We are all aware that PokerStars’ winter festival, featuring the final stop of the year, EPT Prague, is coming back next month to the Czech Republic in one of Europe’s oldest cities.
Scheduled to run from December 4 to December 15 in the Czech capital at Hilton Hotel Prague, the festival is perfectly timed just before the Christmas season, and it will compete with two of the industry’s biggest live events: WSOP Paradise and the WPT World Championship.
However, EPT Prague is a force in its own right. For players who prefer not to make the long journey to the US or the Bahamas and have a strong loyalty to PokerStars’ European Poker Tour brand, EPT Prague is likely their top choice. Last year’s EPT Prague shattered all previous records despite increased competition, and this year is expected to be no different.
The schedule for this year’s EPT Prague was revealed a few weeks ago and includes *a lineup of 68 event*s. Familiar favorites are back in the mix, including the prestigious €5300 EPT Main Event, a €3000 Mystery Bounty, a selection of High Roller events with buy-ins of €10,300 and €50,000 for those with substantial bankrolls, as well as the Eureka series, which traditionally precedes the EPT Prague. Various side events are also on offer, including qualifiers to the Main Event and daily events.
There’s also a new event set to debut: Spin & Go Live Championship, offering a guaranteed prize pool of €100,000 — great news for fans of the lottery sit and go format which is usually played online.
The First-Ever Mixed Game Main Event
But there’s one more event on the schedule that deserves more attention: PokerStars will host the first-ever Mixed Game Main Event during the EPT Prague series.
It is set to take place from December 12 to 14 and will feature a buy-in of €2200.
This is fantastic news for fans of mixed games, myself included. While No-Limit Hold’em is undoubtedly the most popular poker variant—one we are all familiar with and have likely played countless times—the real excitement and variety is found in mixed games. It is great to see PokerStars embracing and promoting this side of the game.
Here’s PokerStars ambassador GJ Reggie announcing the first-ever Mixed Game Main Event! As a fellow Mixed Game enthusiast, she’s the perfect guide—tune into her Twitch stream channel if you’re looking to learn more about mixed games!
What are Mixed Games?
Mixed Games, as the name implies, involve rotating through multiple poker variants, with each game switching to the next after a set number of hands. These rotations include games like Hold’em, Omaha, Stud-based games such as Razz, Stud Hi/Lo, and Stud, as well as Draw games like Deuce to Seven Lowball, 5-Card Draw, and Badugi.
Tournament organizers offer different types of mixed-game formats, which can vary from 8-Game and 10-Game to HORSE (Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud-based games) or even 5-Game rotations.
For the EPT Prague Mixed Game event, the chosen format will be 10-Game, featuring a sequence that will test players across a wide range of poker skills. The order of games in this event will be:
- Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
- Pot Limit Omaha
- Fixed Limit Stud High-Low 8 or better
- Fixed Limit Badugi
- Fixed Limit Hold’em
- No Limit 2-7 Single Draw
- Fixed Limit Stud
- Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or better
- No Limit Hold’em
- Fixed Limit Razz
Each player will begin with a starting stack of 50,000 chips and is allowed a single re-entry. Each variant will be played for a designated period before rotating to the next game in the lineup.
Online Qualifiers Underway
If you’re a Mixed Game enthusiast or just looking to try something new, this event is one you shouldn’t miss! If the €2200 buy-in feels steep, you can try your hand at the qualifiers currently running on PokerStars.
These qualifiers start as low as €4.40, leading up to a final €215 satellite that guarantees at least one seat to the Mixed Game Main Event. The qualifiers cover various formats, including 8-Game, HORSE, and even No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw (which happens to be my personal favorite).
Qualifiers are running multiple times a week, so there still plenty of opportunities to grab your spot. A live qualifier with a buy-in of €250 will also take place on December 11 — just one day prior to the start of the event.
More Mixed Games
The Mixed Game Main Event is just one of several mixed game offerings at the Prague festival. In addition to the €2200 Main Event, there are half a dozen other events scheduled. Highlights include an 8-Game tournament with a €1100 buy-in from December 5-6 and a €550 HORSE event on December 9.
Also on December 9, the festival will feature a unique Big Bet Mix event with a €1100 buy-in. This event will rotate through five big-bet games: No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or better, No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, Pot Limit Omaha, and No-Limit 5-Card Draw.
On December 10, a standalone 2-7 Single Draw tournament will take place with a modest €550 buy-in, followed by two additional 8-Game events on December 12 and 14, with buy-ins of €5200 and €550 respectively.
Mixed Game/Draw Games Events During EPT Prague 2024
| Date | Event | Buy-in | Re-Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5 – 6 | #8: 8 Game | €1,100 | Unlimited |
| Dec 9 | #27: H-O-R-S-E | €550 | Single |
| Dec 9 – 10 | #30: Big Bet Mix | €1,100 | Unlimited |
| Dec 10 | #36: 2-7 Single Draw | €550 | Single |
| Dec 12 | #48: 8 Game | €5,200 | Unlimited |
| Dec 12 – 14 | #52: Main Event – 10 Game | €2,200 | Single |
| Dec 14 | #61: 8 Game | €550 | Single |
