The European Poker Tour (EPT) finally returns to Prague next month, after nearly three years since its last visit to the Czech Republic capital. Running from March 5-16, poker players from all over the world will flock to the King’s Casino Prague, Hilton Prague Hotel to take part in the first instalment of the EPT 2022 season.
Originally set to run December 8-19 at King’s Casino at the Hilton Prague. PokerStars were forced to make the tough decision to postpone the event following the Czech Republic entering a State of Emergency on November 25 because of the pandemic. The new dates for the event were announced last December, with the live poker festival featuring tournaments with buy ins ranging from €330 all the way up to €50,000.
Thankfully, EPT Prague has had the green light and will run as currently scheduled as the first major PokerStars live event of 2022. However, there are some measures from the Czech Republic government that players must take to ensure they’re able to take their seat at the table.
The current situation is as follows:
- Players DO NOT need a covid-certificate like proof of vaccination or a test to attend the EPT Prague event. However, please keep an eye on the most up to date travel to the Czech Republic conditions.
- All persons entering the Hilton Prague casino must undergo a temperature scan.
- A respirator face mask (e.g. KN95) wearing is compulsory when in the casino and when playing at the tables.
For players who have specific questions, they are advised to contact either [email protected] or [email protected].
Qualify for EPT Prague Online
PokerStars is making sure as many people qualify for EPT Prague as possible. They’re doing this by running a plethora of online poker satellite tournaments to the European Poker Tour Main Event and EPT National.
Over 90 players have already secured their place in the Main Event for a fraction of the price. Some of the notable names on that shortlist include PokerStars ambassador Parker “tonkaaaa” Talbot, Conor “1_conor_b_1” Beresford and the newly crowned World No. 1 Online MTT Player Patrick “pads1161” Leonard.
Direct satellites to the €5,300 Main Event take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on PokerStars and all begin at 8:10 p.m. GMT (3:10 p.m. ET; 9:10 p.m. CET). Entry costs €530 and each EPT package won is worth €7,200.
Players with modest bankrolls can work their way up to get their hands on their EPT Main Event ticket by qualifying through a series of sub-satellite tournaments. There are freerolls from which you can pilot your way to the €22 qualifier. Those who get over this hurdle then find themselves in the €530 qualifier which is where you are playing for your EPT package.
The EPT National Main Event is another event online poker players can satellite into from the comfort of their own homes. This tournament comes with a buy-in of €1,100 and is often the most attended event.
Direct satellites for this event have a €162 buy-in with the prize being a €2,500 EPT Package. These tournaments also take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and have a slightly earlier start time of 7:35 p.m. GMT (2:35 p.m. ET; 8:35 p.m. CET). Like the Main Event, players can get to this qualifier by navigating through a series of sub-satellite events.
There will undoubtedly be live poker satellites for several events at the Hilton Prague during the European Poker Tour Prague festival.
To find all available satellites: Go to the main PokerStars client and click the following tabs:
Events > Live > Europe > EPT Prague > All satellites
EPT National Main Event Schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Buy-In | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, March 6 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 1/A |
| Sun, March 6 | 19:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 1/B |
| Mon, March 7 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 1/C |
| Mon, March 7 | 19:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 1/D |
| Tue, March 8 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 2 |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Day 3 |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Final |
EPT Prague Main Event Schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Buy-In | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, March 10 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 1/A |
| Fri, March 11 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 1/B |
| Sat, March 12 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 2 |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 3 |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 4 |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Day 5 |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Final |
Mystery Bounty Tournament Makes EPT Debut
To help make EPT Prague an occasion to remember, PokerStars has scheduled a Mystery Bounty tournament to take place at the Hilton Prague during the festival.
Mystery Bounty tournaments have taken the MTT world by storm since its inception at the Wynn Summer Classic, but the Czech Republic will see the first event of its kind on the European Poker Tour.
The EPT Prague Mystery Bounty tournament has a €2,700 buy-in, with €1,925 going into the regular prize pool and €500 being allocated for the Mystery Bounty pool. The Mystery Bounty gimmick comes into play on Day 2, where each remaining player is given a bounty token.
If a player knocks an opponent out, they win their bounty token. The player will then hand in their newly won token to the cash desk where they will then randomly select an envelope containing a cash prize. The minimum a player can win is €500 but it could be much more than that. There is also the potential that one envelope will contain a €50,000 prize!
In October 2021, Donald Nimneh, a truck driver based in Omaha, Nebraska won €250,000 from the $2,200 Mystery Bounty at the 2021 Wynn Fall Classic.
Mystery Bounty Tournament Schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Buy-In | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, March 12 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Mystery Bounty – Day 1 |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Mystery Bounty – Day 2 |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Mystery Bounty – Final |
PokerStars Enters Partnership With Red Bull Racing
PokerNews at EPT Prague
The PokerNews live reporting team will also be making their way to EPT Prague, providing live updates from 11 different events. Some of the marquee events on our schedule include the €1,100 EPT National, €5,300 EPT Main Event and €50,000 EPT Super High Roller
The PokerNews live reporting team are on the ground for the latest stop on the European Poker Tour. Be sure to check out the action as it happens.
