PokerStars European Poker Tour Returns to Prague as Main Event Kicks Off
For nearly 20 years, the December poker calendar has been synonymous with the PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague. Since 2007, champions have been crowned at the Hilton Hotel Prague, making it one of the most storied stops on the EPT. Today, a new opportunity arises for poker enthusiasts around the world to etch their names in history, as Day 1a of the prestigious €5,300 EPT Main Event will get underway at noon local time.
Last year, long-time EPT regular Pedro Marques conquered a field of 1,458 entries, the most ever recorded in the EPT Prague Main Event. He walked away with €963,450 after a heads-up deal with Paul Runcan, while two-time EPT online winner Anton "WhatIfGod" Bergstrom made his first appearance at a live EPT final table since 2005, ultimately falling in fifth place.
2024 EPT Prague Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedro Marques | Portugal | €963,450* |
| 2 | Paul Runcan | Romania | €900,000* |
| 3 | Jaehyung Park | South Korea | €512,100 |
| 4 | Barak Oz | Israel | €393,950 |
| 5 | Anton Bergstrom | Sweden | €303,000 |
| 6 | Siarhei Alontsau | Belarus | €233,050 |
| 7 | Tjenno Eskes | Netherlands | €179,250 |
| 8 | Siegfried Kapeller | Austria | €137,900 |
| 9 | Danut Chisu | Romania | €106,050 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Plan for Day 1a
The 2025 EPT Prague Main Event will follow the same famed deep-stacked structure the EPT is known for. Every registrant will sit down with 30,000 in chips, with blinds starting at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante. Ten 60-minute levels are on the cards on both Day 1a and Day 1b, with a small break after every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 6.
Late registration will remain open throughout the day, closing at the start of Day 2, at which point the starting stack will be worth 20 big blinds. Only two entries per player are allowed in total across all days, including Day 2.
Day 1a Schedule
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 15 min break | ||||
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| 4 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 15 min break | ||||
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| 6 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 60 min dinner break | ||||
| 7 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 8 | 60 min | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 20 min break | ||||
| 9 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
As always, PokerNews will be on the floor in Prague to report the EPT Main Event from start to finish. Stay tuned to this page as the first of seven days of Main Event action will get underway shortly.