🃏 European Poker Tour (EPT): A Complete Overview of Europe’s Premier Poker Series
Introduction
The European Poker Tour (EPT) stands as one of the most prestigious and internationally acclaimed poker tournament circuits in the world. Since its debut in 2004, it has become the leading poker tour in Europe, offering massive prize pools, iconic venues, and an elite competitive atmosphere.
Backed by PokerStars, the EPT continues to attract top professionals and ambitious amateurs alike, cementing its status as a must-play destination on the global poker calendar.
Origins and Evolution
Founding the EPT Legacy
The EPT was created in 2004 by John Duthie, a British television director and winner of the first Poker Million tournament. Inspired by the success of the World Poker Tour (WPT) in the United States, Duthie set out to build a European equivalent. The first season featured seven No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, broadcast across the continent, instantly elevating the profile of European poker.
Expansion and Global Growth
As the years passed, the EPT grew into a continent-wide series, with stops in over 20 iconic cities, including:
🏰 Monte Carlo
🎡 London
🌊 Barcelona
❄️ Prague
🏙️ Berlin
Each season attracted bigger fields, deeper prize pools, and new records. A landmark moment came in 2014 when Adrián Mateos became the first Spaniard to win an EPT Main Event at the Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
Major Milestones
Rebranding and Return to the Roots
In 2017, PokerStars temporarily replaced the EPT with a new global format under the PokerStars Championship and Festival branding. However, after feedback from players and fans, the original EPT name and format returned in 2018, restoring the tour’s identity and prestige.
Legendary Champions and Record Moments
Victoria Coren-Mitchell: Breaking Boundaries
A true highlight of EPT history is Victoria Coren-Mitchell, the first player to win two EPT Main Events:
🏆 EPT London (2006)
🏆 EPT Sanremo (2014)
Her wins marked a historic achievement in both poker and gender representation in high-stakes competition.
Record-Breaking Victories
Pedro Marques (2024) – Took home €963,450 at EPT Prague, setting a record for that event
Pieter de Korver (2009) – Won €2,300,000 at the Grand Final, the biggest Main Event prize in EPT history
Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (2008) – Scored $2,000,000 at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, during its time as an EPT event
🏆 EPT Main Event Winners (2004 – Present)
The EPT has crowned hundreds of champions since 2004. For a full season-by-season breakdown of Main Event winners and prize pools:
Season 1 (2004-2005):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Alexander Stevic (Sweden)
€80,000
EPT London
John Shipley (UK)
£200,000
EPT Dublin
Ram Vaswani (UK)
€93,000
EPT Copenhagen
Noah Boeken (Netherlands)
DKr1,098,340
EPT Deauville
Brandon Schaefer (USA)
€144,000
EPT Vienna
Pascal Perrault (France)
€184,500
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Rob Hollink (Netherlands)
€635,000
Season 2 (2005-2006):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Jan Boubli (France)
€426,000
EPT London
Mark Teltscher (UK)
£280,000
EPT Baden
Patrik Antonius (Finland)
€288,180
EPT Dublin
Mats Gavatin (Sweden)
€317,000
EPT Copenhagen
Mads Andersen (Denmark)
DKr2,548,040
EPT Deauville
Mats Iremark (Sweden)
€480,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Jeff Williams (USA)
€900,000
Season 3 (2006-2007):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Bjørn-Erik Glenne (Norway)
€691,000
EPT London
Victoria Coren (UK)
£500,000
EPT Baden
Duc Thang Nguyen (Norway)
€487,397
EPT Dublin
Roland De Wolfe (UK)
€554,300
EPT Copenhagen
Magnus Petersson (Sweden)
DKr4,078,080
EPT Dortmund
Andreas Høivold (Norway)
€672,000
EPT Warsaw
Peter Jepsen (Denmark)
zł1,226,711
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Gavin Griffin (USA)
€1,825,010
Season 4 (2007-2008):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Sander Lylloff (Denmark)
€1,170,700
EPT London
Joseph Mouawad (Lebanon)
£611,520
EPT Baden
Julian Thew (UK)
€670,800
EPT Dublin
Reuben Peters (USA)
€532,620
EPT Prague
Arnaud Mattern (France)
€708,400
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Bertrand Grospellier (France)
$2,000,000
EPT Dortmund
Mike McDonald (Canada)
€933,600
EPT Copenhagen
Tim Vance (USA)
DKr6,220,488
EPT Warsaw
Michael Schulze (Germany)
zł2,153,999
EPT Sanremo
Jason Mercier (USA)
€869,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Glen Chorny (Canada)
€2,020,000
Season 5 (2008-2009):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Sebastian Ruthenberg (Germany)
€1,361,000
EPT London
Michael Martin (USA)
£1,000,000
EPT Budapest
Will Fry (UK)
€595,840
EPT Warsaw
João Barbosa (Portugal)
€367,140
EPT Prague
Salvatore Bonavena (Italy)
