The PokerStars.com and Monte Carlo Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final, which starts in less than two weeks, has attracted a record number of online qualifiers, a statement from PokerStars reveals.
The Season 12 finale, which joins forces with the regional France Poker Series (FPS), will feature 80 events over 11 days at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort.
Among the Team PokerStars players set to compete at this season’s Grand Final are Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Nazario, and Daniel Negreanu, who is the highest-earning live tournament player of all time with more than $32 million in winnings.
The Euro 5,300 buy-in European Poker Tour main event field will feature 302 online qualifiers, including 121 players who managed to turn Euro 10 into a Euro 9,000 prize package in EPT Spin & Go tournaments.
The number of online qualifiers this season has already convincingly bested the Season 10 record of 210, Pokerstars revealed.
More than 155 players have also qualified for this season’s Euro1,100 FPS Monaco Main Event.
Numerous players won their seat for just a few Euros, with British poker professional Ben Dobson heading to Monaco after investing just Euro 4.22.
He will be joined in Monaco by 12 other players who have qualified for Euro 55 or less. EPT satellites are running daily on PokerStars until April 26, with the final FPS Monaco satellite taking place on April 24.
Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars’ director of Live Events said in the press statement:.
“We reduced the Main Event buy-in to give additional players a chance to join us and that’s exactly what has transpired, with a record number of online qualifiers set to compete in this prestigious event.”
EPTLive will broadcast seven days of cards-up action, starting with the Super High Roller and FPS Monaco Main Event final tables. Viewers can then follow the EPT Main Event from Day 2 through to the final table.
This will be the first time an EPT tournament has featured daily ‘as-live’ cards-up coverage before the final table and is part of PokerStars’ drive to continuously evolve its live event experience.
The first major tournament of this season’s festival is the new Euro10,000 High Roller, starting on April 26. The Euro1,000 buy-in FPS Monaco Main Event, the debut event of FPS Season 6, starts the following day.
This year’s festival also includes several events making their Grand Final debut, including Monaco’s first live Spin & Go tournaments with buy-ins ranging from Euro 50 to Euro 500. Players will have a chance to win the biggest prize yet, with the wheel awarding up to Euro10,000 per Euro 500 spin in the three-handed game.