European Poker Tour to make its first visit to the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta from March 18-28, as part of the Season 11 schedule
Joining forces with the regional Italian Poker Tour (IPT), the 11-day EPT Malta poker festival will take place in the popular tourist resort of St Julian’s and will feature 40-45 events, including the €5,300 EPT Main Event and the €1,100 IPT Main Event. A wide variety of EPT-run cash games will also be offered throughout the tournament including No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and Open Face Chinese Poker. This stop will be the EPT’s 22nd different destination since the tour began in 2004.
Edgar Stuchly, EPT President said: ‘After discussions with players and fellow colleagues, we decided it was time to add a fresh and exciting stop to the EPT schedule. Malta is a great destination for an EPT and we expect strong participation numbers. With excellent connections to all major European cities, a warm Mediterranean climate, delicious local cuisine and lots of great tourist activities, Malta is the perfect place for players to come with their friends and family next spring.’
Top destination
Malta is already home to hundreds of poker players that have relocated to the island in recent years and it is where PokerStars.eu is located. It lies just 50 miles south of Sicily and is renowned for having a warm subtropical climate. An attractive destination for the world’s top poker players, Malta provides excellent airport links, euro-based currency and English as one of its official languages.
St Julian’s is a seaside resort with a host of modern tourist amenities, including the popular Portomaso Casino where the EPT will be held. The venue has hosted numerous major events, including three Italian Poker Tour stops and the PokerStars-sponsored Swedish and Finnish championships.
Michael Holmberg, PokerStars General Manager in Malta, added: ‘Malta is where PokerStars.eu is based, so we are very happy to bring the EPT home to what is the perfect combination of a 24/7 poker offering, as well as the chance to escape the grind and discover everything that Malta has to offer.’
Eros Ganzina, General Manager of Portomaso Casino, said: ‘We are delighted and proud to announce our new collaboration with PokerStars and the EPT. Malta is renowned as being a very popular poker destination and in the last five years Portomaso Casino has proved to be more than capable of hosting large-scale events. The EPT is a landmark event for us and we are looking forward to hosting such a prestigious tournament. We are positive that poker players will enjoy the new destination.’
GPI European Poker Awards
The 14th edition of the GPI European Poker Awards will also take place during EPT Malta, on March 25. Last year’s awards ceremony took place during EPT Deauville with Ole Schemion from Germany crowned European Player of the Year.
Alex Dreyfus, CEO of the Global Poker Index, commented: ‘Malta has been the hub for online gaming and poker for the last ten years. EPT Malta is a great platform to organise the GPI European Poker Awards and to make it really successful by connecting players and industry stakeholders in such a great place.’
EPT Malta satellites will run daily on PokerStars from as little as €1.10 or 50 FPP (Frequent Player Points).
Did you know that the PokerPlayer monthly app is now free? Grab it here on iOS or Android
