€14,500 EMOP Lisbon Challenge

In February, Pinnacle Sports Poker will present a three tournament long ranking challenge with 10 packages to EMOP Lisbon up for grabs by the end of the Challenge period. The ten players that perform best overall during these three tournaments will be the winners of these exclusive packages.

In order to qualify for the EMOP Challenge you have to reach the minimum VIP-point requirement between the 1st (00:00:00 CET) and 21st (23:59:59 CET) of February. Each EMOP Portugal package includes €1,100 buy-in to the tournament in Lisbon, as well as €350 for travel expenses.

Players who win will be registered to the event automatically.

VIP-requirements:

Heart: VIP5000 = 10000 in starting chips
Diamond: VIP3000 = 5000 in starting chips
Club: VIP2000 = 3000 in starting chips
Spade: VIP1000 = 1500 in starting chips

EMOP Challenge dates:

EMOP Challenge 1 23rd Feb 19:30 CET
EMOP Challenge 2 25th Feb 19:30 CET
EMOP Challenge 3 28th Feb 19:30 CET

Ranking points:

Place:                    Points:
1                            50
2                            45
3                            40
4                            30
5                            28
6                            26
7                            24
8                            22
9                            20
10 - 15                  15
16 - 20                  12
21 - 25                  10
26 - 30                   8
31 - 35                   6
36 - 40                   3

Iron Man EMOP Lisbon Promotion (€14,500)

Also in February, Pinnacle Sports Poker are offering VIP-point Freerolls every other day starting on the 10th of February and ending on the 28th of February. There is one seat to EMOP Lisbon worth €1,450 to be won in each Freeroll.

The VIP-point buy-in starts at VIP 1 on the 10th and then increases for each tournament. It starts out being very easy to qualify but it becomes harder and harder very fast as these tournaments progress. Earn as many VIP-points as you can and get up to 10 tries to win a seat.

The VIP-points are calculated from the 1st of February 00:00 CET until the start of each Freeroll.

Event Name:                             VIP-point:                     Starting Time:
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 1        VIP1                             10th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 2        VIP5                             12th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 3        VIP10                           14th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 4        VIP20                           16th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 5        VIP50                           18th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 6        VIP100                         20th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 7        VIP200                         22nd of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 8        VIP500                         24th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 9        VIP1000                       26th of February 20:15 CET
Iron Man EMOP Lisbon 10      VIP2000                       28th of February 20:15 CET

How To Qualify:

The second series of the highly successful EMOP Tour visits casinos at some of Europe's most exciting destinations - Ljubljana (Slovenia), Gran Canaria (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Campione (Italy), Sunny Beach (Bulgaria), Barcelona (Spain) ending in Malta. There are several ways to gain a seat at one of these seven venues, you can either qualify online, buy in directly through the poker client or at the casino, or win a seat in one of the many promotions available at Pinnacle Poker. 

Online qualifiers

There are many daily satellites to the Main Qualifiers. Please, see the satellite schedule below, for more information. Each package to a European Masters of Poker event is worth €2,000. The package includes €1,100 for the tournament buy-in and €350 will be credited your account as travel contribution. The package also consists of a four night stay at a high standard hotel.

Each Thursday and Sunday a total of at least eight packages are guaranteed in the Main Qualifiers prize pool and on Mondays’ and Wednesdays’ Main Qualifier four packages are guaranteed.

Buy-in direct

You can secure a seat at a cost of €1,100 by buying it online on the poker client under the event listed under the 'Tournaments tab'. Direct buy-in at the casino is also possible if seats are available at the time of the event.

Please note:

For the EMOP Malta, the cost is €1,500 + €150.

You can also make a direct buy-in for an EMOP package including four nights in a high standard hotel selected by the EMOP team at a cost of €1,650.

Pinnacle Poker monthly promotions 

Each month Pinnacle Poker will offer attractive promotions where seats for EMOP are up for grabs. Make sure to check this web page regularly for details about current and upcoming promotions.

Buy-in at casino

You can make a direct buy-in at the casino if seats are available. The contact information for each of the seven casinos is available under the Tab for each leg of EMOP II. 

