European Poker Tour returns with Malta event schedule

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The European Poker Tour (EPT), sponsored by PokerStars, an Amaya brand, returns to the elegant The Casino at Portomaso in Malta this month (18-29 October), boasting a huge 84-event schedule. A range of online satellite options are live now, including limited edition €10 Spin & Gos.

The 12-day EPT Malta Poker Festival will once again partner with the Italian Poker Tour (IPT). The EPT schedule covers a massive range of tournaments suiting players of all levels, including:

• The €10,300 EPT NL Hold'em, starting from 18 October, and the €1,100 IPT Main Event, starting from 19 October. The first major events of the festival, and the €5,300 EPT Main Event, which kick off on 23 October, conclude on 29 October.
• The prestigious €25,000 High Roller takes place on 21 October drawing some of the top names of the poker world.
• Making a second appearance at the EPT Malta festival, from 20-28 October, is a live version of PokerStars Spin & Go tournaments: Hyper-turbo Sit & Gos featuring a lottery-style prize pool multiplier. Buy-ins for the three-handed super-turbo tournaments will be from €50 to €500, with prizes up to €10,000.
• Making its first appearance at the EPT Malta festival, from 20-28 October, is the Casino Climber Blackjack tournament.
• Also making its first appearance at the festival, on 28 October at 14:00 ET, is the NL – Global Poker League (GPL) Team Double Bounty Shootout (6-Max), one of many initiatives PokerStars will be working on with Mediarex Sports and Entertainment designed to connect both existing and prospective poker fans to the GPL.

The full EPT Malta schedule can be found on the PokerStars website.

Team PokerStars Pro, Luca Pagano said: "The Italian Poker Tour has held several very successful events in Malta and we are looking forward to partnering with the EPT again. Malta is a great destination for poker players and we hope they'll have at least some time to explore the attractions that the beautiful island has to offer."

Other Team PokerStars Pros looking to claim the EPT Malta crown from Scotsman Niall Farrell, who won the Main Event for €534,330 last year, include Johnny Lodden, Theo Jorgensen, George Danzer, Fatima Moreira De Melo and Marcin Horecki.

Online route to live poker at Malta
A wide range of satellites and qualifiers are running daily giving a variety of ways to win your place in the Main Event. To further celebrate EPT Season 13 Malta, PokerStars are giving players the chance to win a €7,500 trip of a lifetime package for just €10 in the new EPT Malta Spin & Gos. They run until 10 October at PokerStars. Satellite information can be found on the PokerStars website.

EPTLive
EPTLive will be streaming for seven days in Malta starting with the €25,000 High Roller on 23 October. The EPTLive webcast will broadcast much of the action with Main Event coverage beginning on Day 2 and continuing throughout, including a cards-up final table. The stream will be available in a number of languages, on desktop and mobile on PokerStars.tv, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch channels. For the full schedule go to the PokerStars website.

EPT payout changes
Please note that after collating player feedback around payout changes introduced at EPT Barcelona, all events of €10,000 or more will return to the previous 12%-15% payout structure, while all other events will pay 17%-20% of the field. A 20% ceiling has been put in place. For more details please see the PokerStars Blog.

EPT charity event
Players are invited to play the Right To Play charity tournament on 23 October at 19.30. All money raised through the €150 buy-in and €50 re-buys will go direct to EPT official charity partner Right To Play. Many Team PokerStars Pro will be taking part in this well-loved event which helps children and young people in over 20 countries overcome the effects of poverty, disease and war.

Player activities off the felt
In addition to a packed schedule of 84 events plus EPT-run cash games, there are plenty of StarsFun activities for those looking for action away from the tables including the EPT Malta Player Party taking place at the glamorous Level 22 cocktail bar on 22 October. EPT Travel will be helping players make the most of their visit, arranging tours of the ancient city of Valletta, an escape room challenge game and laser tag at Battlemaxx.

At the beginning of the year, BetStars introduced an innovative new betting product called Spin & Bet, giving sports bettors the chance to see their potential winnings multiplied by up to 10 times the original amount. During the festival, players attending EPT Malta will be offered an exclusive £/$/€ 5 free bet.

Players and media are welcome to come and share thoughts and ideas with PokerStars reps at the Ideas Hub, which will be open outside the Spinola Room from 19 to 25 October.

Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars' Director of Live Events, said: "We're excited to be returning to Malta for our second stop of season 13. Malta is a great location as it provides players with great quality poker in a perfect tourist destination with a wide spread of activities on and off the felt."

For more information, please visit the PokerStars.com website.