PokerStars Expands European Poker Tour Schedule, Makes New Deal with NHL’s Red Wings

Posted on: December 6, 2022, 11:10h. 

Last updated on: August 14, 2023, 02:54h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The 2022 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) is still underway, but plans are already in place for the 2023 version. Coming up next year will be two new stops, offering even more opportunities for poker players in different countries to capture some of the millions of dollars that will be available.

Paris, France
The Eiffel Tower sits in the background of the River Seine in Paris. The French city will be a new stop for the European Poker Tour in 2023. (Image: Time)

The 2023 EPT will kick off in Paris from February 15-26 at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile. It’s not the first time that the EPT has visited France, having previously appeared at the Casino Barriere de Deauville from 2005 to 2015.

This is the first time the poker tourney will come to Paris. The announcement comes at almost the same time the World Poker Tour announced a new deal with France’s poker tournament organizer TexaPoker to bring live tournaments to the country.

Poker-Hopping Around Europe

After the events in Paris, the EPT heads to Monte Carlo for 11 days of poker action. The series at the Monte-Carlo Casino begins on April 26 and runs through May 3, after which the EPT will move to Barcelona, Spain.

That stop will run from August 21 to September at the EPT’s favorite spot in Spain, Casino Barcelona. This past EPT main event at the casino attracted 2,284 entries, setting a record for the largest EPT main event.

After that, it’s time to move the EPT to Cyprus, another new stop on the tour. The new Merit Royal Hotel Casino & Spa will host the series on October 11-22, although another venue would welcome it. The City of Dreams Mediterranean should be open by then, and staging the EPT there would have been a coup for Melco Resorts and Entertainment.

The Merit already has experience holding poker tournaments. It hosted the Triton Poker Coin Rivet Invitational in September, where PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton pocketed $5.5 million for taking down the event. That was his biggest win to date and pushed the UK poker pro above $12.68 million in lifetime cash winnings, according to Hendon Mob.

The last stop for the 2023 EPT will be at King’s Casino in Prague, Czech Republic, which will host the event from December 6-17. King’s Casino is another regular stop for the EPT and is getting ready to kick off this year’s last stop on Wednesday.

PokerStars Expands Presence in Sports

PokerStars has partnered with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. It is the first time PokerStars has landed a partnership in US sports, and finds the Flutter-owned poker operator becoming an official sponsor of the team.

PokerStars and the Red Wings have teamed up to give hockey fans and poker players the opportunity to earn prizes through different collaborations. These prizes include team memorabilia, game tickets, and other merchandise, according to a press release.

Through the multi-year arrangement, PokerStars branding will be featured on the Red Wings’ marketing material, and vice versa. The same goes for the poker platform’s logos inside Little Caesars Arena during home games.

Pokerstars is the latest, but not the first, gaming company to partner with the Red Wings. FanDuel, which Flutter also owns, hooked up with the team in April of last year when it also became an official partner.