Home / Poker News August 2008 / EPT looking to expand: adds Budapest event
EPT looking to expand: adds Budapest event
Posted by: James Carter. - Fri, 2008-08-08 01:01
Unlike many online poker operations which seem to be struggling during the summer vacation season, The European Poker Tour has its sights firmly set on expanding and improving its services. To that end, in order to include Eastern Europe into the circuit, the EPT will organize a € 4,350 No Limit Holdem Event in Budapest, Hungary from October 28th to November the 1st. The event will be held in the Sofitel Hotel, where the Las Vegas Casino is. This latest addition has swollen the total number of EPT events to 10.
In order to facilitate its player’s access to all the different corners of Europe, the EPT has also created a hotel booking service (epthotels.com). Through this service and the block deals it’ll strike with hotels in locations concerned, the EPT will be able to offer special rates not only for players, but also for the media covering the events as well as the fans who only plan to rail through the action.
Last, but certainly not least, comes the news of the addition of a special event to the EPT’s London stage. The new tournament is one designed exclusively for high rollers. The buy-ins will cost £20,000 + £300, and – obviously – the prize-pool will be equally generous. The event titled the “PokerStars 1 Million Pound Showdown” will feature a no-limit Holdem structure, and it will take place on October 5-6, immediately after the EPT’s Main Event which ends on the 5th. The organizers were obviously looking to take advantage of the general hype which surrounds the Main Event to get their high-stakes showdown rolling in earnest.
One must congratulate the EPT on its strategic choices. The newly added Budapest event is strategically located at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe, at a time when Eastern Europe is clearly showing more and more interest in live poker events. The hotel booking service couldn’t have come at a better time, and the high-roller showdown is also highly likely to attract a nice number of buy-ins.
