PokerStars
The France Poker Series Main Event, the € 1,100 buy-in tournament that kicks off the PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®, attracted 1,918 entries from its four Day 1 flights, more than a third more than the last time the event was held.
It marks the EPP’s triumphant return to Monte Carlo after a three-year hiatus, demonstrating the accumulated demand for live poker from big shows that is finally back after years of cancellations due to Covid.
The tournament, the final of a PokerStars-sponsored French regional tour, is always a highlight on the calendar, attracting a thousand entries to the north with a mix of local players from France and Italy along with a solid international audience.
This edition of 2022 has exceeded even these high expectations. A total of 999 unique players combined to enter 1918 times in the main FPS. It represents a 35% growth over the 1425 entries in its last iteration in 2019, and is 28% higher than the 1501 record set the previous year.
The total prizes have increased to 1.84 million euros, with a first prize of 290,910 euros.
FPS Main Event: Attendance History
Year Entries Prize pool First Prize 2014 837 € 811,890 € 150,000 2015 993 € 963,210 € 177,000 2016 1,261 € 1,223,170 € 218,000 2017 1,252 € 1,214,440 € 151,445 2018 1,501 € 1,455,970 € 250,000 2019 1,425 € 1,382,250 € 244,500 2022 1,918 € 1,841,2 P com: the largest, most reliable and most regulated online poker room in the world. For more than a decade, PokerStars has led the industry with the best software, the largest group of players and the safest environment to play. Big Welcome Bonus: $ 30 free first deposit game, which allows you to play real money games for free or a great 100% deposit bonus up to $ 600. Home of the Sunday Million, WCOOP & SCOOP, Spin & Dog and more
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FPS always attracts a set of cosmopolitan players, and this edition was no exception. Of the 999 people who participated, 59% of the camp were from France and Italy; the rest came from all over the world, with a total of 62 countries represented. Undoubtedly, coronavirus-related concerns about international travel are waning.
“EPT Monte-Carlo is a favorite for many,” said Severin Rasset, general manager and commercial officer of PokerStars, just before the festival began. “We understand that these are uncertain times for everyone. The health and safety of our players and staff is paramount to our plans and we will continue to communicate openly with the players as each event approaches. ”
“Live events have always been an important part of PokerStars, and we look forward to getting back to live streaming and look forward to seeing many of our players at the events soon!”
The four FPS Main flights attracted more than 250 players, but it was on Day 1C that attendance soared, with nearly 1,000 entries expanding the Monte Monte Carlo convention and concert hall.
Of those registrations, 287 players returned for Day 2, which was played on Saturday, April 30th. 62 players passed to Day 3, currently underway. This will be played until a final table, scheduled for Monday.
FPS Main Event at EPT Monte Carlo: Participation on day 1
Flight tickets Progress until day 2 Day 1A 371 55 Day 1B 272 41 Day 1C 926 139 Day 1D 349 52 Total 1918 287
In the meantime, keep an eye out for some of the other major tournaments starting at the PokerStars Live Festival. Today will conclude one of the lowest buy-in tournaments in the program, the € 550 FPS Cup; the € 2200 FPS High Roller starts on Sunday and ends tomorrow.
Then, the calendar leaves room for the official events of the EPT Monte Carlo. The € 100,000 Super High Roller starts on Sunday and lasts for three days, and most notably, the € 5300 main EPT purchase event starts on Monday and lasts all week.
It will be the first time an EPT or PokerStars Championship event has been held in Monte Carlo since 2019. It is also one of the first events in the 2022 lineup, following the success of the Prague EPT in March. .
The company hopes this will mark the triumphant return of its world-renowned live tour after almost all events in 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to the coronavirus.
EPT Monte Carlo 2022: Important events
€ 1,100 FPS Main Event: April 28 – May 2 € 550 FPS Cup: April 30 – May 1 € 100,000 EPT Super High Roller: May 1-3 € 2,200 FPS High Roller: May 1-2 € 5,300 EPT Main Event: May 2 – 7 € 50,000 High Roller: May 3 € 25,000 EPT High Roller: May 5 – 7
PokerStars is not the only operator expecting this spring to be the start of a return to normal live poker. As PRO reported last week, half a dozen operators have big plans for the coming months, such as Winamax and Triton Poker with stops in Madrid, 888 and partypoker visiting Barcelona and Unibet in Malta.
But it is perhaps PokerStars that has made the most of it, announcing not only the return of the EPT – which will visit Barcelona and Prague at the end of the year – but also the resumption of live regional tours. He has announced that UKIPT will return to Dublin in May and sponsor the Summer Poker Festival in Malta; more announcements are expected soon.
The operator has also announced the long-awaited second edition of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC). This has been affected by delays and cancellations due to coronavirus. Instead of going to Barcelona, as originally planned, it will be held in the Bahamas, as was the first edition held in January 2019.
This time, it will be in a new complex, the Baha Mar, and will be part of a larger PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) festival in January 2023, which will also return.
“We’ve missed our live events as much as our players, so it’s a real pleasure to announce that the PokerStars Players Championship will take place in Baha Mar in January,” said Severin Rasset, general manager and commercial officer of PokerStars. “A beautiful location, hundreds of rankings, with millions to win. If there is one tournament to choose from for a unique experience in life, it will be the PSPC. We’ll give you more details on how to get a Platinum Pass soon – stay tuned!
EPT Monte Carlo is already underway at Monte-Carlo Sporting. It will run until May 7.
