The European Poker Tour releases a partial schedule for 2025, a new casino in Chicago, and Bryn Kenney moving into a very expensive neighborhood are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
$73 million for Kenney
Bryn Kenney became the first player in the world to win more than $70 million playing tournament poker after he took down the $132,500 buy-in Triton Super High Roller Main Event in Monte Carlo for $4.4 million. That, of course, puts him number-one on the all-time money list, according to the Hendon Mob.
His results go back to 2007and he’s been on a rocket ever since. A big chunk of his stack came in 2019 when he took second in the £1,050,000 Triton Million for Charity for a whopping $20,563,324. His second largest cash came last August when he won the $262,000 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London event for $6.8 million.
Kenney keeps his place at the top of the leaderboard despite being accused of ring-leading an online poker stable that cheated players — an accusation he has denied over and over.
EPT dates announced
The dates of the first three stops of the 2025 EPT have been released.
From Feb. 12-23, the EPT will be at the Paris Convention Center for the third time. Last year’s €5,300 headliner brought in 1,224 players. Old schooler Barny Boatman was the eventual champion. He took home €1,287,800 and became a PokerStars ambassador as a result.
This year’s headliner takes place Feb. 17-23.
Next, from April 30 to May 10, the EPT heads back to Monte-Carlo Casino. The €5,300 Main Event takes place May 4-10.
And then EPT Barcelona takes place Aug. 18-31, with the €5,300 Main scheduled for Aug. 24-31.
PokerStars, who owns the EPT, has not released the full schedule, which often includes high roller events and smaller buy-in events. Online feeders for EPT Paris have begin on PokerStars globally.
“We’re excited to announce the first part of the calendar with the return of EPT Paris, Monte-Carlo, and Barcelona for 2025”, said Live Events Senior Business Development Manager, Julien Liarte, in a press release. “These iconic stops have become cornerstones of the European Poker Tour, each offering unique experiences and unparalleled competition. We can’t wait to welcome players back for another incredible year of live poker.”
More EPT stops will be announced in the coming months.
Wind Creek Chicago Southland opens
Wind Creek Chicago Southland opened to huge lines Monday. Construction for the $529-million casino began in 2021. It is now the home to 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games, three restaurants and a 10 table poker room with a dedicated cage.
According to ABC Chicago, the casino will generate around $2 million in revenue each year while creating over a thousand jobs.
A 16-story 250 room hotel tower is scheduled to open sometime next year.
