On June 21, 2023, the new EAPT (EA Poker Tour) lands at King’s Resort, Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Although the EAPT has existed for ten years, it recently went through a complete rebranding and relocation, established new partnerships, and started an expansive European life—the new old one, as it is.
Many stories have happened over the past ten years. We decided to tell you the story of this time. Once, for example, the series runs in the north in winter. Due to the heavy snowfall, the electricity (and heating) was disrupted for… two days. Roads were blocked, and the temperature in the casino and hotel was getting lower. To get to the nearest city, you would need to ride bears for three days. Okay, no spoilers.
Let’s go!
Marvin Rettenmaier – The Very First Champion
The very first EAPT tournament run in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2013. Many famous players came to celebrate the launch. One of them, the winner of the European Poker Awards, ‘Player of the Year 2012’, Marvin Rettenmaier, won the very first EAPT gold with first place in the Main Event and $73,930.
Gratz!
The Champion Who Got $0
In 2020, the EAPT winner received $0 at the Deep Stack event. With five players left, Maxim Skovorodnik offered his competitors a deal: he gave his prize money to his opponents, and in return, they agreed that he would take the trophy. Maxim’s opponents accepted such a profitable deal!
Gratz! (Gratz?)
The Story of How the EAPT Girls Got In the Maxim Magazine
An extraordinary story happened a couple of years ago, and the EAPT employees found themselves on the pages of a top men’s magazine. And it happened like this.
Okay, actually, there’s no fascinating story behind it. But any story related to a men’s mainstream magazine and the poker industry simply must be presented.
The Most Exciting Final Table
The most exciting final table happened in Prague in 2017. J.C. Alvarado, Sergio Aido, Dzmitry Urbanovich, Viktor Kudinov, Ludovic Geilich, Patrick Leonard, and Andrey Novak met at the final table of the EAPT High Roller event. The Ukrainian player, Novak, won the event, replenishing his bankroll by €140,000.
Gratz!
The Story of When the Lights Went Out in the Middle of Nowhere
The geography of the EAPT stretches from sunny Caribbean islands to harsh Siberia. If the Caribbean tournaments had a relaxed atmosphere with cocktail parties, then it would be possible to film the third part of the wild film “The Hangover” in Siberia.
The most epic moment. Siberia. Winter. Minus 35. The EAPT series had been going on for a week, and snow had been falling for a week, slowly rising to the 3-meter mark. The electrical system was under pressure and… the lights were cut off throughout the whole region. Absolute darkness. Dealers took out their phones and turned on flashlights over their tables to make all the players’ chips visible.
For the first 30 minutes, no one realized this was a large-scale breakdown; players laughed and ran outside to smoke (it was STILL warm in the building). Well, soon, there was reported that electricity was out of order for 400 kilometers around! In winter. In Siberia. Quite challenging!
The temperature in the building dropped by a degree literally every hour. Some local players took a risk and drove to their homes by car, although the roads were almost blocked with snow.
Many people still resided in the casino hotel and forever became part of the EAPT family. They had to endure cold sandwiches from the only restaurant in the casino, drink a lot of horilkas (a popular Siberian alcoholic tincture), play card games using EAPT plastic professional cards (and candlelight), and were reminded to stay in the Casino due to the presence of bears in the surrounding forest. Unforgettable!
Two days later, the electricity was restored, the tournament resumed, and the champion won loud applause.
The Luckiest Guy of the Series
The champion of the EAPT Cyprus in 2022, Eduard Barsegian, can rightfully consider himself the main lucky winner of the series. He rolled over his opponents on the final table, knocking seven of eight players out of the game! The reward — $100,000 and the EAPT trophy.
It needs to be watched for real poker inspiration!
The Story that Drove the EAPT Staff Crazy
The EAPT came to Kazakhstan for the first time in 2014! A new poker country. Nobody knew what to expect. By the first day, 15 tables were ready. The doors opened, all the tables were filled within the next 10 minutes, and the queue lined up across the poker room went through the hotel, and ended on the street. By the evening, another 20 (!) tables with completely different logos were delivered. But everyone was happy. Can you imagine 35 nonstop working tables 24/7? Kazakhstan!
P.S. The dealers and floors survived.
Deal For Eight
The final table of the EAPT Main Event 2022. Spotlights, cameras, journalists, viewers, and readers of the broadcast. Everyone is ready for the big exciting game! Nerves are on edge!
Twenty minutes after the start, the finalists decided to make a deal and give the trophy to the chip leader. The end!
Where did that happen? Of course, in Siberia! What did the finalists do after? Maybe they had Horilka. Perhaps they were hunting a bear. Or, on a bet, run through the forest naked. Well, everything that happens in Siberia will stay in Siberia.
Seriously, though, the EAPT is:
- A new old series, released in Europe with huge plans
- 50 stops from 2013
- The professional team held the EPT, WPT, WSOP C, Triton, and SHR Bowl.
- Thousands of unforgettable stories and emotions from different parts of the world: the Caribbean, Prague, Kyiv, Sochi, Georgia, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Montenegro, and other locations.
The next EAPT stop will take place at King’s Resort, Rozvadov, from June 21 to 26. Main Event buy-in is €560 with a €350,000 + € 50,000 in seats guarantee. Satellites and an online Day 1 are available on EAPoker and across the whole GG Network.
After that, the tour heads to Milan, Barcelona, North Cyprus, Nottingham, and other new locations.
Online Day 1
The latest news sees an online Day 1 added on Monday, June 19, for the first stop in the 2023-2024 series at King’s Resor.
The online Day 1 takes place at 20.05 BST (21.05 local time) with a buy-in of €500 + €60. Participants start with 40,000 chips, play to the money, and rejoin the field at the live tournament at King’s on Day 2.
https://eapoker.com. is partnered with the market-leading GGPoker Network, which means all players can also qualify and play online Day 1’s at GGPoker itself and have access to all global promotions, games, and huge player fields that you expect from the world’s largest online poker room.
Taking part in EAPT online, players can
- Play online satellites from 1 cent to win a ticket for any EAPT event.
- Play the Main Event Online Day 1 to the money, taking the stack to the live Day 2.
- Take part in special EAPT Online Events and promotions getting up to 60% cashback.
Greetings and welcome to EAPT 2.0, the series that intends to become the best for mid-stakes players!
