Evolution of the EPT
John Duthie, the producer of the EPT show has been a high stakes poker player for several years. His biggest triumph was his winning the 2000 Poker Million live on television, where he won £1,000,000. This feat helped to popularize the game of poker in the UK.
It is believed that soon after that, John Duthie like Archimedes received his EPT epiphany while in the midst of having a bath. His brainchild of broadcasting Europe’s first transnational Poker Tour took only six months to take off after he first conceived the idea. It turned out to be a popular multi-event, multi-country series of televised poker tournaments spread across Europe, sponsored and supported by PokerStars.com and culminating in the EPT'S Monte Carlo Grand Final.
Duthie knew that the World Poker Tour had been a huge success and the organizers were hoping to expand into Europe. The two attempts made by others so far had been unsuccessful and Duthie decided that it was time for him to intervene. He had a distinct edge over the WPT organizers, which he wasted no time in capitalizing to his advantage. He not only know the European market very well, he also harbored a great relationship with the Vic in London. As soon as he had convinced them, he signed PokerStars as the sponsor and Eurosport agreed to broadcast the shows. Soon, other European venues realized that the pot was simmering with a distinct flavor of championship poker and followed suit.
Duthie’s has seen his brainchild flourished into Europes’ riches and most prestigious poker circuit and is now broadcast in more than 40 countries worldwide. He is an expert analyst on the EPT TV show and also acts as the commentator along with Colin Murray.
The EPT season started off with a humble buy-in event of €1,000 in Barcelona with 229 players. This season the buy-in has reached €10,000 attracting more than 1000 players more across the world! Season 4 of the EPT involved 11 tournaments across Europe as well as the PCA in the Bahamas. There were new events showcased in the Czech Republic and San Remo in Italy, both of which were sold out with 555 and 701 players respectively. The grand finale at Monte Carlo attracted a record breaking 842 players with a prize pool of a staggering €8.4 million, making it the richest tournament ever held outside of Las Vegas. The total prize pool for EPT Season 4 was €38.2 million with nearly 6,000 contestants overall.
This prestigious tour has witnessed four fabulous pulse-racing seasons comprising of 33 rounds around a dozen European countries. As a true innovative force, it has been a triumph of magnificent proportions. As season 5 unfolds, the EPT continues to be known for the high standards that it sets and demands not only from itself with regards to organization but even from its players.
