French Poker Suffers Further Blow With PokerStars EPT Deauville Departure

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Thursday, February 19th, 2015 | Written by Charles Washington

Just one week after Ognyan Dimov won the European Poker Tour Main Event in Deauville, France, for €543,700 ($616,376), PokerStars and the EPT have now announced the city in northwestern France would no longer be a feature of the tour. Commenting on the decision, PokerStars Senior Manager of Public Relations, Rebecca McAdam, explained:

“Our contract to hold EPT events in Deauville has now reached its natural conclusion. We are grateful to our partners at Barriere, the staff, and the people of the town of Deauville for their hospitality over the last 11 seasons of the EPT.”

Restrictive Poker Laws

While McAdam’s comments portray a natural progression of events, many analysts believe the decision was more likely linked to the untenable poker laws which currently exist in France, which have made it practically impossible for organizers to hold a viable tournament in the country. Gaming conditions in France, for instance, have made it impractical to offer the level of entertainment and services usually associated with the tour, or, indeed to offer the many smaller tournaments and cash games which usually accompany the main event.

Deauville A Poor Location

Although Deauville is one of Normandy’s most beautiful seaside resort, the location does not seem to offer those type of entertainments most sought after by players frequenting the EPT circuit, while holding the event in January means the weather is less likely to show off and attract visitors to an area long referred to as the “queen of the Norman beaches”. This is clearly demonstrated in the number of competitors drawn to the recent EPT Deauville main event, which at 592 players was significantly lower than Season 11 Barcelona (1,496) and Prague (1,107).

Female Events Not Respected

The poker industry has long acknowledged the need to do more to attract women to a game traditionally dominated by men, and as a result many casinos now offer poker tournament exclusively catering to female players. However, French gender equality laws have allowed men to enter women’s competitions, such as the EPT Deauville Ladies Event, and this year 22 men decided to take part in the €220 buy-in tournament. The ridiculousness of the situation was further compounded after six of the last 11 players were men, with male French player Thierry Derkx eventually winning the event after defeating last woman standing, Sabina Hiatullah.

The EPT Deauville Ladies Event understandably drew criticism from many quarters, not least one of poker’s top female pro’s, Victoria Coren Mitchell, who commented: “Those are not 22 men, those are 22 idiots. Having a ladies event is not about being Prime Minister or running a country..it’s not that important.. Traditionally, women don’t play poker, and that’s partially because some of them find it intimidating. Ladies events are a nice way to create a fun event and at the same time to attract women that would not play otherwise.”

A Series Of Blows To French Poker

The loss of EPT Deauville is just one of a series of blows to have hit the French poker playing community in recent years. One major development includes the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) held in Cannes between 2011 and 2013 being moved to Berlin, Germany, in 2015. Another piece of bad news came after the World Poker Tour (WPT) terminated its Grand Prix de Paris after a raid by French police on the Aviation Club related to money laundering allegations. Prior to these events, the Partouche Poker Tour announced the end to its tour in the country after controversy broke out when CEO Patrick Partouche tried to apparently renege on the €5,000,000 prize pool guaranteed ahead of the Main Event. Commenting on the impact EPT Deauville’s departure will now have on the French poker industry, Head of Barriere Casinos Eric Cavillon, said “This is going to leave a big empty space in the calendar,” while French poker pro Philppe Ktorza, wrote on his Facebook page:

“The EPT in Deauville has been important for France’s poker community. I still remember the enthusiasm of the players for what was considered to be the event of the year. There are not going to be any big poker tournaments in France anymore. To be able to play against the best international players of the game we will be obliged to leave and go to play abroad.”