There was an explosion in popularity of Texas hold ‘em following the victory of Chris Moneymaker in the Main Event of the 2003 World Series of Poker. Moneymaker lived up to his name, turning a PokerStars $39 buy-in satellite tournament into a $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event. He ended up taking home more than $2.5 million for winning the tournament. His success fueled an explosion in growth in online poker, as well as a huge upsurge in ratings for televised poker events.
PokerStars capitalized on this upsurge in ratings by creating the European Poker Tour. It is a series of Texas hold ‘em televised tournaments held throughout the European continent. The buy-in for events at the European Poker Tour is €8,000, which is roughly equivalent to $10,000.
The final table of each European Poker Tour event is shown on television across Europe, and there is a live webcast that is shown for the duration of the tournament. The show has had a number of hosts, including John Duthrie, Colin Murray, Caroline Flack, Natalie Pinkham, Kara Scott and current host, Michelle Orpe. These hosts are often joined by famous poker players providing color commentary, including Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer and Victoria Coren.
One of the most infamous moments in European Poker Tour history occurred on March 6, 2010. Four masked men burst into an event in Berlin, armed with hand guns and knives. The robbers fled with €242.000. Part of the robbery was broadcast live on the webcast. The robbers were eventually caught and sentenced to three years in prison.
The finale of the European Poker Tour is held every year at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco. It is a four day event that usually attracts around 200 players. The buy-in is €10,000, which is more than $13,000. The winner of the latest finale took home more than €600,000 or more than $800,000. The most lucrative ever event on the tour was the European Poker Tour finale held in 2004. Glen Chorny, a Canadian, took home more than $3,000,000 with his first place finish.
Although most of the European Poker Tour events are held in Europe, there is one major exception. There is an annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure that is part of the tour. It is annually one of the most lucrative events on the tour’s calendar, and for the last three years the winner has taken home at least $2 million. It is held at the beautiful Atlantis Casino and Resort on Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, which makes it a huge draw for players all over the world. As well as the main event that has a $10,300 buy-in, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure holds more than 50 events over the course of ten days.
Latest European Poker Tour News
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