€774,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Poorya Nazari (Canada)
$3,000,000
EPT Deauville
Moritz Kranich (Germany)
€851,400
EPT Copenhagen
Jens Kyllönen (Finland)
DKr6,542,208
EPT Dortmund
Sandra Naujoks (Germany)
€917,000
EPT Sanremo
Constant Rijkenberg (Netherlands)
€1,508,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Pieter de Korver (Netherlands)
€2,300,000
Season 6 (2009-2010):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Kyiv
Maxim Lykov (Russia)
€330,000
EPT Barcelona
Carter Phillips (USA)
€850,000
EPT London
Aaron Gustavson (USA)
£850,000
EPT Warsaw
Christophe Benzimra (France)
zł1,493,170
EPT Vilamoura
António Matias (Portugal)
€404,793
EPT Prague
Jan Skampa (Czech Republic)
€682,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Harrison Gimbel (USA)
$2,200,000
EPT Deauville
Jake Cody (UK)
€847,000
EPT Copenhagen
Anton Wigg (Sweden)
DKr3,675,000
EPT Berlin
Kevin MacPhee (USA)
€1,000,000
EPT Sanremo
Liv Boeree (UK)
€1,250,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Nicolas Chouity (Lebanon)
€1,700,000
Season 7 (2010-2011):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Tallinn
Kevin Stani (Norway)
€400,000
EPT Vilamoura
Toby Lewis (UK)
€467,836
EPT London
David Vamplew (UK)
£900,000
EPT Vienna
Michael Eiler (Germany)
€700,000
EPT Barcelona
Kent Lundmark (Sweden)
€825,000
EPT Prague
Roberto Romanello (Wales)
€640,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Galen Hall (USA)
$2,300,000
EPT Deauville
Lucien Cohen (France)
€880,000
EPT Copenhagen
Michael Tureniec (Sweden)
DKr3,700,000
EPT Berlin
Ben Wilinofsky (Canada)
€825,000
EPT Sanremo
Rupert Elder (UK)
€930,000
EPT Grand Final (Madrid)
Ivan Freitez (Venezuela)
€1,500,000
Season 8 (2011-2012):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Tallinn
Ronny Kaiser (Switzerland)
€275,000
EPT Barcelona
Martin Schleich (Germany)
€850,000
EPT London
Benny Spindler (Germany)
£750,000
EPT Sanremo
Andrey Pateychuk (Russia)
€680,000
EPT Prague
Martin Finger (Germany)
€720,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
John Dibella (USA)
$1,775,000
EPT Deauville
Vadzim Kursevich (Belarus)
€875,000
EPT Copenhagen
Mickey Petersen (Denmark)
DKr2,515,000
EPT Madrid
Frederik Jensen (Denmark)
€495,000
EPT Campione
Jannick Wrang (Denmark)
€640,000
EPT Berlin
Davidi Kitai (Belgium)
€712,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Mohsin Charania (USA)
€1,350,000
Season 9 (2012-2013):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Mikalai Pobal (Belarus)
€1,007,550
EPT Sanremo
Ludovic Lacay (France)
€744,910
EPT Prague
Ramzi Jelassi (Sweden)
€835,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Dimitar Danchev (Bulgaria)
$1,859,000
EPT Deauville
Remi Castaignon (France)
€770,000
EPT London
Ruben Visser (Netherlands)
£595,000
EPT Berlin
Daniel Pidun (Germany)
€880,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Steve O’Dwyer (USA)
€1,224,000
Season 10 (2013-2014):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Tom Middleton (UK)
€942,000
EPT London
Robin Ylitalo (Sweden)
£560,980
EPT Prague
Julian Track (Germany)
€725,700
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Dominik Panka (Poland)
$1,423,096
EPT Deauville
Sotirios Koutoupas (Greece)
€614,000
EPT Vienna
Oleksii Khoroshenin (Ukraine)
€578,392
EPT Sanremo
Antonio Buonanno (Italy)
€1,240,000
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Antonio Buonanno (Italy)
€1,240,000
Season 11 (2014-2015):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
Andre Lettau (Germany)
€794,058
EPT London
Sebastian Pauli (Germany)
£499,700
EPT Prague
Stephen Graner (USA)
€969,000
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Kevin Schulz (USA)
$1,491,580
EPT Deauville
Ognyan Dimov (Bulgaria)
€543,700
EPT Malta
Jean Montury (France)
€687,400
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Adrian Mateos (Spain)
€1,082,000
Season 12 (2015-2016):
Event and Location
Winner (Country)
Prize (€)
EPT Barcelona
John Juanda (Indonesia)
€1,022,593
EPT Malta
Niall Farrell (Scotland)
€534,330
EPT Prague
Hossein Ensan (Germany)
€754,510
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Mike Watson (Canada)
$728,325
EPT Dublin
Dzmitry Urbanovich (Poland)
€561,900
EPT Grand Final (Monte Carlo)
Jan Bendik (Slovakia)
€961,800
Season 13 (2016-2017):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
EPT Barcelona
Sebastian Malec (Poland)
€1,122,800
EPT Malta
Aliaksei Boika (Belarus)
€355,700
EPT Prague
Jasper Meijer van Putten (Netherlands)
€699,300
PokerStars Championship (2017): A Brief Intermission in EPT History
In 2017, PokerStars introduced a global rebranding of its major live poker events, replacing the European Poker Tour (EPT) with the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival series. The aim was to unify the brand’s live offerings under a single international umbrella.
