PokerStars is Off to Barcelona for a Late-August Festival

The European Poker Tour (EPT) is headed back to Barcelona for two weeks of live poker action, beginning on August 21, 2023. Catalonia’s region capital, Barcelona, is historically one of the biggest stops for PokerStars EPT live calendar, and played host to the very first EPT Main Event in history way back in 2004, so the Spanish stop is a jewel in the EPT crown.

The latest edition of EPT Barcelona is poised to set records once again. The action gets underway on August 21, and Barcelona has been a record stop for PokerStars in the past. In 2015, it became the biggest EPT Main Event field ever at 1694 players, but that was just the beginning, with Barcelona continuing to set attendance and prize pool records in subsequent years.

Last year’s edition was the biggest ever, clocking in at 2294 entries for a prize pool of €11,125,900. That was 600 entries above the record set in 2015.

While it was one of the first big live festivals after pandemic restrictions began to ease global travel last year, 2022’s record followed successive Main Event field size records in 2019, 2018, and 2016, so even if the 2022 festival was boosted by post-pandemic poker hunger, it is clear that Barcelona is the biggest EPT event by a long shot.

This year’s edition of EPT Barcelona runs from August 21 through September 3 with a total of 63 events on the schedule. Twenty-three of those events are qualifiers of some kind or other, leaving 40 games with standard cash payouts.

As is always the case when the EPT lands in Barcelona, the series is coupled with the Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT), with the ESPT events usually seeing truly huge numbers.

EPT Cyprus October 11 – 22

• Online Qualifiers now running, including Freerolls
• PokerStars’ first-ever EPT stop in Cyprus!
• EPT Main Event October 16 – 22
• Includes Mystery Bounty, High & Super High Roller Events

To take part in the action, head to the PokerStars Lobby

Play EPT Cyprus Online Qualifiers »

Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, visit the National Council of Problem Gambling.

Highlights of EPT/ESPT Barcelona 2023

• ESPT:
  • ESPT Main Event: August 21-27 – €1,100
  • ESPT Cup: August 25-26 – €550
  • ESPT High Roller: August 26-27 – €2,200
• EPT:
  • EPT Super High Roller: August 26-28 – €100,000
  • EPT Main Event: August 27-September 3 – €5,300
  • EPT Mystery Bounty: August 30-September 1 – €3,000
  • EPT High Roller: September 1-3 – €10,300

End of Summer Poker Party in Barcelona

Summer is coming to a close but PokerStars is throwing one more big poker party before fall arrives. The action on the felt will be hot from August 21 to September 3, but there will also be a lot of stuff happening off the felt at EPT Barcelona as well.

In addition to welcome drinks at the Sofitel Hotel Blue Terrace on August 22, there are summer excursion activities planned throughout the festival.

Off-Felt Activities in Barcelona

• Welcome drinks at Sofitel Hotel Blue Terrace on August 22 (from 20:00)
• Catamaran brunch excursion on August 23, 26 & 31 (11:00-14:00)
• Player’s party at CDLC beach club on August 27 (from 20:00)
• City Bus Tour, running every day of the event

The poker action will be just as exciting, though, with multiple events every day. Buy-ins for the full events start at €550 for the ESPT Cup and players with ultra-deep pockets can spend as much as €100k for a single buy-in. On average, players will spend €9,888 per event, but the median buy-in is a fraction of that at €2,100.

There are five games at the bargain-basement price of €550 including the Estrellas Cup and the Women’s event and 11 tournaments priced at €1,050 or €1,100, including the ESPT Main Event which starts its opening day flights on the first day of the festival.

Get all the details on the events on offer in Barcelona from PokerStars and be sure to check out the online client for satellite games starting from freerolls leading up to a €530 direct qualifier to the EPT Barcelona Main Event.