Roundup: Live Poker Tournaments in Europe and the UK
by Max Drayman
23 Nov 06
In our latest installment of our "Round-up" series, we take a look at Poker in Europe, specifically the biggest and most renowned live Poker tournaments in the UK and on the continent.
Euro Finals of Poker & the Grand Prix de Paris: The Aviation Club, Paris, France
Founded in 1907 by a group of test pilots and world-class aviators, The Aviation Club in Paris—en français, L'Aero-Club de France—celebrates the achievements of its creators with "a bold tradition of elegance and sophistication."
On special occasions they award the "Aviation Club Gold Medal" to the world's aeronautic pioneers and have maintained this highly respected tradition of excellence for almost 100 years. Situated on what has been called "the most beautiful avenue in the world" (that's the Champs Elysées), they also have an 80 year history of hosting the finest in top-shelf gambling tournaments, originally Baccarat and in latter years Blackjack and Poker. Without a doubt, it has to be one of the classiest gambling establishments in the world and it is open 24/7.
In recent years, the club has hosted the posh Euro Finals of Poker with the 10th EFOP running through Dec 4-20. Included in the fare are separate events, especially for seniors and ladies, as well as Omaha, Limit Hold'em and HORSE tournaments. The club also hosts the Grand Prix de Paris which is usually held in July and several other World Poker Tour events throughout the year.
Poker Million, Ladbrokes UK
With its five year history, USD$1M-plus first-place prize and a prize total in excess of USD$4M, Ladbroke's Poker Million is definitely one of the big ticket events in the European poker scene. 72 players, who qualify through poker.ladbrokes.com, are invited to London in June to face each other and earn a spot in the semifinals. In December, the final events are televised beginning with the semis on December 13th and 14th with the final on the 15th. In recent years, Ladbrokes has held a "Poker Million Live Final Party" for participants and lucky punters who get their hands on a ticket.
European Poker Tour, sponsored by PokerStars.com
Now in its third season, the European Poker Tour (EPT) is the top multi-country televised poker series in the world. On the EPT, players from across Europe compete in the richest and most prestigious poker circuit Europe has to offer through a series of televised satellite events held in major European cities starting in mid-September. The EPT Grand Final of EPT3 will be held in Monte Carlo, March 28-April 1, 2007. Prize pools for each of the six pre-final events average about €2M (USD$2.5M).
The Irish Open, sponsored by PaddyPowerPoker.com
If you're looking for poker with a pedigree, you'll be hard pressed to do better than the Irish Open. Now in its 26th year, it is proudly billed as the world's 2nd longest running tournament, after the WSOP, and rightly so. In fact the original founder, Terry Rogers, founded the Irish Open shortly after seeing the WSOP in action at Binion's in 1979. It's hard to measure these things, but Rogers once said, "I have been the greatest single factor in the worldwide spread of competitive poker."
Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe the Irish in him talking, but the Irish Open has paid its dues and is rapidly becoming the biggest single Poker tournament in Europe. With the prize pool at the Easter weekend 2007 Main Event guaranteed at €2M-plus (USD$2.5M), it's attracting a lot of attention from across Europe and around the world.
European Poker Masters, sponsored by PokerHeaven.com, FullTiltPoker.com and AbsolutePoker.com
Making its debut in 2006, the European Poker Masters series promises to be a welcome addition to the annual Euro-Poker scene. Playing at premiere venues in Dublin, London, Paris and Vienna, each event in the series offers prize pools in the USD$5M range. The Paris event played in October at the famous Aviation Club was won by a young French trainee pilot, Brice Cournut, who became the European Poker Masters Paris Hold’em Champion, picking up a check for €136,600 and the coveted EPM Paris Hold’em Trophy. The final EPM event of the year (November 17-19) will be played at The Sporting Emporium, Ireland's premier gaming and card room located in the heart of Dublin for a €400,000 prize pool: Adrian Walshe (Ireland) won the main event for €85,500 (USD$109,570).
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