POKERSTARS PUSHES ACTION TO THE LIMIT AT EUROPEAN POKER TOUR GRAND FINAL
ONCHAN, Isle of Man – April 24, 2015 – The PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final is just days away and players are revving up for an action-packed festival on and off the felt. The event is the largest and richest ever held by PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (TSX: AYA) company, and when not enjoying the poker action, players can enjoy the high roller lifestyle with luxury transfers and accommodation and adrenalin-infused experiences on offer all festival long.
This season’s EPT Grand Final poker festival features a record 78 events and one of the highlights will certainly be the “Poker for Pink” tournament which is raising money for the breast cancer charity Pink Ribbon Monaco on May 2. Players will be rubbing shoulders with celebrities and poker pros at this invite-only event – with luxury hotel stays, iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air, PokerStars chip sets and dinners at some of Monaco’s top restaurants among the prizes on offer.
For players who want the excitement to start before they even get to Monaco, they can splash out on exclusive helicopter transfers from Nice Airport, taking in the stunning sights of the French Riviera along the way.
All EPT and France Poker Series (FPS) players will be able to compete in the fantastic F1 simulator and have the chance to follow the course of the real Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix circuit in a fiercely-contested competition which will be running throughout the festival, with a free hotel room for the debut event of EPT Season 12 in Barcelona on offer for the champion.
For those who want to try out sports car thrills for real, EPT Travel are also organizing an exclusive chance to drive an open-top Ferrari along the spectacular roads of the Cote d’Azur. And for those who like their luxury on the open water, there is the opportunity to rent a luxurious yacht or catamaran – with trips ranging from two-hour sunset cruises (complete with champagne and appetizers) up to full-day outings.
There will be sharks aplenty indoors with the last three heats and winner-takes-all final of the PokerStars Shark Cage TV show, all being filmed in the Salles des Etoiles tournament room during the festival. Three qualifiers – from Norway, the USA and Russia – beat thousands of players online to win their slot on the $1m prize pool show and will be up against celebrities such as Don Cheadle, and poker pros such as Andre Akkari and EPT founder John Duthie in a bid to become the Season 2 Shark Cage champion.
More sharks will be out in force for the €100,000 Super High Roller and, with nearly 40 players already confirmed, attendance records may well be broken. Among those set to compete are Anthony Zinno, Antonio Esfandiari, Dan Smith, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Isaac Haxton, Max Altergott, Mike McDonald, Phil Ivey, Sam Trickett and Talal Shakerchi.
April 30 is the “red alert” day for chocoholics. Grasel Sweets Day is fast becoming one of the most popular events at EPT festivals with Official EPT Chocolate Sponsor Suesswaren Grasel handing out hundreds of kilograms of chocolate to everyone competing in a tournament that day.
EPTLive will be broadcasting for a full nine days during the Grand Final, starting with the prestigious €100k Super High Roller - from Day 1 on April 30 through to the cards-up final table on May 2. As well as quizzes, competitions, #ChallengeStapes and studio guests, the first EPTLive League Player of the Year will be announced in Monaco - the winner receives a package for the Estrellas Main Event in Barcelona at the start of Season 12.
Full details on the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final are available at: http://psta.rs/GrandFinal.
For press enquiries, please contact press@pokerstars.com.
About the European Poker Tour
The European Poker Tour (EPT) is the world’s richest and most popular poker tour. Since 2004, the EPT has paid out over €672 million in tournament prize pools, and hosted successful festivals right across Europe. The EPT also visits the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), which takes place every January in the Bahamas and is the largest poker festival outside of Las Vegas.
Season 11 of the EPT has built on the success of a decade of world-class live poker events, and major poker festivals have been held in Barcelona, London, Prague, Deauville and Malta. Further information on the EPT is available online at http://www.ept.com/.