Historic EPT Prague May Not Run in 2025

EPT Prague, one of many flagship stops on the European Poker Tour (EPT), could also be underneath risk for its 2025 outing and never run for the primary time in over fifteen years.

PokerStars has not commented on the tour’s future in Prague concretely however through a put up on its weblog has alluded to the chance that an alternate location might have to be discovered. At present there isn’t any PokerStars presence on-line within the nation, and with out such, a PokerStars Dwell pageant is unlikely to run.

“Prague is an incredible dwell occasion, however PokerStars as a enterprise has exited the Czech Republic,” Cédric Billot, PokerStars Affiliate Director of Dwell Occasions, stated through weblog put up. “In order a lot as dwell poker is wonderful in Prague, we nonetheless must guarantee that wherever we go there’s a hyperlink with the net PokerStars aspect. Subsequently, as a lot as everybody loves Prague — I like Prague — we’re in fact generally taking a look at different nations.”

When PokerStars pulled out of Czech Republic’s on-line poker market in June final yr, the corporate acknowledged on the time it had no plans to “re-enter the Czech Republic market” as a way to come in step with new regulatory stipulations. At the moment, the 2024 EPT Prague cease was already scheduled.

For 2025, Prague shouldn’t be at present listed on the EPT schedule; nonetheless, there are solely two stops slated for 2025 to date. EPT Paris was anticipated to start out the season in February however was cancelled as a result of regulatory challenges in France. EPT Cyprus can also be absent from the 2025 schedule. That leaves simply EPT Monte Carlo in April and EPT Barcelona in August on the calendar at this level.

“It’s very troublesome for the EPT to search out wonderful locations which tick all of the containers, or as many containers as we wish,” Billot went on to say within the weblog put up. “Venue location. Accessibility. Availability. Measurement of the venue. Regulation goes with out saying. Regulation of dwell poker, regulation of on-line poker. So many containers to tick for us, which makes the record of potential cities and venues shrink.”

With out the help of on-line poker within the Czech Republic it’s onerous to see EPT Prague operating for one more yr.

Since 2007, PokerStars has run an EPT cease in Prague, which has grow to be a player-favorite on the poker dwell tour calendar. It has grow to be one among three festivals that compete in opposition to one another within the December calendar slot, holding its personal in opposition to WSOP Paradise and the WPT World Championships.

Whereas EPT Prague doesn’t obtain prize swimming pools the dimensions of WSOP and WPT, EPT Prague is a must-play occasion for European poker gamers and lovers of the model. It has damaged its personal document for turnout and prize swimming pools the previous two years, with the 2024 version one other resounding success.

With all this success, sunsetting EPT Prague would come as an enormous blow to PokerStars and followers of the cease.

PokerStars Dwell Occasions Scheduled for 2025

PokerStars can also be bolstering its dwell schedule with the creation of the PokerStars Open, a brand new umbrella model of regional dwell stops in Europe. The PokerStars Open has absorbed regional excursions such because the Eureka Poker Tour in Central and Jap Europe, the France Poker Collection (FPS), the UK & Eire Poker Tour (UKIPT), and Estrellas in Spain.

Six regional ‘Open’ stops will happen this yr all through Europe. Notably, a PokerStars Open Cannes occasion will run December 8 to 14 in France — a time slot which is often devoted to EPT Prague. Though PokerStars has stated the Cannes cease shouldn’t be ‘changing’ Prague, it’s onerous to think about they may run two dwell occasions so shut collectively or certainly overlapping.

No data has but been launched for the Latin America Poker Tour (LAPT) or the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) that each make up a big chunk of the dwell schedule past European borders. This might imply that the excursions won’t run for 2025 as data is often already launched by this time, with some occasions already underway.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian Collection of Poker (BSOP) is larger than ever with six stops scheduled all through Brazil for 2025.