EPT Prague, scheduled to run December 8-19 in King's Casino at the Hilton Prague, has been postponed into the next year. The decision was made by PokerStars due to recent restrictions put in place by the Czech Republic government. The restrictions were put into place again due to growing coronavirus concerns in the country, which is facing a rapidly rising number of cases similar to more European countries.
The European Poker Tour (EPT) event, which was due to start on Wednesday, December 8, will now go ahead at a later date when it is safe to do so. PokerStars declared they must follow the guidance of the government and put the safety of its staff and players as a top priority.
Details regarding players refunds can be found on the PokerStars blog, which released the statement.
The announcement came just a few hours after PokerStars LIVE tweeted they were reviewing the ongoing situation.
Czech Republic Government Announces State of Emergency
On Thursday, November 25 the Czech Republic government announced a State of Emergency due to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country. It was reported that there were over 25,000 new cases on Wednesday, November 24.
This follows similar patterns and comes off the back of bordering nations, Austria and Slovakia, imposing their own lockdowns.
Cultural, sporting and educational events have been imposed with an 1,000 person cap while restaurants and bars will be operating under a 10 p.m. curfew.
EPT Prague 2019: Mikalai Pobal Makes History; Becomes Second EPT Two-Time Champion
Postponement Marks Two Years Without EPT
It was only towards the of September 2021 that PokerStars confirmed that the European Poker Tour would be returning to Prague after a two year hiatus. Fans of the long-running poker series will have to wait a little longer for their favorite series to return, with both 2020 and 2021 remaining void of any stops.
EPT Prague was scheduled to host several events with the main attractions being the €1,100 EPT National, €5,300 EPT Main Event and €10,300 EPT High Roller.
EPT Prague History
EPT Prague has a rich and storied history dating back to December 2007. Since then, the festival has grown to be one of the most popular stops on the European Poker Tour.
| Date | Event | Entrants | Main Event Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec-07 | EPT Prague | 555 | Arnaud Mattern | France | €708,400 |
| Dec-08 | EPT Prague | 570 | Salvatore Bonavena | Italy | €774,000 |
| Dec-09 | EPT Prague | 506 | Jan Skampa | Czech Republic | €682,000 |
| Dec-10 | EPT Prague | 563 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom | €640,000 |
| Dec-11 | EPT Prague | 722 | Martin Finger | Germany | €720,000 |
| Dec-12 | EPT Prague | 864 | Ramzi Jelassi | Sweden | €835,000 |
| Dec-13 | EPT Prague | 1,037 | Julian Track | Germany | €725,700 |
| Dec-14 | EPT Prague | 1,107 | Stephen Graner | United States | €969,000 |
| Dec-15 | EPT Prague | 1,044 | Hossein Ensan | Iran | €754,510 |
| Dec-16 | EPT Prague | 1,192 | Jasper Meijer van Putten | Netherlands | €699,300 |
| Dec-18 | EPT Prague | 1,174 | Paul Michaelis | Germany | €840,000 |
| Dec-19 | EPT Prague | 1,154 | Mikalai Pobal | Belarus | €1,005,600 |
