The second season of the European Poker Tour (EPT) is about to kick off at the Casino de Barcelona in little more than a week from now. The EPT will visit seven European countries in a six month time frame, and culminates in the EPT Grand Final, to be held in the luxurious Monte Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco, just like last year.
The first season of the EPT left a lasting impression on European poker aficionados. The Monte Carlo final, with 211 entrants and a total prize pool of over 2 million euros, was the biggest poker tournament ever held in Europe at that time (March, 2005). Rob Hollink, a professional poker player from The Netherlands, won the Monte Carlo final, taking home a considerable 635,000 euros.
The European Poker Tour is officially sponsored by PokerStars, the online poker room where Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer won their entries into the World Series of Poker, both ending up winning the tournament in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Last year 350 EPT players qualified online through PokerStars, and this year you can qualify again through PokerStars' satellite events for a modest buy-in. Satellites for the Barcelona, London and Baden events are already up and running. Of course it's also possible to enter the EPT events directly if you pay the full buy-in and fees.
The first season of the EPT was broadcast on Five TV in the UK, and on Eurosport across Europe. Details for TV coverage of the second season are not available yet.
Here's the complete schedule for season two of the European Poker Tour:
| Event | Where | When |
| Barcelona Open | Casino Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain | September 16-17 |
| Grosvenor Poker Masters | Victoria Casino, London, England | Sept. 30 - Oct.2 |
| EPT Baden Classic | Grand Casino Baden, Baden, Austria | October 4-6 |
| EPT Dublin | Merrion Casino Club, Dublin, Ireland | October 29-30 |
| Scandinavian Open | Casino Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark | January 20-22 |
| French Open | Deauville Casino, Deauville, France | February 8-11 |
| EPT Grand Final | Monte Carlo Bay Hotel , Monte Carlo, Monaco | March 8-11 |