EPT Prague History
| Year | Event | Entrants | Main Event Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | EPT Prague | 555 | Arnaud Mattern | France | €708,400 |
| 2008 | EPT Prague | 570 | Salvatore Bonavena | Italy | €774,000 |
| 2009 | EPT Prague | 506 | Jan Skampa | Czech Republic | €682,000 |
| 2010 | EPT Prague | 563 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom | €640,000 |
| 2011 | EPT Prague | 722 | Martin Finger | Germany | €720,000 |
| 2012 | EPT Prague | 864 | Ramzi Jelassi | Sweden | €835,000 |
| 2013 | EPT Prague | 1,037 | Julian Track | Germany | €725,700 |
| 2014 | EPT Prague | 1,107 | Stephen Graner | United States | €969,000 |
| 2015 | EPT Prague | 1,044 | Hossein Ensan | Iran | €754,510 |
| 2016 | EPT Prague | 1,192 | Jasper Meijer van Putten | Netherlands | €699,300 |
| 2018 | EPT Prague | 1,174 | Paul Michaelis | Germany | €840,000 |
| 2019 | EPT Prague | 1,154 | Mikalai Pobal | Belarus | €1,005,600 |
Mikalai Pobal Makes History; Becomes Second EPT Two-Time Champion
Enjoy EPT Prague With a $600 Bonus
New depositing PokerStars customers can claim a welcome bonus worth up to $600. Download PokerStars via PokerNews, create your free online poker account, and decide how much you want to deposit. Your deposit is matched 100% up to $600 in the form of a bonus. Your first three deposits in the first 60-days after making your first deposit are matched up to a combined total of $600.
The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 increments each time you generate 180 redemption points, which in turn are earned at a rate of five per $1 contributed to the cash game rake or spent on tournament fees (6.5 points per £1, 5.5 points per €1, and four points per CAD$).
EPT Prague Full Schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Buy-In | Event |
| Sat, March 5 | 19:00 | €10,200 | #1 NL Hold’em – Knockout (€5,000 Bounty) – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Sat, March 5 | 19:00 | €1,100 | #2 NL Hold’em – Freezeout Day 1 |
| Sat, March 5 | 19:00 | €125 | #3 NL Hold’em – €1,100 Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sat, March 5 | 22:00 | €550 | #4 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Sun, March 6 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 1/A |
| Sun, March 6 | 12:00 | €240 | #6 NL Hold’em – €1,100 Qualifier (€100 Bounty) – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sun, March 6 | 12:30 | €10,200 | #1 NL Hold’em – Knockout (€5,000 Bounty) – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Sun, March 6 | 12:30 | €1,100 | #2 NL Hold’em – Freezeout Final |
| Sun, March 6 | 16:00 | €250 | #7 NL Hold’em – €1,100 Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 50,000 chips’ – Freezeout |
| Sun, March 6 | 19:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 1/B |
| Sun, March 6 | 22:00 | €1,100 | #8 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Mon, March 7 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 1/C |
| Mon, March 7 | 12:30 | €10,200 | #9 NL Hold’em – Single Re-Entry |
| Mon, March 7 | 19:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 1/D |
| Mon, March 7 | 21:00 | €1,200 | #10 EPT Main Event Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 50,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Freezeout |
| Tue, March 8 | 12:00 | €330 | #12 NL Hold’em – National Cup – Single Re-Entry Per Flight – Play to 5% Day 1/A |
| Tue, March 8 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 2 |
| Tue, March 8 | 12:30 | €25,000 | #11 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Tue, March 8 | 15:00 | €1,150 | #13 EPT Main Event Qualifier (€500 Bounty) – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Tue, March 8 | 18:00 | €330 | #12 NL Hold’em – National Cup – Single Re-Entry Per Flight – Play to 5% Day 1/B |
| Tue, March 8 | 22:00 | €2,150 | #14 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo Knockout (€1,000) – Freezeout |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:00 | €250 | #15 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #16 – ‘Win your seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Day 3 |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:30 | €2,200 | #16 NL Hold’em – National High Roller – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:30 | €50,000 | #17 NL Hold’em – EPT Super High Roller – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Wed, March 9 | 12:30 | €330 | #12 NL Hold’em – National Cup – Single Re-Entry Per Flight – Play to 5% Final |
| Wed, March 9 | 18:00 | €2,300 | #18 EPT Main Event Qualifier (€1,000 Bounty) – ‘Win Your Seat @ 50,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Freezeout |
| Wed, March 9 | 21:00 | €600 | #19 EPT Main Event Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY- Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 1/A |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:00 | €550 | #21 8-Game – Single Re-Entry |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:00 | €1,100 | #5 NL Hold’em – EPT National Main Event – Single Re-Entry Per Flight Final |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:30 | €2,200 | #16 NL Hold’em – National High Roller – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Thu, March 10 | 12:30 | €50,000 | #17 NL Hold’em – EPT Super High Roller – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 2 |
| Thu, March 10 | 14:00 | €1,200 | #22 EPT Main Event Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 50,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Freezeout |
| Thu, March 10 | 17:00 | €600 | #23 EPT Main Event Qualifier – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Thu, March 10 | 22:00 | €2,650 | #24 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #26, #37 or #52 (any €25,000) – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Thu, March 10 | 22:00 | €1,100 | #25 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Fri, March 11 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 1/B |
