Time for Season 12 European Poker Tour Prague Main Event Day 1a
It is finally here, the Season 12 European Poker Tour Prague Main Event, one of the most eagerly anticipated stops on this prestigious tour.
Prague has been ever-present on the EPT since making its debut in Season 4 and continues to grow year-on-year, creating massive prize pools as a result.
Arnaud Matter won the inaugural EPT Prague Main Event in Season 4, outlasting a field of 555 to get his hands on the winner's trophy and €708,400. Mattern's crown was taken by Italy's Salvatore Bonevena in Season 5, with Jan Skampa and Roberto Romanello conquering Prague in the years that followed.
Prague's attendance figures have soared since Romanello's victory. When the popular Welshman won in Season 7, 565 players competed for the title. The following year, Martin Finger had to navigate his way through 721 opponents. Fast forward to Season 9 and the attendance swelled to 864, with Season 10, won by Julian Track, being the first Prague Main Event to break through the 1,000 players barrier (1,007 to be exact).
Amazingly, last season's Prague Main Event grew again, with 1,107 players turning out for it. Surely it cannot grow again? We don't have long to find out if it will.
Past EPT Prague Main Event Winners
| Season | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | €4,700+€300 | 555 | €2,530,240 | Arnaud Mattern | €708,400 |
| 5 | €5,000+€250 | 570 | €2,764,500 | Salvatore Bonavena | €774,000 |
| 6 | €5,000+€250 | 586 | €2,842,100 | Jan Skampa | €682,000 |
| 7 | €5,000+€300 | 563 | €2,730,550 | Roberto Romanello | €640,000 |
| 8 | €5,000+€300 | 722 | €3,501,700 | Martin Finger | €720,000 |
| 9 | €5,000+€300 | 864 | €4,190,400 | Ramzi Jelassi | €835,000 |
| 10 | €5,000+€300 | 1,007 | €4,883,950 | Julian Track | €725,700 |
| 11 | €5,000+€300 | 1,107 | €5,368,950 | Stephen Graner | €969,000 |
Play commences at 12:00 pm local time and ends around midnight after the completion of eight levels of 75-minutes each. A 20-minute break is scheduled after every second level, with a 75-minute dinner break at the end of he sixth level where players and your PokerNews Live Reporting team will head into the Czech capital to fill our hungry bellies!
Stay tuned to PokerNews from midday through to December 16 for all of the action from the EPT Prague Main Event.