Get Ready for PokerStars European Poker Tour Sochi This March
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For the third year in a row, the PokerStars European Poker Tour returns to Casino Sochi for a week of tournaments at the popular Krasnaya Polyana resort just outside Sochi.
What started with both PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival visits back in 2017 has now transformed into a regular on the EPT circuit, with the venue hosting both EPT and EPT Open events each year.
Previous PokerStars Events at Casino Sochi
| Year | Event | Field | Prizepool (RUB) | Prizepool (USD) | Winner | Payout (RUB) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | PokerStars Championship | 387 | ₽150,000,000 | $2,658,630 | Pavel Shirshikov | ₽29,100,000 | $515,774 |
| 2017 | PokerStars Festival | 699 | ₽40,681,800 | $708,831 | Aleksandr Merzhvinskiy | ₽7,700,000 | $134,163 |
| 2018 | EPT | 861 | ₽150,000,000 | $2,561,754 | Arsenii Karmatckii | ₽27,300,000 | $478,451 |
| 2018 | EPT Open | 649 | ₽75,543,600 | $1,152,201 | Vyachesav Bondartsev | ₽12,063,300 | $183,991 |
| 2019 | EPT | 653 | ₽145,500,000 | $2,250,667 | Uri Gilboa | ₽27,475,00 | $412,125 |
| 2019 | EPT Open | 879 | ₽103,370,400 | $1,610,87 | Yi Ye | ₽19,306,000 | $300,856 |
Last time out, it was Uri Gilboa who not only became the first Israeli but the oldest player ever to claim an EPT title, at the age of 61. Gilboa defeated fellow Israeli Zakhar Babaev heads-up to score over $400,000.
"I'm glad that I'm the first Israeli winner," Gilboa told PokerStars' Joe Stapleton shortly after his victory. "You have to know that the standard of Israeli poker is becoming tremendous. We've had a lot of achievements at the WSOP and at other European tournaments. I know I'm the first, but for sure I'm not the last."
Check Out EPT Sochi Satellites
2019 EPT Sochi Main Event Official Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (RUB) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uri Gilboa | Israel | 27,475,000 ₽ | $412,125 |
| 2 | Zakhar Babaev | Israel | 16,737,000 ₽ | $251,055 |
| 3 | Maksim Pisarenko | Russia | 11,865,000 ₽ | $177,975 |
| 4 | Ivan Ruban | Russia | 8,953,000 ₽ | $134,295 |
| 5 | Vyacheslav Mizun | Russia | 7,091,000 ₽ | $106,365 |
| 6 | Serafim Kovalevsky | Russia | 5,390,000 ₽ | $80,850 |
| 7 | Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 3,850,000 ₽ | $57,750 |
| 8 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | 2,625,000 ₽ | $39,375 |
What to expect from EPT Sochi 2020!
According to the official EPT Sochi 2020 website, anyone heading to Russia later this month can expect an exciting festival full of fun and poker tournament to suit every player! The EPT Sochi Main Event begins on March 24-29th, with a ₽175,000 (~$2,500) buy-in. The tournament also comes with a ₽122,300,000 guarantee.
Online qualifiers to the EPT Sochi Main Event are also in with a chance of getting their hands on a Platinum Pass to the PSPC 2020 worth €26,000+ (approximately $30,000).
Away from the tables, there are also a number of off-the-felt activities including Bowling (26th March) where players will battle it out to win the Sochi Bowling Cup 2020, and Karaoke (27th March) with the return of the EPT Sochi Karaoke Battle 2020!
PokerNews will be live reporting from the Main Event, as well as the ₽77,000 EPT National (March 20-23) and the ₽371,000 EPT High Roller (March 27-29) so be sure to head to our Live Reporting page to keep on top of all the action!
EPT Sochi 2020 Full Schedule
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21st March | 12pm | EPT National Day 1a | ₽77,000 |
| 2pm | Pot Limit Omaha | ₽18,200 | |
| 7:20pm | EPT National Day 1b | ₽77,000 | |
| 22nd March | 12pm | EPT National Day 1c | ₽77,000 |
| 6pm | No Limit Hold'em Bounty | ₽18,200 | |
| 23rd March | 12pm | EPT National Day 2 | - |
| 4pm | No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack | ₽18,200 | |
| 24th March | 12pm | EPT National Final Day | - |
| 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1a | ₽191,800 | |
| 12pm | Pot Limit Omaha | ₽32,200 | |
| 12:30 PM | No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Day 2 | - | |
| 25th March | 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1b | ₽191,800 |
| 7:30pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1c | ₽191,800 | |
| 26th March | 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 2 | - |
| 4pm | No Limit Hold'em Day 1 | ₽70,000 | |
| 27th March | 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 3 | - |
| 12:30pm | No Limit Hold'em Day 2 | - | |
| 2pm | Pot Limit Omaha | ₽32,200 | |
| 4pm | EPT High Roller Day 1 | ₽371,000 | |
| 6pm | EPT Cup Day 1a | ₽18,200 | |
| 28th March | 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Day 4 | - |
| 12pm | EPT Cup Day 1b | ₽18,200 | |
| 2pm | EPT High Roller Day 2 | - | |
| 4pm | No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Day 1 | ₽70,000 | |
| 8pm | EPT Cup Day 1c | ₽18,200 | |
| 29th March | 12pm | EPT Sochi Main Event Final Day | - |
| 12:30pm | EPT High Roller Final Day | - | |
| 12pm | EPT Cup Day 2 | - | |
| 12pm | No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Day 2 | - | |
| 2pm | No Limit Hold’em | ₽12,600 | |
| 4pm | No Limit Hold’em | ₽32,200 |