| Fri, March 11 | 12:30 | €25,000 | #26 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Fri, March 11 | 12:30 | €1,100 | #27 PL Omaha – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Fri, March 11 | 12:30 | €50,000 | #17 NL Hold’em – EPT Super High Roller – Unlimited Re-Entry Final |
| Fri, March 11 | 20:00 | €2,150 | #28 NL Hold’em – Single Re-Entry |
| Fri, March 11 | 22:00 | €550 | #29 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Sat, March 12 | 10:00 | €300 | #30 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #32 (Mystery Bounty) – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sat, March 12 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 2 |
| Sat, March 12 | 12:30 | €25,000 | #31 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sat, March 12 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Second Chance – Mystery Bounty (€500 Mystery Bounty) – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Sat, March 12 | 12:30 | €1,100 | #27 PL Omaha – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Sat, March 12 | 13:00 | €5,200 | #33 PL Omaha – Single Re-Entry |
| Sat, March 12 | 20:00 | €1,100 | #34 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Sat, March 12 | 22:00 | €2,650 | #35 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #37 or #52 (any €25,000) – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:00 | €2,150 | #36 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo Knockout (€1,000) – Freezeout |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 3 |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:30 | €25,000 | #37 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sun, March 13 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Second Chance – Mystery Bounty (€500 Mystery Bounty) – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 2 |
| Sun, March 13 | 14:00 | €1,100 | #38 NL Hold’em – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Sun, March 13 | 16:00 | €1,150 | #39 EPT High Roller Qualifier #46, – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sun, March 13 | 18:00 | €1,100 | #40 NL Hold’em – Short Deck 6+ Unlimited Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Sun, March 13 | 20:00 | €1,150 | #41 EPT High Roller Qualifier #46, – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Sun, March 13 | 22:00 | €1,100 | #42 NL NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo Knockout (€500) – Freezeout |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:00 | €1,150 | #43 EPT High Roller Qualifier #46, – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:00 | €550 | #44 H-O-R-S-E – Single Re-Entry |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:00 | €250 | #45 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #47 – ‘Win Your Seat @ 50,000 chips’ – Freezeout |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 4 |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:30 | €10,300 | #46 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague High Roller – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:30 | €1,100 | #38 NL Hold’em – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Mon, March 14 | 12:30 | €2,700 | #32 NL Hold’em – Second Chance – Mystery Bounty (€500 Mystery Bounty) – Unlimited Re-Entry Final |
| Mon, March 14 | 14:00 | €1,100 | #47 NL Hold’em – Freezeout Day 1 |
| Mon, March 14 | 14:00 | €1,100 | #40 NL Hold’em – Short Deck 6+ Unlimited Re-Entry Final |
| Mon, March 14 | 18:00 | €330 | #48 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Unlimited Re-Entry – Play to 5% Day 1/A |
| Mon, March 14 | 22:00 | €2,150 | #49 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo Knockout (€1,000) – Freezeout |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:00 | €250 | #50 NL Hold’em – Qualifier to #51 – ‘Win Your Seat @ 100,000 chips’ – SEAT ONLY – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:00 | €330 | #48 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Unlimited Re-Entry – Play to 5% Day 1/B |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Day 5 |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:30 | €1,100 | #47 NL Hold’em – Freezeout Final |
| Tue, March 15 | 12:30 | €10,300 | #46 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague High Roller – Single Re-Entry Day 2 |
| Tue, March 15 | 14:00 | €2,200 | #51 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Single Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Tue, March 15 | 17:00 | €330 | #48 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Unlimited Re-Entry – Play to 5% Day 1/C |
| Tue, March 15 | 20:00 | €25,000 | #52 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry Day 1 |
| Tue, March 15 | 22:00 | €1,100 | #53 NL Hold’em – Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:00 | €2,200 | #51 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:00 | €330 | #48 NL Hold’em – Deep Stack – Unlimited Re-Entry – Play to 5% Final |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:00 | €5,300 | #20 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague Main Event – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:30 | €220 | #54 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Wed, March 16 | 12:30 | €10,300 | #46 NL Hold’em – EPT Prague High Roller – Single Re-Entry Final |
| Wed, March 16 | 13:00 | €25,000 | #52 NL Hold’em – Unlimited Re-Entry Final |
| Wed, March 16 | 14:00 | €2,150 | #55 NL Hold’em – 6 Handed – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Wed, March 16 | 16:00 | €5,200 | #56 NL Hold’em – 6 Handed – Unlimited Re-Entry |
| Wed, March 16 | 18:00 | €1,100 | #57 NL Hold’em – Super Hyper Turbo – Freezeout |
Editor & Live Reporter
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.