However, the rebranding received mixed reactions from the poker community. Many players missed the identity, history, and prestige associated with the EPT. As a result, PokerStars reinstated the EPT brand in 2018, following just one full season under the new format.
Despite its short lifespan, the PokerStars Championship series featured several high-profile Main Events around the world, each offering six-figure prize pools and elite competition.
Notable Main Event Winners (2017):
Event Location
Winner
Prize
PSC Bahamas
Christian Harder (USA)
$429,664
PSC Panama
Kenneth Smaron (USA)
$293,860
PSC Macau
Elliot Smith (Canada)
HKD 2,877,500
PSC Monte Carlo
Raffaele Sorrentino (Italy)
€466,714
PSC Sochi
Pavel Shirshikov (Russia)
₽29,100,000
PSC Barcelona
Sebastian Sorensson (Sweden)
€987,043
PSC Prague
Kalidou Sow (France)
€675,000
Although 2017 was a deviation from the traditional EPT brand, the year still delivered world-class poker action and helped solidify the global reach of PokerStars live events.
Season 14 (2018):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (Bahamas)
Maria Lampropulos (Argentina)
$1,081,100
EPT Sochi
Arsenii Karmatckii (Russia)
RUB 27,300,000
EPT Monte Carlo
Nicolas Dumont (France)
€712,000
EPT Barcelona
Piotr Nurzynski (Poland)
€1,037,109
EPT Prague
Paul Michaelis (Germany)
€840,000
Season 15 (2019):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (Bahamas)
David Rheem (USA)
$1,567,100
EPT Sochi
Uri Gilboa (Israel)
₽27,475,000
EPT Monte Carlo
Manig Loeser (Germany)
€603,777
EPT Barcelona
Simon Brandstrom (Sweden)
€1,290,166
EPT Prague
Mikalai Pobal (Belarus)
€1,005,600
Season 16 (2020-2021):
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the EPT schedule, leading to event postponements and cancellations. Notable events during this period included:
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
EPT Sochi (October 2020)
Ruslan Bogdanov (Russia)
₽15,984,500
EPT Online
“WhatIfGod” (Sweden)
$1,019,082
EPT Sochi (March 2021)
Artur Martirosian (Russia)
₽24,633,000
Season 17 (2022):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
EPT Prague
Grzegorz Główny (Poland)
€692,252
EPT Monte Carlo
Marcelo Simões (Brazil)
€939,840
EPT Barcelona
Giuliano Bendinelli (Italy)
€1,491,133
EPT London
Ian Hamilton (UK)
£664,400
EPT Prague
Jordan Saccucci (Canada)
€913,250
Season 18 (2023):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
EPT Paris
Razvan Belea (Romania)
€1,170,000
EPT Monte Carlo
Mike Watson (Canada)
€749,425
EPT Barcelona
Simon Wiciak (France)
€1,134,375
EPT Cyprus
Volodymyr Palamar (Ukraine)
$1,002,500
EPT Prague
Jordan Saccucci (Canada)
€913,250
Season 19 (2024):
Event and Location
Winner
Prize
EPT Paris
Barny Boatman (UK)
€1,287,800
EPT Monte Carlo
Derk Van Luijk (Netherlands)
€1,000,000
EPT Barcelona
Stephen Song (USA)
€1,290,386
EPT Cyprus
Oliver Weis (Germany)
$1,030,000
EPT Prague
Pedro Marques (Portugal)
€963,450
EPT Copenhagen – A Memorable Chapter
While Copenhagen is no longer on the active EPT circuit, it once played a pivotal role. The Danish capital hosted tournaments through Season 8 (2012) and was renowned for its competitive fields and enthusiastic poker community.
Following 2012, Copenhagen was dropped from the schedule due to evolving logistics, interest levels, and tour restructuring — a common trend in the world of live tournament series.
Conclusion
With two decades of excellence, the European Poker Tour remains a defining force in global poker. From glamorous venues and groundbreaking wins to legendary players and unforgettable moments, the EPT continues to evolve — but its prestige endures.
As PokerStars pushes the EPT into a new era of innovation and accessibility, the tour’s legacy grows stronger with every hand dealt.