EMOP online satellites

Daily satellites (CET)

Weekly finals

EMOP Ljubljana 25-28 November 2009 | Ljubljana | Slovenia

The first stop for EMOP Season II will be the beautiful Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, where the Grand Casino Ljubljana will provide the venue for the tournament. The casino is well known for its experienced staff and great poker room action, which will certainly be the case when EMOP comes to town. It is situated just 26 kilometers from the airport and has a wide variety of games to offer.

Venue: Grand Casino Ljubljana

Web: www.casino-lj.si

Hotel packages

Austria Trend Hotel

Most of the online qualifiers will stay at the Austria Trend hotel, which is in the same building as the casino. This hotel has great restaurants and a really nice wellness center. It is only a walk or a short bus ride to the downtown Ljubljana area. Ljubljana is a city with a lot to offer, in terms of restaurants, bars and nightlife which together with beautiful surroundings, makes a visit to Ljubljana, truly memorable.

Side events:
28 November 2009, Saturday 16:00
Texas NL freezeout
Buy-in: €300+30

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Gran Canaria 28-31 January 2010 | Casino Las Palmas | Gran Canaria

The second stop for EMOP Season II will be the beautiful island of Grand Canaria, where the Casino Las Palmas will provide the venue for the tournament. The casino is situated in Las Palmas, the capital city of Gran Canaria, and also the Canary Islands, famous as one of Europe's most popular beach holiday resorts, but equally so an attractive location for the second leg of EMOP II.

Venue: Casino Las Palmas

Web: www.casinolaspalmas.com

Side events:
TBA

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Lisbon 25-28 March 2010 | Lisbon | Portugal

The third stop for EMOP Season II takes in the historic Portuguese capital of Lisbon, where the Casino Estoril will provide the venue for the tournament. The casino is situated just outside of Lisbon at the seaside resort of Estoril, describing it as the 'largest casino in Europe', and certainly a fitting venue for the third leg of EMOP II.

Venue: Casino Estoril
Web: www.casino-estoril.pt

Hotel packages

Preliminary Side events:

24 March 2010, Wednesday , 21:00
Texas NL , Shoot out
Buy-in: €200+20
Single-table satellites for EMOP main event

26 March 2010, Friday, 21:00
DAY 1 , Texas NL, Buy-in: €300+30 ( 150 players, 5000 starting stack)

27 March, Saturday , 15:00
Day 2, Sideevent Texas NL €300+30 (Final)

28 March 2010, Sunday, 16:00
Texas NL, Buy-in €150+15 (150 players, 5000 starting stack)

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Italy 27-30 May 2010 | Campione | Italy

The fourth stop for EMOP Season II takes players to the shores of Lake Lugano in Northern Italy and the Casino Campione. Campione is the archetypal casino location, and could easily feature in a James Bond movie. Visiting it is a must for avid poker players, so this is a great opportunity for a trip of a lifetime.

Venue: Casino di Campione
Web: www.casinocampione.it/

Side events:
TBA

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Bulgaria 28 July-1 August 2010 | Sunny Beach | Bulgaria

The aptly named Bulgarian resort of Sunny Beach provides the location for the fifth stop on EMOP Season II, where the Crystal Crown Casino provides the location for the poker action. Sunny Beach is Bulgaria's biggest and most popular seaside resort, and the Crystal Crown Casino - downtown of the resort - provides 4,500 square feet of edge-of-your seat casino excitement. Great reason to try to win your place at the fifth leg of EMOP II.

Venue: Sunny Beach Crystal Crown Casino
Web: www.crystal-crown.com/

Side events:
TBA

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Barcelona 23-26 September 2010 | Barcelona | Spain

Barcelona, one of Europe's, and the world's most famous cities, provides the location for the penultimate leg of the EMOP II tour, with the Casino Barcelona supplying the venue. Barcelona, needs no introduction, offering unrivalled history, culture, entertainment and architecture, which together provide a perfect backdrop for the sixth stop on EMOP II.

Venue: Casino Barcelona
Web: www.casino-barcelona.com

Side events:
TBA

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Malta 17-20 November 2010 | Casino di Venezia | Malta

The Casino di Venezia on the Vittoriosa Waterfront across the harbour from the Valletta, the island's capital, is one of the most picturesque gambling locations in the world, and as such provides a fantastic venue for the penultimate leg of EMOP II. Take your chance at Pinnacle Poker to win a seat at the seventh leg of EMOP II.

