EPT returns to Dublin for PokerStars' biggest live festival in Ireland

The European Poker Tour (EPT) Dublin Festival, which starts on Tuesday, February 9, is set to be the biggest poker festival ever hosted in Ireland by PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand. The EPT is joining forces with the regional UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) for a 67-event festival over 12 days, which will be held at the Royal Dublin Society.

It is the EPT’s first visit to the Irish capital in more than eight years; the last EPT Dublin was held in Season 4 when American Reuben Peters took home a massive €532,620. The last time a PokerStars-sponsored went to Dublin was almost two years ago when Irish poker professional Kevin Killeen won €87,700 after beating 681 players in the €770 UKIPT Main Event.

Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars' Director of Live Events, said: “We’re thrilled to be heading back to Dublin and welcoming players from all over the world to the Irish capital. EPT Dublin is a great opportunity for players to experience high-quality tournament poker and PokerStars-run cash games in a fantastic location. With a large number of tournaments scheduled, this season’s festival is set to be the biggest live poker event ever hosted in Ireland and is set to attract a huge number of people, from recreational players right up to high-rollers.”

Festival highlights

EPT Dublin will feature a host of exciting formats and variants, with tournaments ranging from €100 Flipouts right up to the €25,000 EPT High Roller. More than 148 players have already won seats for the €5,300 EPT Main Event and 293 have qualified for the €1,100 UKIPT Main Event. Here are some of the festival highlights:

• February 10-14: € 1,100 UKIPT Dublin Main Event
• February 12-14: € 25,000 High Roller
• February 13-14: € 2,000 UKIPT High Roller
• February 14-20: € 5,300 EPT Dublin Main Event
• February 15: € 10,000 Single Day High Roller
• February 18-20: € 10,000 EPT High Roller

For full details for the EPT Dublin schedule, please see: http://www.europeanpokertour.com/.

New for EPT Dublin is a mixed chess and poker tournament – a format that’s already proved to be popular on the UKIPT after a successful debut at the Isle of Man stop. EPT-managed cash games will be running each day until 6.00am for the duration of the festival.

Team PokerStars Pros set to compete in Ireland include Liv Boeree, Jake Cody, Jason Mercier, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Lex Veldhuis, George Danzer, and Johnny Lodden, who will be seeking to break his own record for most EPT Main Event cashes. The Norwegian high-stakes pro has now made the money in an astonishing 22 events – including the last four in a row (Grand Final, Barcelona, Malta and Prague).

Off the felt, there will be some competitive action in the form of StarsFun – a new initiative that encourages participation in non-poker activities between fellow players and Team PokerStars Pros at PokerStars live events. Players have the opportunity to try out their athletic skills with a Trampoline Dodgeball tournament on February 11, with the winners able to celebrate at The Horse Show House – the venue for the Players Party on February 13.

Past champions

The last EPT Dublin winner was American player Reuben Peters, who beat Norway’s Annette Obrestad heads-up for a €532,620 first prize in Season 4. Other EPT Dublin champions include Roland de Wolfe (Season 3, €554,300), Mats Gavin (Season 2, €317,000), and Ram Vaswani (Season 1, €93,000).