EPT Grand Final Set To Break Records

Another European Poker Tour (EPT) season will soon come to a close. To mark the occasion, PokerStars wants to break all kinds of records. It all starts on April 26 at 5 PM local time in Monte Carlo with a very affordable No Limit Texas Holdemsuper satellite to the FPS Main Event worth €220. FPS? Aren’t we actually talking about EPT?

Two In One FPS and EPT, Monte Carlo Style

Well, indeed we are talking about the EPT Grand Final but since the stop is located in the glamorous French Riviera, the host - Monte Carlo Casino - and the main sponsor - PokerStars - decided to bring in the French Poker Series (FPS) also. And why not? If PS really wants to break the records, combining two poker festivasl is definitely a great place to start.

However, every EPT fan out there knows that this is hardly breaking news: the union started two years ago, in 2014, and didn’t change the numbers that much, at least in the EPT Grand Final Main Event. The record set in Season 5 (2009) of 935 entries and over €9 million in total prize pool cash still seems like a very distant dream so what did the organizers actually do in order to come up with such courageous statements?

The Main Event Buy-In Halved Plus Four Different High Rollers

For starters, they decided to make the Main Event more affordable so they halved the buy-in from €10,600 to €5,300, an all-time low. As a result, PokerStars plans to organize a variety of affordable online satellites that could bring a record number of poker players qualified from the virtual felt. The special EPT package will be worth €9,000 and will include the buy-in, luxury hotel accommodation and of course, spending money. There will also be numerous live satellites in Monte Carlo dedicated for both the early bird (10 AM) and the night owl (12 AM) players.

And to attract even more participants, the Monte Carlo casino will host four different high-roller events between Tuesday, April 26 and Friday, May 6, 2016. The EPT Grand Final will kick off with the standard €10,300 High Roller on the first day - the final table is set on April 28 - heat up with the €100,000 Super High Roller and the €50,000 Single Day High Roller, then seal the deal with the €25,750 Single Entry HR. The final table is set for the last day of the poker festival, May 6.

All in all, during the 11-day marathon, the Monte Carlo Casino will host 79 events - including the popular €1,100 FPS Main Event and €330 Monaco Cup - from No Limit Texas Holdem and Pot Limit Omaha to Drawball and yes, even Open Face Chinese Poker.

Cash Games And #StarsFun

And that’s not all; you can even try the Sit & Go tournaments starting from €300 or the cash tables that run all day and night during the poker festival.

And if you’re also looking for fun, then you may very well choose to participate in the EPT Grand Final Hexathlon featuring football, field hockey, golf punting, American football, basketball and tennis and win daily prizes. A €1,100 Estrellas Main Event at EPT Barcelona is also up for grabs if you top the general leaderboard of the Hexathlon.

For the eSports enthusiasts out there, the #StarFun plans to organize different video game contests throughout the 11-day span with the best having the opportunity to cash in and earn a decent buck outside the casino.

In other words, it’s your loss if you decide not to join the party in Monte Carlo. You know what they say: Be there or be square.