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Daily Telegraph columnist Ben Grundy takes a look at the next big event of the EPT...
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The European Poker Tour (EPT) reaches Monte Carlo next week for the Grand Final and all indications are that it will be the biggest tournament ever held in Europe. With a €10,000 entry fee, it is expected to attract over 400 entrants which would in turn mean a prize pool in the region of €4 million. The event is being held in the glamorous Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort and the field will be made up of both Internet qualifiers and poker’s elite player’s. The winner in Monte Carlo will become an instant millionaire! This year’s EPT has seen players travel to Austria, France, Denmark, Ireland, England and Spain in the six events leading up to this week’s Grand Final. The events this year have been dominated by the young aggressive players, mainly from Scandinavia and on the surface, it seems that the older, more established players are struggling to cope with the up and coming players – this swing can only be attributed to one thing, online poker.
The younger players can gain significant experience in only a short amount of time in an online environment. With the ability to play multiple tables and with the number of hands dealt per hour much greater than playing a live game, players are able to pick up huge experience of hands in a short period of time. I personally know of many players that in the last couple of years have won hundreds of thousands of pounds online, some started with next to nothing. It seems the latest craze is to give up work to make a living playing online poker.
Last year I had just given up my job to turn professional. I managed to qualify on Betfair Poker to the Grand Final in Monte Carlo for just £300. There was a big party before the opening days play and most of the players had a few drinks to celebrate. I woke up the next day with a sore head, but played some of the best poker of my life over the next few days to finish 7th and pick up €53,000. There were some scary moments and some big bluffs, but I will always remember the excitement I felt during that tournament. With the amount of qualifiers to big tournaments available online the next big success story could be you. So get practicing and see you at the tables.
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