PokerStars and the Global Poker Index are going to turn the Mediterranean island of Malta into a poker mecca, March 2015, after the pair announced plans to operate the first-ever Maltese European Poker Tour (EPT) stop, the Global Poker Index European Poker Awards, the Global Poker Conference, and the inaugural Global Poker Masters.
Everyone knows that Prague is the home of poker for December, Las Vegas takes precedent in the summer, and it seems that Malta is taking over the month of March, after PokerStars and the Global Poker Index (GPI) announce a series of stunning events.
For the first time in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) 11-year history, the tour will be making a stop at the very popular St. Julians on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta. The Season 11 event will operate 18-28 March 2015, and will incorporate the Italian Poker Tour (IPT).
There will be 40-45 events including the €5,300 EPT Main Event, the €1,100 IPT Main Event, and the usual sweet selection of side events and cash games. It’s the tour’s 22nd different location since its inception back in 2004.
“Malta is a great destination for an EPT and we expect strong participation numbers.” Said Edgar Stuchly, EPT President.
Malta is the home of PokerStars.eu, the GPI, and a vast number of online poker players who decided to nest there, post Black Friday.
The venue is the very popular Portomaso Casino and General Manager, Eros Ganzina, said: “We are delighted and proud to announce our new collaboration with PokerStars and the EPT. The EPT is a landmark event for us and we are looking forward to hosting such a prestigious tournament.”
A Trio of Events for the Global Poker Index
The GPI is taking full advantage of their relationship with PokerStars by rolling out three very important events during the EPT Malta schedule.
On the 25th March the GPI will host the 14th edition of the GPI European Poker Awards. Last year, the event was held in Deauville and awards went to the likes of Ole Schemion (Player of the Year), Philipp Gruissem (Best Tournament Performance), Adrian Mateos Diaz (Rookie of the Year), and Barny Boatman (Lifetime Achievement Award).
The first-ever Global Poker Conference (GPC) will also be held, as the GPI owner, Alex Dreyfus, continues his pursuit of the more united poker front, and the inaugural Global Poker Masters (GPM) will also rear it’s head.
The event that is affectionately being known as Poker’s World Cup was originally planned to be held in North America, but the arrival of the EPT, in Malta, has led to a change of heart.
No dates have yet been released for the GPC or the GPM.
“The choice of Malta by EPT to set-up a new poker festival is a great opportunity for GPI, which is also based in Malta, to focus its efforts to promote poker globally. It will help us to build a strong platform to host our industry & sports events,” says Alex Dreyfus, CEO of Global Poker Index.
