The Best Casinos to have graced the EPT Circuit

One of the most prestigious poker tournament series', the European Poker Tour has several exclusive venues across the continent.

Casino Atrium Prague – hosts of EPT Prague 2019

The Atrium Casino in Prague is usually host to the final EPT event of the year – a time where poker players are full of festive spirit given the final table is usually played less than a week before Christmas. EPT Prague (alongside EPT Barcelona which we will discuss later) is one of the most hyped tournaments on the circuit. Czech Republic first opened its doors to the EPT in 2007 during the EPTs fourth season – the EPT is now in its 15th season and still going strong.

The Casino Atrium is part of Prague’s Hilton Hotel and has become one of the classic casinos on the tour. Casino Atrium has hosted no fewer than 12 EPT events in 2019, awarded Belarusian poker pro Mikalai Pobal €1,005,600 for his first-place finish in 2019.

Casino Barcelona – hosts of EPT Barcelona 2019

Alongside EPT Prague, EPT Barcelona is the most popular event on the EPT calendar. In fact, the Barcelona Open was the first ever event on the EPT calendar when it was launched back in 2004 – the event was won by Swedish poker player Alexander Stevic who scooped €80,000. Fast forward to 2019 where the winning player, another Swede; Simon Brandstorm took home almost €1.3 million for his troubles.

The city of Barcelona has featured in every single season of the EPT and is usually the first tournament tour of the year. Casino Barcelona is one of the classiest casinos in the world rivalling those in the cities of London, Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. Casino Barcelona offers players every single way of gambling that they can think of, including table games such as Blackjack and Lightning Roulette as well as tournaments, cash games and slot machines. The casino also offers players fine dining with one of the best restaurants in the city located inside the building.

Monte Carlo Casino – Hosts of EPT Monte Carlo and PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino

EPT Monte-Carlo is one of the most expensive cities on the planet, so you shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that it is home to numerous of most glamorous casinos out there with the casino known as the Monte Carlo Casino coming out as the most glamorous of them all. The Monte-Carlo casino has entertained numerous EPT poker events and usually hosts the majority of the super high roller and hyper-roller events as well as the season ending EPT Grand Finals.

If you are a poker player yourself then you should certainly visit Monte-Carlo casino, but only stay here if you are prepared to pay for a lot more than just your stake at the poker table. Expect to pay above and beyond $20 for a simple salad.

Casino Sochi – Hosts of EPT Sochi

Sochi is a new addition to the EPT tour with an event first being held in the Russian city in 2018. Sochi was the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics – something the Russian government spent a lot of time and money into preparing for. Fortunately, it has been proven to be a popular venue for the players on tour.

The casino itself – Casino Sochi – is brand spanking new. It has everything that a modern casino can offer. Not only this but Sochi itself is one of the warmest cities in Russia. Located in the South West of Russia, the weather in Sochi is similar to that of the Mediterranean – do not expect stereotypical Russian temperatures here! The first and so far, only event held in Sochi was won by Russian player Arsenii Karmatckii.

Casino Malta

Host of the annual Battle of Malta poker tournament, Casino Malta is one of three casinos located on the tiny island of Malta which can be found off the coast of Sicily. Casino Malta was in the news for the wrong reasons in 2019 as the casino operators decided to introduce topless male dealers in a female only poker tournament. Whether or not the organisers thought this was a good idea or if they just wanted publicity for the casino remains to be seen, but the news was picked up throughout Europe.

Casino

Malta itself is a fun casino located in the heart of the Maltese party town of Paceville. This should be the number one spot for party-going casino and poker players. Unlike many of the other casinos on this list, Casino Malta offers lower and medium stake tournaments. There stand out event – the Battle of Malta – is considered a medium/lower stake buy-in event. Considering that Malta has not been part of the EPT since 2016, you should check this event/casino out if you are looking for a slightly easier field to play against.

Hippodrome London

In truth, we could have picked any number of the beautiful casinos located in London. The shortlist included the casino of Phil Ivey infamy Crockfords, The Victoria and The Ritz casino. However, the casino of choice for the EPT tour is none other than the casino described as London’s biggest casino and most popular entertainment venue – The Hippodrome Casino. EPT London has been a constant venue on the EPT calendar up until 2015 when the Hippodrome casino hosted what would end up to be the final EPT held in London. Since 2015, the tour has not returned to London for whatever reason, however, London is still home to some of the greatest casinos in the world, so it would be amiss of us to not include one in this list.