Venue: Casino di Venezia
Web: www.casinodivenezia.com.mt

Side events:
TBA

Schedule (*local time)

EMOP Master Cruise 5-12 December 2010 | Los Angeles | Mexican Riviera

The main tournament, the culmination of EMOP Series II Masters, will take place aboard The Mariner of the Seas, leaving Los Angeles,on December 5th,  for a fantastic 7 nights cruise along the Mexican Riviera, with massive cash prizes on offer. 16 lucky leaderboard qualifiers will battle it out for a share of the cash prizes on offer aboard the once in a lifetime journey. The highlight of the cruise wil be The EMOP Master, a tournament with prizes for all the competitors. From each of the EMOP main events leading up to the Master Cruise there is a deduction of 4% of the prize pool, which provides a massive fund for the EMOP Master Cruise including "The EMOP Master".

We will arrange flights from Europe to the embarkation point in Los Angeles. Each participant will spend the voyage in a luxury ocean view cabin. Qualifiers for the Master Cruise will have access to a poker room with 25 poker tables, rubbing shoulders with recreational players from the US. The EMOP Master Cruise is managed in cooperation with Card Player Cruises who guarantee a plentiful supply of regular tournaments and Cash Games to choose from. If you need a break from the table, pull up a sun lounger and relax on board a modern luxury cruise liner on a trip of a lifetime.


Venue: Mariner of the Seas
Web: www.royalcaribbean.com/

Schedule (*local time)

Rules & structure

Tournament structure

Texas Hold'Em No Limit Freezeout
Buy-in: €1,000 + 100
Starting points: 20,000

Prize pool distribution

96% of the prize pool is going to the players in the money. 4% of the prize pool is going to the EMOP Leaderboard.

Tournament rules

In the event of any disputes, the Tournament Director's decision at each venue on the 'EMOP' is final. Players are advised to familiarize themselves with any local rules and regulations before entering the tournaments held there.

Poker competition rules

1.Seating assignment will be determined by random draw and will not be transferable.
2. A draw for the button will be held at one table at the beginning of the tournament and the button will be placed on same seat at all tables. There will be a re-draw for seats and button on Day 2 and Final.
3. Players will be allocated the exact same number of chips as all other players and this amount bears no relation to the buy- in of the event.
4. All chips must be visibly displayed at all times. A player's highest denomination chips cannot be 'hidden' and must be visible at all times. Players may not have tournament chips in their pockets at any time. A player who has chips in his pocket will forfeit the chips and will receive a penalty as per (31). The forfeited chips will be taken out of play from the tournament.
5. There will be no foreign chips allowed on the table EMOP for a maximum of one card cap.
6. When it is time to colour-up chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to any player. The chip race will always start in the No 1 seat. A player cannot be raced out of a tournament. In the event that a player has only one chip left, the regular race procedure will take place. If that player loses the race, he will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.
7. Betting will be in clockwise order and must be in turn.
8. Verbal declarations in turn are binding. Action out of turn may be binding:
— If a player bets, raises or calls out of turn the bet stands.
— If the player who should have acted first chooses to bet more than the out-of-turn bet, the player who acted out of turn can either make up the difference to call, or take back his bet and fold, or re-raise.
9. If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet, he will be required to make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed.
10. An oversized chip placed in the pot before the flop with no verbal declaration will be considered a call; after the flop an oversized chip put into the pot will constitute the size of the bet.
11. When raising, a player must put the amount of the raise out in one motion or state the raise amount. By stating the word 'raise' a player protects his right to raise, but the raise must be made in one additional motion unless the player states the amount of the raise.
12. Over-blinds (straddles) are not permitted in tournament play.
13. Under-raises are only permitted if a player is going "all-in". Less than a full raise does not re-open the betting to a player who has already acted.
14. Players must be in their seat when the dealer finishes the deal. If the player is not in their seat then the dealer will muck their hand immediately.
15. All cards will be turned face up once a player is all-in and all action is complete.
16. Tournament play will use a 'dead button'.
17. When time has elapsed in a round and a new round is announced, the new limits apply to the next hand. A hand has begun with the first riffle.
18. Players may not ask for deck changes.
19. The one player to a hand rule will be enforced.
20. No rabbit hunting is allowed.
21. A player who intentionally dodges his blinds when moving from a broken table may forfeit the blinds and incur a penalty. The money will be put into the next pot and considered dead money.
22. A player wanting to use a cellular phone must step away from the table.
23. Verbal declarations regarding your own hand are not binding and commenting on the possible contents of an opponent's hand is allowed for the purposes of the televised tournament. However this only applies to players involved in the hand and not to players who have already passed their hand.
24. Players who are not in the hand may not discuss the hand in play until all action is completed. Discussing cards discarded is not allowed.
25. No player will be allowed to expose his or her cards during a hand.
26. It is a player's responsibility to protect their own hands at all times. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to his money back. An exception would be if a player raised and his raise had not been called yet, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.
27. Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned face up and was obviously the winning hand.
28. Floor people are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as top priority in the decision making process. Unusual circumstances can, on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be ignored in the interest of fairness. The floor manager's decision is final.
29. If two or more players are eliminated at the same table, the player with the higher chip count will receive the higher finishing place. During regular play, if two or more players are eliminated at separate tables, they will be assigned a finishing place based on the order of his/her elimination. In the event it is impossible to determine the order of elimination, they will equally split the prizes involved. During "Hand for Hand" play, if two or more players are eliminated at separate tables, they will equally split the prizes involved.
30. Management reserves the right to cancel or alter any event at its sole discretion in the best interest of the tournament or its players.
31. Tournament tables will be balanced all the time. Players will be moved from the big blind to the worst position. When the tournament is down to two tables and there is need for balancing, the player with the smallest chipcount of the table will be moved.
32. A player can be issued the following penalties: (a) verbal warning, (b) missed hand penalty, (c) have a hand declared dead, (d) disqualification, or (e) elimination.

