Phil Ivey Leads Stellar Field for the EPT Grand Final Super High Roller

The PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final kicks off on Monday as the continent’s largest ever poker festival pulls into the tiny principality to bring season eight of the tour to a conclusion in style with some of the world’s best-known names in poker – including superstar Phil Ivey – lining up for the biggest Super High Roller ever staged on the continent.

The nine-day festival – which ends on Tuesday, May 1 – at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort gets underway with the opening day’s €98,500+€1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight-Max Reload event.

This will be the first ever €100,000 Super High Roller held in Europe, so has attracted an incredible field of over 30 of the world’s leading professionals, as well as some of the planet’s richest amateurs, as they battle it out for the top prize over three days’ play.

Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier Starts In Incredible Line-Up

The stellar line-up already includes the likes of eight-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Ivey, Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Victor ‘Isildur1’ Blom, Jason Mercier, Jonathan Duhamel and Daniel Negreanu, as well as Eugene Katchalov, Team Party Poker Pro Tony G, Patrik Antonius, Isaac Haxton, Titan Poker Pro Sam Trickett, Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald, Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Sam Chartier, Tom Marchese, John Juanda, Tobias Reinkemeier, Scott Seiver, Dan Shak, Bill Perkins, David ‘Doc’ Sands, Artem Evgenievich Litvinov, Sorel Mizzi, Leon Tsoukernik, Masa Kagawa, Justin Bonomo, Erik Seidel, Philipp Gruissem, Bryn Kenney, Talal Shakerchi, Govert Metaal and Dan Smith. Phew!

Competitors will then line up for the six-day €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em main event on Wednesday for Day 1a – just as the Super High Roller draws to a conclusion on what will be a televised final table.

There will be two opening-day streams for the main event that ends on April 30 with organisers expecting a massive field for the last main event of season eight, while a total of 37 tournaments will be staged throughout the festival.

Buy-ins start at only €100+€20 for event #32, a No-Limit Hold’em Hyper Turbo tournament, which will take place on Monday, April 30.

Last-Chance Qualifier Runs Tomorrow

However, hopefuls still have an opportunity to make the main event through tomorrow’s €530 buy-in last-chance qualifier. Three seats have been guaranteed from this satellite, while every extra €12,000 added to the prize pool will see another seat provided.

In addition, sub-satellites – starting at just €4.40 – will be staged right up until the main event satellites on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There will also be satellites running for entry into the EPT Grand Final Women’s event and start at only €1.10, with the final qualifier taking pace on Sunday. One seat is guaranteed from this satellite.

As always, there will also be cash games running alongside the schedule at 20:00 every day, as well as one-table satellites – priced at €300 and higher – to side events and sit ‘n’ gos at midday all throughout the festival.

APPT Cebu Kicks Off Next Week

Meanwhile, across the other side of the world, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) makes a welcome return to Cebu City’s Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino next Tuesday for the final seven-day stop of the tour’s fifth season.

The PHP100,000 (about $2,350) buy-in main event in the Philippines city kicks off on the Wednesday, but only after the PHP10,000 buy-in Cebu Cup has been played out the previous day as the opening event of the festival.

There will also be numerous side events that should cater for all bankrolls, with the PHP250,000 buy-in High Rollers event on Monday, April 30, the most expensive to take part in.

No doubt there will be many women signed up for this season’s main event after South Korea’s Young-shin Im created history as the first female APPT champion last year by besting a 236-player field to collect the PHP5,810,000 ($134,142) top prize.

The revised APPT Cebu schedule – after we at Poker News Report supplied the preliminary list of events back in early February – can be found by visiting www.appt.com/tournaments/cebu.

