The History of the Lreal casino slotsast Ten Years of the European Poker Tour

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Table Of Contents

• Season 11
• Season 12
• Season 13
• PokerStars Championship
• Season 14
• Season 15
• Season 16 & 17
• Season 18
• Season 19
• Season 20

The European Poker Tour (EPT) has long been a proving ground for poker's elite, where strategy, skill, and a bit of luck collide to crown champions on the grandest stages.

As the tour progressed from Season 11, it witnessed the emergence of new talents and unforgettable moments. Each season brought its own set of heroes and stories, shaping the legacy of the EPT and solidifying its place as one of the most prestigious circuits in the world of professional poker.

This article continues our dive into the history of the EPT, following up on part one, which explored the first ten years of its inception and the champions who defined that era.

Season 11

The 11th season of the EPT marked a historic moment for Spain as Adrian Mateos became the first Spaniard to win an EPT Main Event. Mateos's victory at the 2015 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo occurred just two years after his win at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event at the age of 19.

This season also introduced Malta as a new stop, with Jean Montury claiming victory, and saw the final EPT event held in Deauville, France.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Aug-14	EPT Barcelona	1,496	Andre Lettau	Germany	€794,058
Oct-14	EPT London	675	Sebastian Pauli	Germany	£499,700
Dec-14	EPT Prague	1,107	Stephen Graner	United States	€969,000
Jan-14	PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)	816	Kevin Schulz	United States	$1,491,580
Jan-15	EPT Deauville	592	Ognyan Dimov	Bulgaria	€543,700
Mar-15	EPT Malta	895	Jean Montury	France	€687,400
May-15	EPT Grand Final, Monte Carlo	564	Adrian Mateos	Spain	€1,082,000

Season 12

Season 12 of the EPT saw the tour return to Dublin for the first time since Season 5, where young Polish star Dzmitry Urbanovich claimed victory.

This season was also notable for John Juanda, becoming the second WSOP Europe Main Event champion to bank an EPT title. Meanwhile, future WSOP Main Event winner Hossein Ensan captured the title in Prague.

Triple crown winners Mike Watson and Niall Farrell also hoisted trophies above their heads, winning the PCA and EPT Malta, respectively.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Aug-15	EPT Barcelona	1,694	John Juanda	Indonesia	€1,022,593
Oct-15	EPT Malta	651	Niall Farrell	United Kingdom	€534,330
Dec-15	EPT Prague	1,044	Hossein Ensan	Germany	€754,510
Jan-16	PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)	928	Mike Watson	Canada	$728,325
Feb-16	EPT Dublin	605	Dzmitry Urbanovich	Poland	€561,900
May-16	EPT Grand Final, Monte Carlo	1,098	Jan Bendik	Slovakia	€961,800

Season 13

In 2016, only three EPT festivals were held, but they were packed with drama and excitement. The highlight of the season was Sebastian Malec’s victory at EPT Barcelona, where he became the second Polish player to win an EPT Main Event.

Aliaksei Boika and Jasper Meijer van Putten also found success in Season 13 but paled in comparison to Malec's seven-figure windfall.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Aug-16	EPT Barcelona	1,785	Sebastian Malec	Poland	€1,122,800
Oct-16	EPT Malta	468	Aliaksei Boika	Belarus	€355,700
Dec-16	EPT Prague	1,192	Jasper Meijer van Putten	Netherlands	€699,300

Complete Guide to EPT Barcelona 2024 - Everything You Need to KnowRead more

PokerStars Championship

In 2017, PokerStars announced it was to overhaul its live tournament schedule. As a result, the EPT was rebranded as the PokerStars Championship.

There were seven PokerStars Championship festivals:

• Bahamas
• Panama
• Macau
• Monte Carlo
• Sochi
• Barcelona
• Prague

The PokerStars Championship was discontinued after one season, with the EPT brand returning once more.

Season 14

The EPT returned in 2018, focusing on Europe, including a new stop in Sochi, Russia. Arsenii Karmatckii emerged victorious in Sochi, becoming only the fourth Russian to win an EPT title. The season also saw the tour’s regular stops in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Prague.

Maria Lampropulos kicked off the season by taking down the PCA Main Event for $1,081,100. She became the first woman to win the tournament. She was the EPT's only fourth female Main Event champion, following on from Liv Boeree, Victoria Coren-Mitchell and Sandra Naujoks.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Jan-18	PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)	582	Maria Lampropulos	Argentina	$1,081,100
Mar-18	EPT Sochi	861	Arsenii Karmatckii	Russia	₽27,300,000
May-18	EPT Monte Carlo	777	Nicolas Dumont	France	€712,000
Sep-18	EPT Barcelona	1,931	Piotr Nurzynski	Poland	€1,037,109
Dec-18	EPT Prague	1,174	Paul Michaelis	Germany	€840,000

