Key dates announced for EPT Season 13

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Key dates for Season 13 of the European Poker Tour (EPT) were announced today by PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. brand.

The world's richest poker tour returns to Barcelona for the thirteenth successive year, with a giant festival running from Aug. 16-28, 2016, followed by Malta in October and Prague in December.

"Season 12 has been yet another record-breaker for the EPT with our biggest schedules ever and a record-breaking number of players," said EPT President Edgar Stuchly. "EPT Barcelona is always an astonishing festival and so we're really looking forward to heading back to Spain in August after our traditional summer break."

Last season's EPT Barcelona festival was the most successful stop in the tour's history with a total of 5,738 unique players participating in 71 tournaments and generating close to €40 million in prize money. Seasoned poker pro John Juanda took down the biggest EPT Main Event ever held for €1,022,593 after beating a 1,694-strong field.

Joining forces with the national Estrellas Poker Tour, this season's festival is yet again set to attract huge numbers. As well as the flagship €5,300 EPT Main Event and €1,100 Estrellas Main Event, the festival will feature the prestigious €50,000 Super High Roller (which attracted a record-breaking 99 entries last season) and the €25,000 High Roller (506 entries last season).

On the schedule for the first time is a €10,000 High Roller – a new event which made its debut at the PokerStars and The Monte Carlo Casino EPT12 Grand Final. This will take place at the very start of the festival while the Estrellas €2,000 High Roller event, which attracted a staggering 1,055 players in Season 12, becomes a three-day event to accommodate a huge turn-out.

Satellites for both the €5,300 EPT Main Event and €1,100 Estrellas Barcelona Main Event start in less than a week on May 8, which is two days after the end of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino EPT12 Grand Final.

The EPT will make its return to Malta at The Casino at Portomaso from Oct. 18-29. Scottish poker professional Niall Farrell, who was runner-up in yesterday's €1,100 FPS Monaco Main Event at the EPT Grand Final, took down last season's EPT Malta Main Event, beating 651 players for a €534,330 payday, the biggest live cash of his career. The popular Mediterranean tourist destination made its debut in Season 11 and was an instant hit with players, offering a packed poker schedule coupled with fantastic amenities a stone-throw from the Casino.

As always, the final stop before Christmas will be the massive EPT Prague Poker Festival. Last season's event in the Czech Republic featured what was – at the time - the biggest EPT schedule ever with 97 events. Over 3,400 players competed in the Season 12 festival with nearly 16,000 separate tournament entries and more than €24.5 million awarded in prize money. EPT Prague will be back at the Hilton Prague for Season 13 from Dec. 7-18.

Right To Play charity events will again feature on the tournament schedule, with €150 re-buy events planned for stops in Barcelona, Malta and Prague. Since Right To Play became the EPT's official charity partner in Season 12, more than €50,000 has been raised through fundraising events during the festivals.