EPT Season 8 Grand Final Schedule

Monday, April 23:

14:00, Event #1, €98,500+€1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight-Max Reload Day 1

Tuesday, April 24:

12:00, Event #1, €98,500+€1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight-Max Reload Day 2 (TV coverage)

13:00, Event #2, €1,040 + €60 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Rebuy Super Satellite to Main Event

14:00, Event #3, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Day 1 (64-player maximum)

17:00, Event #4, €1,040+€60 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Rebuy Super Satellite to Main Event

20:00, Event #5, €550+€50 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Rebuy Super Satellite to Main Event

21:00, Event #6, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo

Wednesday, April 25:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 1a

12:00, Event #1, €98,500+€1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight-Max Reload Final Day (TV coverage)

13:00, Event #3, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Final Day

14:00, Event #8, €5,000+€200 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Max Turbo

16:00, Event #9, €1,040+€60 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Rebuy Super Satellite to Main Event

20:00, Event #10, €1,040+€60 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Rebuy Super Satellite Last Chance Turbo to Main Event

21:00, Event #11, €300+€30 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo

Thursday, April 26:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 1b (TV coverage)

15:00, Event #12, €5,000+€200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Turbo

19:00, Event #13, €1,000+€1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Eight-Max Turbo Bounty

21:00, Event #14, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo

Friday, April 27:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 2 (TV coverage)

13:00, Event #15, €500+€500+€50 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Bounty

16:00, Event #16, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Day 1

20:00, Event #17, €1,000+€100 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha One Rebuy Day 1

21:00, Event #18, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo ‘Win the Button’

Saturday, April 28:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 3 (TV coverage)

12:00, Event #19, €2,000+€150 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Day 1

13:00, Event #16, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Final Day

13:00, Event #17, €1,000+€100 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha One Rebuy Final Day

17:00, Event #20, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Eight-Max ‘Win the Button’ Day 1 (30-minute blind levels)

19:00, Event #21, €2,800+€200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super Satellite to €25,500 High Roller (Event #24)

21:00, Event #22, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo

Sunday, April 29:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 4 (TV coverage)

12:00, Event #23, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Day 1

13:00, Event #24, €25,000+€500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Eight-Max Reload Day 1

13:00, Event #19, €2,000+€150 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Final Day

13:00, Event #20, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Eight-Max ‘Win the Button’ Final Day (30-minute blind levels)

17:00, Event #25, €1,000+€100 buy-in H.O.O8. (No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha/Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better) Eight-Max Day 1

19:00, Event #26, €200+€20 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Super Satellite to Women’s Event (Event #30; three seats added)

21:00, Event #27, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Rivers

Monday, April 30:

12:00, Event #7, €10,000+€600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Final Day (TV and webcast coverage)

12:00, Event #24, €25,000+€500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Eight-Max Reload Day 2

12:00, Event #28, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Day 1

13:00, Event #29, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Day 1

13:00, Event #23, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Final Day

13:00, Event #25, €1,000+€100 buy-in H.O.O8. (No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha/Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better) Eight-Max Final Day

17:00, Event #30, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Women’s Event Day 1

18:00, Event #31, €1,000+€200+€100 buy-in No-Limit Turbo Bounty+Winner Takes All (€1,000 Bounty and €200 WTA)

21:00, Event #32, €100+€20 buy-in No-Limit Hyper Turbo (10,000 starting stack, 10-minute blind levels)

Tuesday, May 1:

12:00, Event #33, Invitation-only EPT8 Tournament of Champions Six-Max Turbo (TV and webcast coverage)

12:00, Event #24, €25,000+€500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Eight-Max Reload Final Day

12:00, Event #28, €5,000+€250 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Final Day

12:00, Event #29, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Final Day

12:00, Event #30, €1,000+€100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Women’s Event Final Day

12:00, Event #34, €500+€500+€50 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Bounty

13:00, Event #35, €300+€30 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Edition of EPT Main Event (30,000 starting stack, 15-minute blind levels)

15:00, Event #36, €10,000+€300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Six-Max Turbo

16:00, Event #37, €100+€20 buy-in No-Limit Hyper Turbo (10,000 starting stack, 10-minute blind levels)

21:00, Invitation-only PokerStars EPT Player of the Year Awards

21:30, Invitation-only PokerStars EPT Season 8 Wrap Party