Titan Poker
Preview: In 2003, the World Poker Tour was just getting its feet wet, when along came John Duthie, an outstanding Poker player eager to establish a league that would attract the European audience the WPT had seemingly ignored. Duthie knew how to package the product so that the public would not only accept the EPT, but embrace it.
Duthie had a few things in his favour. The Texas Hold’em craze was still captivating players around the world, and the medium of television was proving to be the main factor in the success of the WPT. If it could work for the WPT, Duthie thought, it could work for the European Poker Tour.
Duthie had another brainstorm at work in his conception for the Poker League. He wanted the league to encompass the major cities in Europe and, thus, attract a wider audience to the EPT. Again, Duthie was right-on with his assessment.
European Poker Tour Commences Play
Duthie understood that the EPT would grow incrementally if the league took baby steps in the beginning. And that is precisely what the EPT did. In its first three seasons, covering 2004-2006, The EPT administered the league with moderation. For example, buy-ins and prize pools were not more than half the size of the American-run WPT.
Yet, when the time was right, Duthie seized it, increasing buy-ins and prize pools in order to attract the best Poker players in Europe. In 2007, during its 4th season, the EPT raised its buy-in fees to almost $10,000 per tournament, the equivalent of the buy-in fee for most WPT events.
Duthie took another bold step when he made the final table census eight players, two more than in the WPT. The EPT has a close working relationship with Poker Stars, a successful online Poker site, and in 2007 over 1,600 EPT players won their seats via Poker Stars satellite tournaments. Augmenting the number of players at the final table attracted a larger number of hopeful poker players.
EPT – How to Qualify
One of the easiest ways to qualify for a seat at an EPT event is to compete in Poker Stars satellite Poker competition. There are many satellite events from which to choose and a win in any one of them will assure a seat at an EPT event.
Below are upcoming dates for 2008-2009:
- EPT Barcelona Open – September 10-14, 2008
- EPT London – October 1-5, 2008
- EPT Hungarian Open – October 28-November 1, 2008
- EPT Polish Open – November 15-19, 2008
- EPT Deauville – January 20-24, 2009
- EPT Scandinavian Open – February 17-21, 2009
- EPT German Open – March 10-14, 2009
- EPT San Remo – April 18-23, 2009
- EPT Grand Final at Monte Carlo – April 28-May 3, 2009
The European Poker tour events are televised around the world on a variety of channels, depending on your locale. For example, in Canada, the EPT airs on Sports Net, while, in London, you can catch all the EPT action on Channel 4.
It is clear that both the WPT and the EPT are blossoming in no small part due to outstanding leadership. This leadership will ensure that both these professional Poker Leagues will continue to grow and present the best that the sport of Poker has to offer.
