European Poker Tour - Monte Carlo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press/Analyst contact
Conrad Brunner, Marketing Manager,
PokerStars 0870 351 8710
conrad@pokerstars.com
EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final: Europe's Biggest Ever Prize Pool
February 7, 2005 - The European Poker Tour (EPT) will bring the curtain down on its successful first season next month with its biggest event so far, the EPT Grand Final no-limit poker tournament in Monte Carlo, 15-19th March 2005.
The EPT Grand Final, which will take place at the prestigious Casino Monte Carlo, is expected to set a new record as the largest poker tournament ever held in Europe.
"It's going to be huge," says EPT founder John Duthie. "We already have a record number of online qualifiers for Monte Carlo through PokerStars.com, and all the top professionals will be there to grab a slice of the biggest prize pool Europe has ever seen."
The Grand Final is open to any player able to qualify online or pay the €10,000 buy-in for the four day tournament. As well as star players from Europe and North America, the field in Monte Carlo will be boosted by the presence of all the EPT champions from Barcelona, London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Deauville and Vienna.
The EPT is broadcast on Eurosport, reaching over 85 million homes across the continent.
"We're getting a snowball effect," says Conrad Brunner, marketing manager for EPT sponsors PokerStars. "The Eurosport coverage, plus word of mouth among the poker community, means that the number of online qualifiers for EPT tournaments has increased dramatically in recent weeks. And Monte Carlo has consistently been our most popular event - everybody wants to be there for The Big One."
"In terms of numbers and prize pool, the EPT Grand Final looks set to be the number one event of its kind outside of the USA."
Even before the Grand Final, the EPT has managed to attract large fields across Europe, generating overall prize money of over €2.3m. The Copenhagen EPT event, for example, sold out three weeks in advance with nearly 50 players winning their seats online.
The biggest winner so far was London EPT champion John Shipley, who won €300,000 plus a €10,000 seat in the Grand Final.
As well as the main event, the five day festival will feature plenty of side action, including several multi-table and single table tournaments. Thomas Kremser of the International Poker Federation (IPF) will be the tournament director for the EPT Grand Final.
Players wishing to enter the Monte Carlo EPT Grand Final can either qualify online via PokerStars.com - including the $16,500 all expenses paid winners package, including accommodation at the four star Hotel Hermitage, Monte Carlo - or they can buy in for €10,000 direct through the PokerStars site: www.pokerstars.com.
BOILERPLATE
The Monte Carlo EPT Grand Final will take place at the Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco, 15-19 March 2005. This tournament is open to all players, who can either buy-in direct or qualify via a PokerStars satellite competition. As well as the €10,000 buy-in EPT Grand Final, the five day festival will feature constantly running multi-table and single table tournaments. The tournament will be filmed for future broadcast on Eurosport and the UK's Channel Five. Players can qualify online via www.pokerstars.com, with cash satellites starting from as little as $3. Check out http://www.europeanpokertour.com for full details.