Season 15

2019 was notable for being the first time the EPT held the same five stops as the previous year, which led to record-breaking attendance, particularly at EPT Barcelona. Simon Brandstrom of Sweden won the biggest prize of the year at EPT Barcelona, while Mikalai Pobal made history by becoming the second two-time EPT champion with his win in Prague.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Jan-19	PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)	865	Chino Rheem	United States	$1,567,100
Mar-19	EPT Sochi	563	Uri Gilboa	Israel	₽27,475,000
May-19	EPT Monte Carlo	922	Manig Loeser	Germany	€603,777
Sep-19	EPT Barcelona	1,988	Simon Brandstrom	Sweden	€1,290,166
Dec-19	EPT Prague	1,154	Mikalai Pobal	Belarus	€1,005,600

Season 16 & 17

The coronavirus pandemic drastically impacted the EPT schedule. In 2020, only one live event took place in Sochi, Russia, where Ruslan Bogdanov emerged victorious. The following year saw just one event as well, with Artur Martirosian winning the EPT Sochi Main Event.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Oct-20	EPT Sochi	637	Ruslan Bogdanov	Russia	₽15,984,500
Mar-21	EPT Sochi	852	Artur Martirosian	Russia	₽24,633,000

Additionally, there were 20 tournaments held online at PokerStars as part of the inaugural EPT Online. Sweden's "WhatIfGod" won the $5,200 EPT Online Main Event for $1,019,082 after defeating Timothy Adams heads-up.

Season 18

Following the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the EPT returned to normality, with five stops throughout 2022. Two stops were in Prague, Czech Republic, and the tour returned to London, England, for the first time in eight years. The EPT also visited regular destinations, such as Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

The EPT returned with a bang, with several events breaking attendance and prize pool records throughout the year. The 2022 EPT Barcelona Main Event became the biggest of all time, with 2,294 entries recorded. Italy's Guiliano Bendinelli was the victor in that tournament and pocketed the €1,491,133 allocated for first place.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Mar-22	EPT Prague	1,190	Grzegorz Glowny	Poland	€692,252
May-22	EPT Monte Carlo	1,073	Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu	Brazil	€939,840
Aug-22	EPT Barcelona	2,294	Giuliano Bendinelli	Italy	€1,491,133
Oct-22	EPT London	749	Ian Hamilton	United Kingdom	€664,400
Dec-22	EPT Prague	1,267	Jordan Saccucci	Canada	€913,250

Season 19

Two new stops were announced as part of the 2023 EPT season. Paris became the 13th European capital to host a stop on the European Poker Tour, and popular poker destination Cyprus joined the action.

There were stories aplenty as PokerStars qualifier Razvan Belea dominated in Paris and Canada's Mike Watson became only the third two-time EPT champion in history with victory in Monte Carlo, seven years after previously taking down the 2016 PCA Main Event.

Another monster EPT Barcelona Main Event saw Simon Wiciak crowned champion, before PokerStars 'Dare to Stream' winner Gilles Simon became the inaugural winner of EPT Cyprus. The year was rounded out in stunning style with a memorable comeback for popular Irish player Padraig O'Neill, who overcame Jon Kyte heads-up after the Norwegian had held a near unassailable chip lead.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Feb-23	EPT Paris	1,606	Razvan Belea	Romania	€1,170,000
May-23	EPT Monte Carlo	1,098	Mike Watson	Canada	€749,425
Aug-23	EPT Barcelona	2,120	Simon Wiciak	Poland	€1,134,375
Oct-23	EPT Cyprus	1,320	Gilles Simon	Netherlands	$1,042,000
Dec-23	EPT Prague	1,285	Padraig O'Neill	Ireland	€1,030,000

Season 20

The 20th season of the EPT followed a familiar path, revisiting the same five stops as the previous year. EPT Paris kicked off the season with a historic turnout, shattering its attendance record. The spotlight shone on poker legend Barny Boatman, who triumphed to claim his first EPT Main Event title. Overcome with emotion, Boatman fought back tears as confetti cannons erupted to celebrate his victory.

Next up was EPT Monte Carlo, where yet another Main Event attendance record was broken. Derk van Luijk emerged victorious from a field of 1,208 players, becoming the second EPT champion of 2024.

The spotlight now shifts to EPT Barcelona, where we await the next player to etch their name into poker history. The season will culminate with stops in Cyprus and Prague, rounding out the EPT's 20-year history.

Date	Event	Entrants	Main Event Winner	Country	Prize
Feb-24	EPT Paris	1,747	Barny Boatman	United Kingdom	€1,287,800
May-24	EPT Monte Carlo	1,208	Derk van Luijk	Netherlands	€1,000,000
Sep-24	EPT Barcelona	-	-	-	-
Oct-24	EPT Cyprus	-	-	-	-
Dec-24	EPT Prague	-	-	-	-