European Poker Tour: Series Two

After weeks of begging, threatening, and pleading, I have finally managed to persuade EPT boss John Duthie to reveal the schedule for season two of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour. John, armed only with a telephone and an army of lawyers, has worked ceaselessly over the summer months to make sure the EPT continues to flourish in Europe's finest casinos.



In order to emphasize his multitasking skills – TV director/entrepreneur/professional poker player – John somehow also found time to make the final table of the $3,000 no-limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker.


The most significant difference of the EPT next season is the increase in the minimum buy-in from €2,000 to €4,000, a natural progression that should attract the high rollers without excluding the poker masses. Also, the Austrian event has been switched from the Concord Card Casino in Vienna to Baden, 30 kilometers south of the Austrian capital. Baden is one of Europe's most elegant and historic casinos, as well as being home to the Poker EM, the biggest seven-card stud tournament in Europe (which will take place immediately following the EPT no-limit hold'em event). I can already hear the howls of protest at the decision to switch from a popular and well-established venue – there is no finer cardroom manager than the Concord's Thomas Lamatsch – but, I dare say, nonsmokers will breathe a little easier.



John would also like to add that new EPT venues are still under consideration, so the following list may well see one or two additions in the future:

Barcelona, Spain: Sept. 16-17 (€4,000 buy-in)

London, England: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 (£3,000, or €4,300 approximately)

Baden, Austria: Oct. 4-6 (€4,000)

Dublin, Ireland: Oct. 29-30 (€4,000)

Copenhagen, Denmark: Jan. 25-26, final on Jan. 28 (DKR 30,000, or €4,000 approximately)

Deauville, France: Feb. 8-9, final on Feb. 11 (€4,000)

Monte Carlo, Monaco: EPT Grand Final, March 8-11 (€10,000)



Further details can be found at http://www.ept.com/.



QUALITY QUALIFIER MIXES IT WITH THE BIG BOYS

In my very first column for this magazine, I wrote a piece standing up for the online qualifiers at major tournaments who are so contemptuously dismissed as "dead money" by the savvy professionals. To make my point, I highlighted the excellent performance of 21-year-old American Michael Cribb, who qualified online for the EPT London event, where he narrowly missed out on a money finish. Michael went on to qualify for both the €10,000 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo and the $10,000 main event at the WSOP, in which he finished 139th out of 5,619, for prize money of $54,965. Watching him play on day three in Las Vegas – focused, aggressive, and having the time of his life – it was clear he wasn't the slightest bit overawed or intimidated by his environment. Bad news for tournament professionals: The dead money is alive and coming to get you.



ANDY GLAZER SADLY MISSED

I caught sight of a big, burly guy with a goatee beard at the WSOP in Las Vegas, and, for a second, I thought it was Andy Glazer. The mind can play mean tricks sometimes. Andy passed away last year, at the age of just 48, and poker lost maybe its finest voice. He was a writer of enthusiasm and authority on a game he loved.



When I covered the WSOP for TV, Andy was the first person I sought out for an interview, knowing I was guaranteed an informative and entertaining chat. When I couldn't get to the WSOP, it was Andy's online tournament reports that conveyed the excitement back across the Atlantic. Andy was greatly missed this year, and it was appropriate that his passing was acknowledged before the 2005 WSOP final table got under way at Binion's, where the room observed a moment of silence in remembrance of absent friends.



Conrad Brunner works for PokerStars.com.