When it began, several Europeans had a chance to be world poker champion, and indeed, in 2008 Peter Eastgate from Denmark received the crown. There were nearly 6,000 players from 75 countries and a total prize pool of over 38 million Euro in EPT Season Four, and there was no reason not to believe that 2009 would exceed those expectations.

The Barcelona Open

It all began in Spain, with the Barcelona Open. This contest featured an eight thousand Euro entry fee, somewhat high for an EPT event. However that did not deter a full 619 players, 168 from PokerStars, from all over the world turning out to compete for what ended up being a prize pool of nearly five million Euros. The ultimate winner would be Sebastian Ruthenberg, and it would be far from his only appearance at an EPT money table. Ruthenberg defeated Ireland's Fintan Gavin for the title, and other notable money finishers included Jason Mercier and Joe Pelton, both United States poker champions.

An Introduction to a Huge Year for the EPT

Ruthenberg's victory was worth 1.361 million Euros, and set the stage for the biggest season of the European Poker Tour ever in 2009. Other events to follow would include two events that were paired with follow up high-roller events, in London and the Caribbean, as well as a massive Grand Final in Monte Carlo with a prize pool of over nine million Euros, which resulted in a first prize of over two million Euros.

Expectations Exceeded

In the end, the EPT Season Five in 2009 did exceed all expectations, with an incredible 7,901 players from 97 different countries, 3,072 of those players from PokerStars, a prize pool of nearly 55 million Euros, and a total in first place prize money of over 13 million Euros. The European Poker Tour is fast becoming even more popular than the World Poker Tour, and even larger fields and bigger prizes are sure to follow in 2010 and beyond.