Welcome to Day 1a of the 2019 PokerStars EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event
One of the most highly anticipated events of the 2019 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague festival awaits and poker enthusiasts from near and far will be heading to the Hilton Prague for the flagship tournament of the festival. The €5,300 EPT Main Event will take place for the 13th consecutive year in the capital of the Czech Republic and Germany has been the most successful country with four winners so far.
The latest player to lift the EPT Main Event trophy for the winner shots was Vienna resident Paul Michaelis. The German pro was part of a three-handed deal with third-place finisher Aleksandr Merzhvinskiy and runner-up Artem Kobylynskyi, and earned himself a payday of €840,000 after coming out on top of a field of 1,174 entries.
Michaelis has already been taking part in events of the 2019 EPT Prague and will certainly aim to defend his title. Other previous Prague winners include Arnaud Mattern, Roberto Romanello, Martin Finger, and Stephen Graner. Hossein Ensan claimed the title in 2015 and further cemented his status in poker history after taking down the 2019 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.
Jasper Meijer van Putten followed into Ensan's footsteps in 2016 and the Dutchman has just reached his fifth final table at an EPT festival in Prague in the €1,100 EPT National, which will play down to a champion simultaneously to Day 1a of the Main Event today. Kalidou Sow became a PokerStars ambassador after his victory in 2017 and Michaelis is two-third on the way to a possible Triple Crown as he also has a WSOP bracelet to his name.
History of the EPT Main Event in Prague
| Year | Entries | Prizepool (in EUR) | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 555 | € 2,530,240 | Arnaud Mattern | France | € 708,400 |
| 2008 | 570 | € 2,764,500 | Salvatore Bonavena | Italy | € 774,000 |
| 2009 | 586 | € 2,930,000 | Jan Škampa | Czech Republic | € 682,000 |
| 2010 | 563 | € 2,730,550 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom | € 640,000 |
| 2011 | 772 | € 3,501,700 | Martin Finger | Germany | € 720,000 |
| 2012 | 864 | € 4,190,400 | Ramzi Jelassi | Sweden | € 835,000 |
| 2013 | 1,007 | € 4,883,950 | Julian Track | Germany | € 725,700 |
| 2014 | 1,107 | € 5,535,000 | Stephen Graner | United States | € 969,000 |
| 2015 | 1,044 | € 5,063,400 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | € 754,510 |
| 2016 | 1,192 | € 5,781,200 | Jasper Meijer van Putten | Netherlands | € 699,300 |
| 2017* | 855 | € 4,146,750 | Kalidou Sow | France | € 675,000 |
| 2018 | 1,174 | € 5,693,900 | Paul Michaelis | Germany | € 840,000 |
*held as PokerStars Championship
There are two starting days for the €5,300 Main Event and players have the option to re-enter once if they run out of chips, which can be done into the same starting day, the following day or before the start of Day 2 for a maximum of two entries. The late registration remains open until the cards go in the air for Day 2 on Friday, December 13th, 2019, and all players receive 30,000 in chips.
The tournament features the new and popular big blind ante format and furthermore, a 30-second shot Clock will be implemented at the start of day 3. Players will receive five time cards at the start of each day and any unused cards will be retained if not used at the end of the day.
Each Day 1 will play a total of 10 levels of 60 minutes each as of noon local time with a break every two levels and a dinner-break after the sixth level of play. As of Day 2, the level duration will increase to 90 minutes each and when the tournament reaches 3 players the clock will be halved at the start of the next level.
EPT Prague Main Event Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| DINNER BREAK 75 min | ||||
| 7 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| BREAK 20 min | ||||
| 9 | 60 min | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
As of Day 2, the Main Event will be broadcasted on the PokerStars YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels and the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor from start-to-finish to provide all the action until a new champion is crowned.