On April 27th, the top poker players from across Europe and around the world will head to Monte Carlo, located in luxurious Monaco. The tiny principality will once again play host to the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final, which kicks off on April 27th. A total of 14 tournaments will be held, including the €10,600 buy-in Main Event.
Canadian Glen Chorny was the talk of Monaco during the 2008 Monte Carlo Grand Final, blazing through the 840 player field en route to a $3.15 million first place prize. Heads-up, he defeated Hungarian poker player Denes Kalo, who pocketed $1.8 million. Another Canadian, Maxime Villemure, took third, while Americans Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron and Michael Martin finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Italian Luca Pagano landed in sixth place and “The Magician,” Antonio Esfandiari, captured eighth . The Monte Carlo Grand Final was truly an international spectacle in 2008, with players from seven different countries finishing in the top 10; the 80 best players made the money.
PokerStars officials expect 1,000 players to turn out for this year’s Main Event, meaning an estimated $12 million prize pool. Each entrant will receive 30,000 starting chips and blind levels will last 60 minutes on the first day of play and 75 minutes thereafter. This will also serve as the structure for all Season 6 EPT tournaments.
Brand new to the schedule for the festivities in 2009 will be a three-day €25,500 buy-in European High Roller tournament and a two-day €5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Championship. In order to enter, PokerStars players can register for events directly from the online poker software. Here’s a look at the tournaments that will have the poker world buzzing:
April 27th
Super Satellite to EPT Grand Final Main Event: €550 buy-in
April 28th through May 3rd
EPT Grand Final Main Event: €10,600 buy-in
April 28th
Super Satellite to EPT Grand Final Main Event Day 1B: €550 buy-in
April 28th and 29th
Super Satellite to High Roller Super Satellite: €600 buy-in
April 29th
Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys: €550 buy-in
April 30th through May 1st
No Limit Hold’em: €5,250 buy-in
April 30th
Super Satellite to High Roller: €2,700 buy-in
May 1st through May 3rd
European High Roller Championship: €25,500 buy-in
May 1st through May 2nd
No Limit Hold’em: €2,150 buy-in
May 2nd
Super Satellite to any PokerStars Tour Event with Rebuys: €550 buy-in
May 2nd through May 3rd
No Limit Hold’em: €1,100 buy-in
May 2nd through May 3rd
European Pot Limit Omaha Championship: €5,250 buy-in
May 3rd
No Limit Hold’em: €550 buy-in
Battleship tournaments will run daily. These popular tournaments were headlined by former tennis star Boris Becker during the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure last month. Battleship tournaments feature two combatants facing each other at a table playing via computers in a unique combination of live and online poker. Battleship tournaments in Monte Carlo will boast a €100 buy-in. In addition, €200 buy-in sit and go tournaments will also occur constantly.
In addition, a Poker Camp will be held during the Monte Carlo Grand Final featuring members of Team PokerStars Pro. The Camp will review “slow structure and deep stack tournament play,” according to a press release distributed by the world’s most popular online poker site. The EPT Poker Camp is a unique opportunity to learn from the pros, similar to the World Poker Tour Boot Camp or World Series of Poker Academy.
PokerStars is fresh off dealing its 25 billionth hand. The milestone hand featured a software glitch that involved one of the two winning players at the Omaha High-Low table folding his cards pre-flop without actually doing so. In the end, each player took home $50,000 in cash plus buy-ins to five of the world’s top poker tournaments, including the EPT Grand Final. PokerStars also recently announced that the 22 event Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), boasting a three-tiered tournament structure, will debut on April 2nd.