Live Poker in August: Eight Low Buy-in Events to Play in Europe
While Season 12 of the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the great festival that PokerStars plans to bring to Barcelona highlights the August poker calendar, there are plenty of other tournaments to be played throughout Europe - especially if you are into events with buy-ins under €1,500.
Tournaments in Italy, Cyprus, and Austria offer the perfect chance to combine a summer holiday with a top poker event, and things are going to heat up soon in the U.K., with legs of the United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) and the massive GUKPT Goliath kicking off in August.
If you are looking for value in Europe or if you simply want to know what you can play before or after the EPT Barcelona, have a look at our list of the hottest live poker events happening across Europe throughout August.
Looking for a 'poker holiday'? Have a look at the IPT in Italy, or the 888Live Local in Cyprus!
Italian Poker Tour: July 30 - August 3
If you don't mind last-minute planning, the next leg of the Italian Poker Tour (IPT) by PokerStars may be your best opportunity to combine a quick trip to Italy with some juicy poker action.
Running at the Casino de la Vallée in Saint-Vincent, the IPT features an event-rich schedule with seventeen tournaments highlighted by a €1,100 buy-in Main Event starting on Thur. July 30, and a €2,200 High Roller scheduled to begin on Sun. August 2.
Although PokerStars does not offer a guaranteed prize pool for the Main Event, the tournament is sure to give everyone the opportunity to play for a big payday. One year ago, the same tournament attracted a field of 363, allowing the event's champion Massimo Nicola Pellegrino turn his €1,100 buy-in into a €65,000 top prize.
Also, a visit to the IPT Saint Vincent will give you the opportunity to check out the PokerStars LIVE card room inaugurated by PokerStars in May 2015.
For further info about this event, please visit the IPT official website.
Cyprus Poker Festival: August 4 - 12
To many of us, August is synonymous with sun, sandy beaches and blue waters. If that sounds of interest, you should consider a visit to the upcoming Cyprus Poker Festival, a big event kicking off at the Kaya Artemis Resort & Casino in Bafra/Magosa, North Cyprus, on August 4.
Organized by Live Events International (LEI) and the Russian Poker Tour, the Cyprus Poker Festival features 26 events with buy-ins ranging from a minimum of €150 to a maximum of €5,000 for the €150,000 guaranteed High Roller event to start on Thur. Aug. 6.
Overall, the festival features guarantees for €1,000,000, with the biggest tournament on the schedule being the €200,000 GTD. €1,500 buy-in Main Event (Aug. 7-10).
The fact that the tournament is held at a premium location like the five-star Kaya Artemis Hotel, which offers a luxurious spa, a great beach, and relaxing swimming pools, makes the Cyprus Poker Festival a good opportunity for a romantic getaway.
For more info about this event, please visit this page.
UKIPT Bristol: August 6 - 9
Although Bristol may not be as warm and romantic as Cyprus, there's going to be great poker action to be had in the city home to Banksy, Peter O'Toole, Portishead and Massive Attack.
With PokerStars' United Kingdom and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) coming back to Bristol in August, you get the opportunity to discover a location off the beaten path and have a pint (or two) with many of the British regulars expected to attend.
The UKIPT Bristol runs at the Rainbow Casino and features a 12-event schedule highlighted by a £770 buy-in Main Event starting on Aug. 6 and a £2,200 High Roller event starting on Aug. 8.
This is the second time the UKIPT will stop in Bristol. Previously, the event hit the town in November 2012 when Germany's Wojtek Barzantny took down the Main Event for £90,400.
For further info about this event, please visit the UKIPT official website.
2015 GUKPT Goliath: August 8 - 16
According to PokerNews United Kingdom and Ireland editor Matthew Pitt, the 2015 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Goliath is going to be "one of the most exciting live poker tournaments of the year."
The long-awaited event kicks off on Sat., Aug. 8, at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, U.K., and is expected to attract thousands of players to the tables. The event's official schedule includes eight different tournaments highlighted by a monster £250,000 GTD. Main Event featuring a £120 buy-in and seven starting flights.
Although Coventry may not be as charming as Saint-Vincent or as warm as Cyprus, if value is what you look for then the GUKPT Goliath is the tournament for you. As Pitt points out, "One year ago, the Goliath broke the record for the largest land-based tournament held in Europe when 2,570 entries were processed during its starting flights. On that occasion, Jake Skidmore topped the huge field to get his hands on the winner's trophy and £56,540 in cash."
Until July 31, Everest Poker is hosting a €55 qualifier dubbed the Goliath Final where at least one person is guaranteed to win a Goliath package valued at €500, which includes entry into the event and €330 in travel expenses.
You can read more about the tournament and the online satellites running at Everest Poker in this article.
WPTN Rozvadov: August 7 - 10
It may not be the best location for a romantic weekend, but the King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, is the place to be if you are looking for nothing but the best poker action in Europe.
In August, the continent's biggest card room will welcome the World Poker Tour National, an 11-event poker festival highlighted by a €1,100 buy-in Main Event with a €200,000 guarantee (Aug. 7 - 10) and a €2,000 buy-in Eight-Max Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller event (Aug. 7 - 9) featuring a €100,000 guaranteed prize pool. This is the second WPT event at King's Casino after a three-year hiatus.
As usual, the King's Casino guarantees non-stop cash game action with tables open 24/7 for both no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha. The action starts from €1/€3 for no-limit hold'em and €2/€2 for pot-limit Omaha. The minimum buy-in is €100.
For further info about this event, please visit the WPTN Rozvadov official website.
2015 Summer Cup: August 13 - 15
Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, so the Montesino Casino is a great choice for those looking to combine a cultural holiday with poker.
We also suggest you to have a look at the Summer Cup, a series that started back in July and that will progress until the end of September. August's third leg of the series kicks off on Thur., Aug. 13, and features a €135 buy-in event with a €35,000 guaranteed prize pool. Although this is not the biggest event happening this month in Europe, the Summer Series represents a great chance to discover a fun location.
For further info about this event, please visit this page.
ESPT + EPT Barcelona: Aug. 18 - 30
As we have already said, August marks the beginning of a new, exciting season of the European Poker Tour (EPT), with the EPT Barcelona opening Season 12.
Although the EPT doesn't really qualify as a low-buy in event, especially if we consider that players who do not qualify online at PokerStars need to pay €5,300 to play in the Main Event, the festival in Barcelona will be opened by Spain's Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT), an event that offers plenty of value.
The ESPT Main Event runs at the Casino Barcelona from Aug. 19-24 and only costs €1,100 to enter. If that's too much for you, you can either try to win a seat in one of the many satellites running at the Casino Barcelona from Aug. 18 (buy-ins start from €120), or opt for one of the other events in the schedule like the €330 buy-in Barcelona Poker Cup starting on Aug. 19.
For more info about the ESPT and the EPT Barcelona, you can visit this page.
888Live Local: August 24 - 30
Those of you looking for an uber-relaxed poker event in a top holiday location, look no further than the next 888Live Local event running at the Malpas Hotel & Casino in Çatalköy, Northern Cyprus, from Aug. 24 - 30.
In line with 888poker's mission to offer fun yet professional events, the 888Live Local in Cyprus offers a €550 buy-in Main Event and promises to keep everyone entertained with parties and other surprises.
"Many of those who play at these events, are people who have never joined a live game at a casino," 888LIVE Events Operation Manager Mouhcine Jalili told PokerNews. "They want to know how it feels, they want to know how it is - and they want a stress-free environment."
You can read more about the 888Live events here and you can try to win a sit in the Main Event at 888poker.com.
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