Poker Stars Land in Cyprus After Andrian Proves WSOPE King
Italy’s Simone Andrian has made a significant mark on European poker by winning the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. Seven nations were represented amongst the final eight players in the €10,350 entry event, which Andrian outlasted to collect a €1.3 million prize and WSOP gold bracelet.
Andrian entered the final table – day five of play – with a commanding chip lead over his opponents, holding nearly twice the chips of his nearest rival. However, it was not all plain sailing. At the conclusion of Day 4, the new champion sat 45th among the 47 remaining players. Heads-up, Andrian trailed Estonia’s Urmo Velvelt by a ratio of five to one.
Simone Andrian became the third World Series of Poker Europe Main Event winner. ©kingsresortofficial
Six hundred and ninety players plus an additional 78 re-entries saw the King’s Resort, Czech Republic, event smash its €5 million guarantee by over €2.2 million. The prize pool meant Urmo Velvelt’s reward for second was €854,000, and the top nine finishers all collected €100,000 or more. One hundred sixteen players earned prize money in the competition, albeit no English player won a prize.
Russians Invade Cyprus EPT
Europe’s high-stakes poker roadshow has already moved to Cyprus, where the European Poker Tour (EPT) is making its penultimate stop of 2024. English players have fared much better at this event, with Leo Worthington-Leese taking the opening €1,100 entry Eurika Man Event (for $314,030) and Robert James beating 30 rival entries to win $11,200 in a Mixed Game event.
Eight hundred and sixty-two individual players representing 66 countries generated 1,284 entries for the EPT Cyprus Main Event. Providing seven per cent of the field, English players had the second largest representation in the competition – ahead of German and French players, taking six per cent of the turnout. Russian players made up the most significant slice of the field, with 122 players giving the nation a whopping 14 per cent of the entry.
Updated Stars Fear Tax Increase
PokerStars, owners and operators of the European Poker Tour, has introduced new software updates to its online poker room. The upgrades include a redesigned cashier and revamped lobbies. The site is reportedly actively seeking player feedback, particularly concerning tournament lobbies, indicating a focus on improving user experience for online players.
PokerStars, one of the best online poker sites in the UK, has also announced it will no longer continue supporting Windows 7 and 8 operating systems. It recommends players upgrade their operating system to Windows 10 or 11 “to enjoy the best that PokerStars offers” or play using the PokerStars mobile app.
Elsewhere, PokerStars players may be happy, but the company’s owner, Flutter Entertainment, has experienced a turbulent week. Following a story in The Guardian suggesting that UK betting firms need to brace for an autumn budget that could see a rise in tax rates for gambling companies, Flutter’s share price has fallen dramatically.
