Editor
Poker players have been waiting nearly two years for the EPT to make a triumphant return to France, and the wait is nearly over. EPT Paris starts Feb. 18, 2026, with 52 events running through March 1 at the iconic Le Palais des Congrès.
The 2025 edition of the event was cancelled due to regulatory issues. The crown jewel of the festival, the €5,300 Main Event, runs Feb. 23-March 1 with poker icon Barny Boatman set to defend his title. Last time around, back in February of 2024, the 68-year-old Boatman outlasted 1,717 players to win €1,287,800 in one of the more memorable EPT tournaments. Boatman became the oldest player to win an EPT title, and, two years later, that record still stands.
If all that wasn’t enough, EPT Paris is the first event of the 2026 EPT season.
PokerStars Open, €100k Super High Roller Set for Paris Debut
The PokerStars Live circuit looks different than the last time the EPT made its way to Paris.
The most significant change is the rebranding and unification of smaller regional tours to the broader PokerStars Open nomenclature. Indeed, PokerStars Open, which focuses on mid-stakes events, will make its debut at the 2026 edition of EPT Paris with three PSO-branded tournaments. All PSO and EPT events earn points toward the PokerStars Live League, with significant prizes for players who finish atop the leaderboards (High, Medium, and Low tiers).
The stop’s Super High Roller also got a significant upgrade this year, going from a €50k event to €100k. In 2024, Frenchman Thomas Santerne outlasted 62 entries to take down a first-place prize of €889,480. MTT legend Stephen Chidwick finished ninth for a €116,700 payout.
Poker fans will also be interested in the innovative Spin & Go Championship LIVE, where 81 players will battle it out in person in the popular rapid-fire format. There’s no direct buy-in for this event, and all 81 will have qualified online. True to the format, some portions of the prize pool are distributed by spinning wheels or mystery envelopes. EPT Paris marks just the third time the Spin & Go live format has been presented.
Here’s a look at some of the key events for EPT Paris (you can see the full schedule on PokerStars Live):
| Tournament Series | Event Name | Dates | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars Open | Main Event | February 18-23 | €1,650.00 |
| PokerStars Open | Cup | February 21-22 | €825.00 |
| PokerStars Open | High Roller | February 22-24 | €2,700.00 |
| EPT | Super High Roller | February 22-24 | €100,000.00 |
| EPT | Main Event | February 23-March 1 | €5,300.00 |
| EPT | Mystery Bounty | February 25-27 | €3,250.00 |
| EPT | High Roller | February 27-March 1 | €10,300.00 |
Why Was the 2025 EPT Paris Cancelled?
In recent years, EPT Paris has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, so it was a great surprise when PokerStars announced it would cancel the event in December of 2024 due to regulatory issues. The cancellation stemmed from a specific problem: the temporary casino law, which authorized gaming operations in the city, was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024, with no renewal in sight.
The law was expected to be renewed or amended well before December, but a political standstill left PokerStars management with a very tough choice. Finally, on Dec. 11, PokerStars, looking to avoid a catastrophe, decided to pull the plug on the entire festival, which was also scheduled to take place at Palais des Congres. It turned out to be a wise decision.
The French government collapsed in late 2024 thanks to a no-confidence vote. Casino licensing was put on the back burner, and all seven gaming venues in the Paris area were shuttered for two months.
Finally, in late February, the gaming establishments received an emergency extension to reopen. In late 2026, the government finally passed far-reaching legislation that gave gaming clubs permanent legal status, thus ending nine years of pilots.
The new clarity for gaming laws in Paris should lead to a much more stable environment for poker in the city, which bodes well for the continued success of EPT Paris.
