João Barbosa wins EPT Warsaw - posted 19.11.08

Portugal's João Barbosa celebrated his 26th birthday by winning the Warsaw champion title and €367,140 first prize.

Barbosa – the first EPT winner from Portugal - was playing against a tough field in Warsaw including ten former EPT champions. The final table started with Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri and Arnaud Mattern still in the running.

Minieri, from Rome, had been hoping to better his EPT3 Baden and EPT4 San Remo finishes but was beaten into third place again. EPT Prague winner Arnaud Mattern had been gunning to become the first player to win two EPT titles - but his hopes were dashed when Barbosa knocked him out in fifth place.

Barbosa, a former computer engineering student, won after a three-hour heads-up battle against the 23-year-old German Nico Behling.

A total of 217 players from 29 countries entered the 21,000 PLN event, including 48 who won their seats online with PokerStars. The tournament was held at Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency hotel. For more details, see EPT Warsaw page, press release, results, final table player profiles, the PokerStars blog, video blogs and image gallery.

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Deauville is back! - posted 17.11.08

EPT Deauville, one of the most spectacular stops on the European Poker Tour, is back in January with a €5,300 buy-in and 700 player cap.

Dates have now been confirmed for the popular event which is now set to take place January 20-24, 2009. Satellites are running now on PokerStars giving you the chance to win a prize package worth nearly $10,000 from as little as $2.22 or 111 FPP.

In Season 2, over 400 players competed at the glamorous seafront Casino Barrière with Sweden’s Mats Iremark taking the Deauville champion title and a €480,000 first prize.

But it was the Season 1 tournament which put Deauville on the poker map - the setting for one of the most enthralling final tables ever seen. Best friends Carl Olsen and Brandon Schaefer, both students from Seattle, came to France together. Carl had won his seat on PokerStars and persuaded Brandon to take a shot at qualifying as well. Brandon used his FPPs to enter the very last PokerStars satellite, and won it.

As luck – and skilful play would have it – the two ended up heads-up on the final table and their mano-a-mano duel made history. Brandon ended up winning the event to take the €144,000 first prize– quite a sum back in 2005. He then cemented his reputation as a world-class player by taking second place – for an additional €350,000 - in the EPT Grand Final, held less than a week later in Monte Carlo.

This season, EPT Deauville promises to be even bigger and better than ever before. For many players new to the EPT circuit, it will be their first visit to the this beautiful French resort. For old hands, the return to Deauville will be a highlight of the Season 5 tour. See the Deauville page to find out more about the event.

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Over 400 players already qualified for PCA - posted 10.11.08

More than 400 PokerStars players have already won their way to the Bahamas in January for the sixth PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. This year's event promises to be even bigger and better than ever before with, for the first time, a $25,000 No-Limit High Roller Tournament. There will also be a $1,000 super-satellite event, $1,000, $2,000 and $5,000 side events and a wide range of Sit and Go tournaments providing exciting poker action throughout the week.

Also for the first time ever, PokerStars players are being given their chance to buy their way to paradise direct from their PokerStars account. A range of buy-in options are now available direct from the PokerStars tournament lobby.

However, the best way to get yourself out to the Bahamas this January is to qualify via one of PokerStars' numerous online satellites giving you the chance to win a seat at the biggest live poker tournament outside the USA for less than $3!

The full PokerStars 2009 PCA prize package is worth $14,300 and gives you everything you need to enjoy your stay at the luxurious Atlantis Resort and Casino - main event buy-in, hotel accommodation, food privileges and money for expenses! There are a range of cash and FPP satellites available, and Steps qualifiers start from just $7.50 or 500 FPP credits. This means you could be flying off to the tropical paradise of the Bahamas for just a few dollars.

Last year, Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier won the prestigious PCA Champion title and first place prize money of $2,000,000, beating a field of 1,136 that boasted the cream of the world’s best players. Qualify with PokerStars satellites and you could be the next big winner! See the PCA page. to find out more about the event.

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Will Fry wins first EPT Budapest - posted 1.11.08

PokerStars player Will Fry, from Nottingham in the UK, has been crowned the first champion of PokerStars.com EPT Budapest. The 28-year-old poker pro won the €595,839 first prize after defeating 531 players in the €4,350 sell-out event.

Fry, who also wins a seat to the €10,000 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, was playing in his first major live event.

The PokerStars sponsored player Johnny Lodden, who has cashed at six EPT events but has never previously made a final table, missed out on his first EPT title when he was eliminated in eighth place for €53,200.

The inaugural EPT Budapest tournament follows the success of debut events in Prague last season and Warsaw the season before, and attracted players from all over the world including 71 Hungarians.

The EPT Hungarian Open took place from October 28 to November 1 at the Sofitel Hotel, Budapest. See also EPT Budapest, the PokerStars blog, results , finalists' profiles and EPT Budapest videos.

The next EPT is the 21,000 PLN EPT Warsaw event from November 15-19 at Casinos Poland at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

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