Live Poker in January: The Best Low Buy-In Events in Europe
Live poker in Europe will kick off the year in style with many hot and affordable poker festivals.
Whether you want to hit some exciting poker action in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, enjoy the culture and atmosphere in Divonne-les-Bains, France, or discover the sites and sounds of the big capital cities of Ireland, England and Austria, our selection of the best low buy in live poker festivals has got you covered.
Unibet DeepStack Open: Jan. 6-15, Divonne-les-Bains, France
The Unibet DeepStack Open (UDSO) kicks off its 2017 schedule at the Casino de Divonne Les Bains in Divonne-les-Bains, France from Jan. 6-15 with a handful of exciting low-limit poker tournaments.
The action kicks off Jan. 6-8 with the €300 USDO Cup. The tournament is a deep-stacked affair with players beginning with 50,000 chips and blinds increasing every 30 minutes during the two opening flights before moving up to 40 minutes for players progressing to Day 2.
The highlight of the poker festival is the four-day €550 UDSO Main Event, where players will begin with 50,000 chips in two opening flights on Jan. 12 and 13 and blinds will increase every 50 minutes. Additionally, on Jan. 13 there is a third turbo flight available with blinds increasing every 20 minutes.
The tournament allows players to reenter during the opening flights with surviving players moving on to Day 2 and Day 3 on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15.
Players with bigger budgets will be battling it out in the two-day €1,000 USDO High Roller on Jan. 14-15. Lower limit players can enjoy a few different tournaments with buy-ins starting out at €120. The casino is also hosting numerous €100 satellites to the USDO Main Event and a single €150 satellite to the USDO High Roller.
Click here for more information about Unibet DeepStack Open Divonne.
Planet Earth Poker Tour: Jan. 14-22, Dublin, Ireland
Well-known Event Manager Steve Frezer and Tournament Director Teresa Nousiainen just launched a brand new poker festival, the Planet Earth Poker Tour. So far five stops have been announced for the first season with the first stop taking place primarily at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, Ireland from Jan. 14-22.
The €550 Planet Earth Poker Tour Dublin Main Event kicks off with two of its four opening days on Jan. 14 at the JJP Mulhuddart Poker Club & Casino in Dublin and the Gold Rush Card Club in Cork with players starting off with 30,000 chips and blinds increasing every hour. The remaining two opening days start Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 at the Regency Hotel where all the side events are scheduled to take place.
Players surviving the opening flights will compete for two more days on Jan. 21 and 22 until the first Main Event winner of the poker tour is crowned.
Also on the schedule are plenty of satellites, including a €110 two-player team event on Jan. 18, two €170 side events on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 and a €110 heads-up event on Jan. 22. Winners of the Main Event and side events will also be invited to the first $100K Planet Event Poker Tour Championship Freeroll Dec. 4-10 in Las Vegas.
Click here for more information about Planet Event Poker Tour Dublin.
PokerStars Festival: Jan. 22-29, London, United Kingdom
In late 2016, PokerStars announced that it would be consolidating all of its live poker tours and placing them under the umbrella of PokerStars Championships and PokerStars Festivals. At the first PokerStars Festival at Resorts Casino Hotel from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, Jason Acosta won the new poker tour's first Main Event for $38,220.
The first PokerStars Festival hits European soil for the first time in history from Jan. 22-29 at the Hippodrome Casino, which was the previous home of the popular and now defunct UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT).
The schedule features 22 action-packed events highlighted by the five-day £990 PokerStars Festival London Main Event from Jan. 25-29. The first of the three opening flights Jan. 25-27 will have players start off with 30,000 chips and blind levels will increase every 45 minutes. The action will be a bit faster during the fourth and final opening flight on Jan. 27 with blinds increasing every 20 minutes. Surviving players from all four opening flights will then compete on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 until the first PokerStars Festival London Main Event champion is declared.
In addition to the Main Event, there are plenty other events on the schedule suitable for any bankroll. Higher limit players can partake in the £2,200 PokerStars Festival London High Roller on Jan. 24-25, while lower limit players will have plenty to choose from including a plethora of satellites.
Additionally, those that enjoy casino games can compete in a handful of tournaments for a relatively low £120 buy-in including the StarsFun London Roulette Tournament on Jan. 26, the StarsFun London Blackjack Tournament on Jan. 27 and the StarsFun London Craps Tournament on Jan. 28 in the Lola’s Underground Casino inside the Hippodrome Casino.
Click here for more information about PokerStars Festival London.
MPN Poker Tour: Jan. 25-29, Vienna, Austria
The MPN Poker Tour kicks off its 2017 schedule in the Austrian capital of Vienna for five days of low-limit tournament action from Jan. 25-29 at the Montesino Card Casino. The festival features nine events with buy-ins ranging from €60 to €1,100 and satellites costing as low as €37.
The feature event of the poker festival is the four-day €550 MPN Poker Tour Vienna Main Event, which features a generous €200,000 guaranteed prize pool. The two opening flights for this tournament on Jan. 26 and 27 have players starting off with 25,000 chips and blinds increasing every 45 minutes. Surviving players will compete on Day 2 on Jan. 28 before the field is narrowed down event further for the final day on Jan. 29 when blind levels increase to 60 minutes.
Players can also win packages to the Main Event at participating Microgaming Poker Network online poker rooms including PKR Poker.
Click here for more information about MPN Poker Tour Vienna.
888Live: Jan. 26 - Feb. 6, Rozvadov, Czech Republic
Europe's largest poker room, King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, will be hosting the 888Live Rozvadov Festival from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6 with dozens of exciting tournaments with over €600,000 in combined guaranteed prizes.
The 888Live Rozvadov Festival Main Event doesn't actually take place until February, however, many players will be flocking to the casino early thanks to the plethora of events starting at just €60 for side events and €50 for satellites.
The Main Event features a relatively low €888 buy-in with plenty of chances for players to compete for the at least €300,000 guaranteed prize pool, cheaper with satellites available online at 888poker and live at King's Casino. Players will compete in three opening flights on Feb. 2-4 with 30,000 opening chips and blinds increasing every 45 minutes. Players that bust early during the opening flights can reenter once per day. Surviving players will then play in two more days with blind levels increasing to 60 minutes.
In addition to attracting many recreational players, the festival will attract many big names including 888poker Ambassador Kara Scott. Many of these players will be facing off in the two-day €5,300 888Live Rozvadov Highroller on Feb. 1-2.
Click here for more information about 888Live Rozvadov.