A missed hand penalty will be assessed as follows: At the beginning of the next hand, the offender will be required to miss one hand for every player (including the offender) who is at the table. A floor supervisor can assess a one-, two-, three-, or four-round penalty (For example: 7 players x3-rounds = 21 missed hands). While on a penalty, the offender must remain away from the table. Repeated infractions are subject to escalating penalties.

Note: If a player is moved while on a penalty, he/she will sit-out the remainder of the penalty at the new table. This action may require a player to miss and pay more than one set of blinds.

Players who are disqualified will not be entitled to a refund, their chips will be removed from play and their standing in the tournament will be established based on the time the chips are removed from play. A severe infraction of the rules may also result in a player being eliminated from the tournament meaning additionally the player will not be entitled to any prize money.
33. Calling for the clock procedures: Once a reasonable amount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will be given one minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by the time the minute is over, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.
34. The use of bad language is strictly forbidden and will lead to penalties being imposed on the offending player/s.
35. In the event of any disputes arising during any tournament on European Masters of Poker the Tournament Director's decision is final.
36. A player who leaves a tournament at any stage and for whatever reason is deemed to have forfeited any right to the cost of entry. The chip stack of such player will continue to be blinded off, however, should the player finish in the money once all chips have been blinded off, the player shall remain eligible for the prize which corresponds to the order of his/her finish.
37. all EMOP Tournaments are non-smoking tournaments.
38. Prizes and entries are non-transferable. Prize structures depend on the number of entrants and type of event. Payouts will be made online.
39. Players must have a current valid picture identification.
40. If the participant is not present at the start of the tournament, all forced antes and blinds bets will be removed from an absent player’s stack accordingly. If player shows up and still has chips remaining, [s]he may play his or her chips.
41. Players found to be transferring chips from one event to another or from one player to another will be subject to penalty.
42. Any player who directs any profane and/or abusive language at another player, dealer or tournament staff member or who makes any profane and/or abusive comments about another player, dealer or tournament staff member will be penalized.
43. Any player(s) adjudged or determined by the EMOP Tournament Directing to be colluding with other players will immediately be disqualified from the event, and will not be allowed to play in future EMOP events.
44. Floor People are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can on occasion dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The floor person’s decision is final.
45. The English-only rule will be enforced at all tables during tournament play.
46. Soft play will result in penalties that may include forfeiture of chips and/or disqualification. Chip dumping will result in disqualification.
47. When heads up in blind games, the small blind is on the button and acts first. When beginning heads-up play, the button may need to be adjusted to ensure no player takes the big blind twice.
48. At the end of the last round of betting, the player who made the last aggressive betting action in that betting round must show first. If there was no bet during the final round, the player to the left of the button shows first, and so on in a clockwise direction.
49. A player must show cards when playing the board to get part of the pot.