Fairways and Felts

EPT Vilamoura Golf

Play Golf and Poker for cash!

Poker players love to play golf, and now you can join PokerStarsfor an exclusive tournament that brings both sports together as one! The Fairways and Felts event takes place September 1-2 and is being held as part of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Vilamoura festival. It’s a brand new format where players buy-in or win a €1,100 golf/poker prize package (€770 + €70 for the poker, €260 for the golf) and battle it out over two days of action on the fairways and then at the poker tables.

Day 1 takes place September 1 and will see all players who enter split into teams and compete against each other on the golf course in a Texas Scramble team event. At the end of the day, each team’s combined points tally will decide their starting stack in the poker tournament on Day 2. The poker tournament will see players compete individually for their share of the prize pool, plus the bragging rights that come with being crowned the first-ever EPT Golf Poker Champions! See below for full details of how it works.

The golf side of the event takes place at the beautiful Pinhal Course in Vilamoura, owned and operated by the Oceanic Golf Company. The action then moves inside for the No Limit Hold’em poker tournament, played out at the luxurious Casino Vilamoura - the same venue where the EPT Main Event will be taking place. In addition to their buy-in to the golf event and poker tournament, all players that enter will also get free transport between the golf course and casino, a PokerStars goody bag, food, and an invitation to the prize ceremony hosted by Team PokerStars Pro and two-time World Series bracelet winner JP Kelly - a keen golfer himself.

It’s the perfect way to combine the thrill of big money poker at the felt with a day relaxing on the greens, and a chance to make your trip to Vilamoura one to remember.

To register for the Fairways and Felts event via the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Events’, ‘EPT’ & ‘Qualifiers’. You can also buy-in at the casino. Contact registrations@pokerstars.com to find out more.

How it Works

Golf Tournament

Players will be split randomly (using tournament poker software) into teams of four for the golf event. The tournament will be played as a Shotgun Scramble. Everyone starts at the same time on different holes. Every player on each team hits and the team picks which shot they like best. The other players pick up their balls and everyone hits their next shot from that spot, including putts. There are no individual scores - only one team score at the end of the hole.

Prizes:

Each team will be rewarded for their best overall score, but also for the following achievements:

Longest drive
- This will be scheduled on a long par 5 hole to be advised by the course director
- Players will mark their drive with a stake in the fairway
- To be counted, the drive must land squarely in the fairway and cannot be in the rough
Closest to the pin
- This will be scheduled on a par 3 hole to be advised by the course director
- Players will mark their shot with a stake on the green
- To be counted, the shot must land on the green
Longest putt
- This competition will be scheduled after golf on the practice green
- Players will be given one shot to sink a putt from 10 feet
- If they succeed, they will be allowed to attempt another putt from 15 feet back
- If they succeed, they continue moving back until they miss
- The winner will be the individual who sinks the longest putt
Hole in one
- This will be scheduled on a hole to be advised by the course director
- PokerStars will give an EPT London prize package in the unlikely event that a golfer holes their shot in one

The full package includes:

Breakfast buffet and staffing
Registration
Power carts for all golfers (2 to a cart)
Identification cards on carts based on foursome drawing
Starter (to ensure event begins promptly)
Marshals (to ensure rules are followed)
Lunch served at halfway hut on course - accessible by all within 30 minutes from any hole
Assistance calculating scores
Trophies for each member of the winning team
Post golf cold buffet and drinks
Transportation to and from hotel

Poker Tournament:

The poker tournament will be played as an EPT side event and will be held at the Solverde Casino (Casino Vilamoura). Entry to the poker tournament is restricted to the participants in the golf team event the previous day. See the EPT Side Events page for more on this structure.

Each individual player will start with 5,000 chips but will be awarded bonus chips according to their team’s score on the previous day:

No bonus for scoring more than 36 over par
5% (250 chips) bonus for scoring between 18-36 over par
10% (500 chips) bonus for scoring above par but below 18 over par
15% (750 chips) bonus for scoring below par

Additional starting chips to be awarded as follows:

+10% (500 chips) for each member of the team with the lowest score
+10% (500 chips) for the individual who attained each of:
- Longest drive
- Closest to the pin
- Longest putt made
+5% (250 chips) for each member of the team with the highest score

Cash prizes will be awarded according to the finishing position in the poker tournament. The EPT side event Payout Table will be used to determine the cash prizes.

Awards Dinner

Awards and prizes will be handed out in a special dinner buffet for players only, presented by Team PokerStars Pro JP Kelly. The following awards will be given out:

Best score overall (team)
Worst score overall (team)
Longest Drive
Closest to the pin
Longest putt
Hole in One (if applicable)