe at more than €9.3 million. The Grand Final winner, newly-signed Team PokerStars Pro Netherlands member Pieter de Korver, a 26-year-old poker pro from Leeuwarden, Holland, bested a record field of 935 players to take the first prize of €2.3 million ($3.2 million USD).
“This year’s EPT will be bigger and better than ever, kicking off in August in one of our new scheduled destinations – magnificent Moscow in Russia. Overall, the tour will visit an unprecedented thirteen countries* - an increase of four events on top of last season. As well as Russia, the tour will include new stops in Portugal this November and other destinations to be announced shortly.” said Duthie
The PokerStars EPT Season Six looks set to continue building upon the successes of the previous five seasons, attracting even more players and even larger prize pools. There will be more ‘Festival of Poker’ style stops on the tour, beginning in London this October with “The Pokerstars.com EPT London Festival at the Hilton Metropole Hotel” which will feature significant Pot-Limit Omaha and 8-Game events, as well as the return of the popular High Roller event. The EPT London Main Event will likely be the richest tournament ever in the United Kingdom.
Online satellites for the PokerStars EPT Moscow, Season Six start today, Monday, 15 June, 2009 on PokerStars with buy-ins from as little as $2.22. Players who qualify on PokerStars don’t just win their seat; they also win hotel accommodation (or cash equivalent) and spending money as part of their prize package. The EPT invites players from around the world to participate in this exciting event in Russia’s historic and storied capital.
Pieter de Korver wins fifth EPT Grand Final - posted 4.5.09
The 5th season of the EPT has come to an end in Monte Carlo and produced the second Dutch Grand Final champion in five seasons. Pieter de Korver, 26, from Leeuwarden, Holland, a member of Team PokerStars Pro Netherlands, outlasted a record field of 935 players to snag the €2.3 million first prize at the €10,600 EPT Monte Carlo main event. The total prize pool was a staggering €9.35 million making it the richest poker tournament ever held outside Las Vegas. The first ever EPT Grand Final was won by Dutchman Rob Hollink.
De Korver only turned pro two years ago and last year triumphed in a PokerStars-sponsored TV show called 'Poker Kampioen Van Nederland' against some 20,000 competitors. He staged a remarkable comeback during the nine-hour final table - at one stage he had just two big blinds but then won a series of showdowns to take the chip lead.
Norwegian pro Dag Martin Mikkelsen looked set to take the EPT Grand Final title after amassing more than half the chips but he fell away just as dramatically as De Korver came back - and ended up finishing fourth. Russian player Mikhail Tulchinskiy was eliminated in third place before PokerStars qualifier Matthew Woodward was dominated in a heads-up battle lasting a little over an hour.
Scores of stars competed in the event, held from April 28 to May 3 at the Monte Carlo Bay Resort, including nearly the entire Team PokerStars Pro team such as poker legend Daniel Negreanu, current world champion Peter Eastgate and former world champions Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker as well as rappers Nelly and Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes, rugby star Sebastien Chabal, footballer Tomas Brolin and tennis legend Boris Becker. Celebrated poker pros such as Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Tony G, Liz Lieu and Andy Black also took part. A total of 157 PokerStars players won their seats online for the prestigious event which attracted entrants from a record 57 countries.
Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso won the inaugural €25,000 Monte Carlo high roller tournament after beating fellow American Randy Dorfman heads-up to take the €720,000 first prize. Tony G came third and donated a substantial part of his winnings to charity. A total of 79 players entered the event.
Stars out in force for PokerStars "Ante Up for Africa" at EPT Grand Final - posted 28.4.09
The first ever Ante Up For Africa (AUFA) in Europe kicked off last night on the eve of the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
The star-studded event, which raised a total of €160,000 for the humanitarian mission in crisis-torn Darfur, featured a host of international sports and entertainment stars including rapper Nelly, French rapper Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes, F1 racing driver Nico Rosberg, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, French rugby star Sebastian Chabal and England's Mike Tindall as well as UK TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher, , US R’n’B Star Christina Milian, singer songwriter The Dream, James Kyson Lee from "Heroes" and Jason Lewis from "Sex in the City".
Also playing in the €4,000 event were Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Victor Ramdin, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Vanessa Rousso and Greg Raymer.
French rugby star Sebastian Chabal, French sports commentator Patrick Chene, professional poker player Tony G and ex-England footballer Teddy Sheringham all made the final table alongside Team PokerStars Pros Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri, John Duthie, Daniel Negreanu and Isabelle Mercier.
The entire €160,000 prize pool from the tournament is being donated to Ante Up For Africa, with PokerStars donating a further €100,000. PokerStars will be awarding the winner of the tournament with a special prize package to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas in January 2010.
More than 400,000 people have died and more than four million have lost their homes in Darfur since the conflict began. To date, Ante Up For Africa has raised closed $2 million for the cause.
Battleship storms ahead at EPT Grand Final - posted 28.4.09
Battleship took off on Day 1a of the EPT Grand Final with a series of great promotions. Six French players won a trip to Monte Carlo to play ElkY simultaneously in the Kill ElkY promotion. "rice64" was the only player to win his match and gets a seat in the main event for his efforts.
Later in the day, in the Battle Boris promotion, German qualifiers were faced with the task of winning four consecutive heads-up Battleship matches - against tennis legend Boris Becker and three German Team Pros of their choice. "xXGlynn" was the only player to win all his matches - after beating Boris, Sandra Naujoks, Anton Allemann and Johanes Steindl. His reward was $40,000 cash and and a seat in the main event seat.
The $530 eight-player tournament kicked off with Mike "timex" McDonald ousted in the first round, but Shaun Deeb through to Round 2 - and still in the running for the $2,500 first prize.
Battleship players compete online while also sitting face-to-face. The format was first pioneered at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2006 and has been a popular fixture at both the PCA and the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final ever since.
Battleship continues with loads more exciting events providing non-stop action 15 hours a day. As well as the now-familiar 64-player 'main event” Battleship match, the schedule includes 32, 16 and eight-player tournaments as well. There will also be a range of buy-ins - from $200 to $5,000 – and the addition of PLO and PLO/PLH events for the first time.
Players will also have plenty of opportunities to come along to the Battleship area at other times to play individual heads-up matches against their friends.
* WORLD SERIES OF POKER and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerStars.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.
| Rank | Name | TLB Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Luca Pagano | 3419 |
| 2. | Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | 3354 |
| 3. | Sebastian Ruthenberg | 3063 |
| 4. | Antony Lellouche | 2419 |
| 5. | Johannes Strassmann | 2390 |
| 6. | Jason Mercier | 2320 |
| 7. | William Thorson | 2301 |
| 8. | Dario Minieri | 2227 |
| 9. | Mike McDonald | 2208 |
| 10. | Julian Thew | 2107 |
| Rank | Name | Top Ten Cash |
| 1. | Pieter de Korver | €2,300,000 |
| 2. | Poorya Nazari | €2,238,806 |
| 3. | Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | €2,080,855 |
| 4. | Glen Chorny | €2,077,143 |
| 5. | Gavin Griffin | €1,825,010 |
| 6. | Jason Mercier | €1,757,280 |
| 7. | Sebastian Ruthenberg | €1,724,774 |
| 8. | Michael Martin | €1,701,000 |
| 9. | Denes Kalo | €1,567,060 |
| 10. | Constant Rijkenberg | €1,508,000 |
