The PokerStars European Poker tour will be undergoing some drastic changes as the tour gets ready to kick-off its ninth season. According to the PokerStars blog, the EPT will see the number of stops drastically reduced (nearly cut in half) BUT will offer far more choices and variety at each stop, as the EPT tries to incorporate other more localized tournaments into the EPT schedule.

The season 9 schedule will see the number of overall stops reduced from 13 down to just 7 (plus the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas). It’s unclear whether the attendance drops since Black Friday were beginning to become a concern for the tour, or if there were other reasons that precipitated the change. The official reason given by PokerStars was simply: “No longer will players be forced to fly all over Europe 13 times a year. Instead, they’ll be offered eight stops with nearly two weeks of poker available at each one.”

In addition to the usual €5,000 buy-in Main Event tournaments, each stop on the EPT will now feature a full tournament series including incorporating other PokerStars tours like the UKIPT and Estrellas Poker Tour into the schedules: “by partnering with many of the regional tours like the Estrellas Poker Tour in Spain and the UK & Ireland Poker Tour. Now players will have the chance to play lower buy-in events alongside the big EPT action.”

Another major change will be the addition of €10,000 buy-in tournaments at each stop –in addition to the €5,000 Main Events, €1,000-€1,500 events from the UKIPT and Estrellas, as well as the varying High-Roller tournaments that have become en vogue on the EPT. These €10,000 buy-in tournaments will apparently take place at each stop on the tour, with a different format used at each tournament series. According to PokerStars, the initial event will be a Heads-Up No Limit Holdem tournament at the EPT Barcelona, with other formats like PLO and HORSE scheduled for other stops.

Here is a look at the full Season 9 schedule for the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) courtesy of www.pokerstarsblog.com:

* EPT Barcelona: Aug 15-25 (Main event Aug 19-25) €5,000 + 300

* EPT San Remo: Oct 3-11 (Main event Oct 5-11) €5,000 + 300

* EPT Prague: Dec 5-15 (Main event Dec 9- 15) €5,000 + 300

* 2013 PCA: Jan 6-15, 2013, $10,000 + 300

* EPT Deauville: Jan 30-Feb 9, 2013(Main event Feb 3-9) €5,000 + 300

* EPT London: Mar 6-16, 2013 (Main event Mar 10-16) £5,000 + 250

* EPT Berlin: Apr 24-May 4, 2013 (Main event Apr 28-May 4)€5,000 + 300

* EPT Monte Carlo: May 6-15, 2013 (Main event May 6-12) €10,000 + 600

Tags: Amp, Attendance, Bahamas, Barcelona, Black Friday, Caribbean Adventure, Choices, En Vogue, EPT, Fly, High Roller, Initial Event, main event, Ninth Season, Plo, Poker, Pokerstars Blog, Regional Tours, Some Drastic Changes, Tour In Spain

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