EPT Berlin Created for 2010

Typically, the European Poker Tour (EPT) has a stop in Dortmund where many of the best German poker players in the world take a shot at a large pot of Euros. This year however, in an effort to boost the number of entrants on the German leg of the EPT, the organizers have instead opted to move the tournament from Dortmund to the country’s capital in Berlin in the hopes that this will drum up more interest.

Another thing that might drum up interest for the new EPT Berlin event is the prize pool. For the first time on the German leg of the tour, a whopping grand prize of EUR 1 million is guaranteed to the person that wins the tournament. This will be good news for Sandra Naujoks, a member of Team Poker Stars Germany and the defending champion of the EPT Dortmund tournament that took place last year. She won over EUR 900,000 for her efforts and this year will get a chance to improve on that cash.

Joining Sandra on the EPT Berlin will be the rest of Team Poker Stars Germany as well as a few other players that frequent the online halls of that hallowed online poker site. In addition to poker professionals, famous celebrities like Boris Becker and Jan Heitmann are scheduled to make an appearance at the tournament.

Last year, the EPT Dortmund event was blessed by 667 players entering the tournament. This year, even with a somewhat hefty entry fee of EUR 5000 + EUR 300, it is expected that the EPT Berlin event will draw many more players. This is indeed what the organizers were hoping for when they made the switch, but the larger field also means that in order to successfully defend her title and get the higher cash prize, Naujoks will have to wade through a field likely much larger than the one she defeated at Dortmund in 2009.

The tournament will begin on March 2nd, 2010 and will run through to March 7th, 2010. Satellites for entry into the tournament are already available at various online poker sites.