| San Remo and EPT The San Remo event of Season 4 of the European Poker Tour (EPT) started on April 1st, 2008.
Poker fans will recall that Season 4 had kicked off on August 28, 2007, at Casino Barcelona in Spain.
After a seven-month journey through some of the best casinos in Europe, including the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas, the EPT has reached the last but one stage in Italy. The final will take place in Monte Carlo from the 15th of April.
One thing needs to be said about the EPT venues. They are the epitome of luxury and perfect for unwinding after a day’s grueling tournament. San Remo in the west of Italy fits the bill perfectly. This city in the Italian Riviera is named after Saint Romulus, the warrior saint, who is often depicted with a sword. Undoubtedly many swords will be bared over the course of the tournament. The casino apart from being over a hundred years old has another claim to fame. It is said that the game of Telesina, which is a variant of Five Card Stud, originated here.
The San Remo leg of the EPT will be played over five days till April 5. It has a buy in of € 4,700 + 300. The EPT site lists a cap of 500 players but the rumor mills are placing the figure closer to 700. The event began with a welcome party on the night of March 31. The party was hosted by PokerStars and held at the Victory Morgana Bay Club on the sea front. PokerStars let out all stops in order to make the party a grand success with free buffet and drinks and not to forget the disc jockey and circus acts. Three girls performing mind-boggling acrobatics fifteen feet above the ground is a sight one will not forget in a hurry.
Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier of France heads the cash prize tally in Season 4 so far with winnings of €1,428,571. Sander Lylloff of Denmark is not far behind with a tally of €1,170,700.
There will be quite a few competitors who will be trying to change the existing order. Among them are Magnus Petersson from Team Bodog, Raymond Rahme from South Africa and Daniel Negreanu from PokerStars. 337 took part in Day1A of the San Remo tournament. Two broke the three-figure barrier. Ville Nyman finished in the lead with 107k and Henrick Brockmann was second with 100k. |
