The return of the European Poker Tour in 2023 is a cause for celebration in itself, but when five stops have been announced and they include a return to a classic EPT country as well as a new and exciting destination, plastic beer glasses are being thrown in the air at PokerStars headquarters. We’ve got all the details of what already looks like one of the must-play tours of 2023 for poker players of any level.
“Oui Oui, Paris!”
Players will be delighted to be heading back to Paris on the European Poker Tour (EPT) n 2023. In fact, not only will the EPT be heading to the French capital, but it is the opening stop on the five-stop tour. Kicking off on February 15th, the day after Valentine’s Day is when the PokerStars tour will be visiting Paris, with the festival running all the way to February 26th.
One player who is very excited to be heading to the French capital is Maria Ho, who commented ‘Oui, oui, Paris!’ when she found out the news. The EPT has been to France before, having visited Deauville on several occasions in the previous decade. In fact, the former Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody won his EPT leg of the fabled Triple Crown in the Northern French town.
Paris is sure to be an incredible stop full of local flavor and culture. We’re excited just to see what material Joe ‘Stapes’ Stapleton and James Hartigan come up with in the land of the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower. Where the venue will be has not been announced yet, and with several poker rooms having been closed in Paris over the last few years, including the iconic Aviation Club, that seems the only wrinkle to be ironed out.
Coming to Cyprus
The second new stop on the tour is Cyprus. Hugely popular with high rollers over the past couple of years, the forays of poker brands such as Triton have led to other brands such as partypoker and now PokerStars following them East. Not exclusive to high rollers, the island is nevertheless suited to exclusivity and will provide all the glamor and more.
While we don’t know the venue for the EPT Cyprus festival yet, we do know the dates, as it will be the fourth stop of five in 2023. Taking place between 11th and 22nd of October, the Cyprus leg of the EPT next year will be a highlight for many, coming as it does a few months after the last embers of summer have burned away and poker players desire a vacation to go with their pre-flop holdings.
The situation of the Cyprus leg is interesting too, coming some time after the first new stop in Paris. This will give the tour the chance to foresee any changes that might need to be made after a new stop. There are always tweaks to be made and placed just before the final stop, this gives the organizers a chance to get everyone in line for an exciting new destination on the EPT.
Three Tour Favorites Complete Schedule
While PokerStars are visiting Paris and Cyprus to drive into new areas of interest, the other three confirmed stops are all bankers. The EPT Monte Carlo venue is a classic and will attract its usual mix of high rollers and business leaders to take part in the action and pay $13 for a banana if they get peckish in the meantime. The EPT heads to the province between 26th April and 6th May.
The ‘summer stop’ taking place after the World Series of Poker visits Las Vegas on the 2023 EPT is in Barcelona. One of the most popular destinations the European Poker Tour has ever visited, Barcelona was the stop where the EPT was once renamed to the ‘PokerStars Championship’, before that name change was reversed. It’s also perhaps the most popular stop on the tour each year and the location where Jason Mercier shot to fame. Taking place between 21st August and 3rd September, it’s sure to be packed. This year, Giuliano Bendinelli won the 2022 EPT Barcelona Main Event for a cool $1.5 million.
Rounding out the year is EPT Prague, which takes place between 6th and 17th December, 2023. With its heady mix of great value restaurants, Christmas markets and picturesque locations dotted around one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, Prague will complete the 2023 European Poker Tour in spectacular style.
European Poker Tour 2023 Full Schedule:
EPT Paris 15-26 February
EPT Monte-Carlo 26 April-6 May
EPT Barcelona 21 August-3 September
EPT Cyprus 11-22 October
EPT Prague 6-17 December
