New Poker Championship from Microgaming

March 23, 2009 (InfoPowa News) — Online poker rooms on the Microgaming Poker Network have started running qualification tourneys in its newly launched Europe's first European Championships of Single Table Tournaments (ECOSTT). The satellites will culminate in a grand finale at the Reval Park Casino in Tallinn, Estonia, from 17 to 19 July 2009.
 
A Microgaming spokesman said that the event has been designed to find Europe’s top STT poker players, with a prize pool of €120,000 on offer, generated from qualifiers and the €2,200 buy-in for the live event, which combines the results of four individual NL Hold’em STTs. If a player gets knocked out early in Round 1 of the ECOSTT, they have another three STT rounds to accumulate points. The highest points scorers will take part in a grand final of 18 players.
 
"We have seen a gap in the marketplace for a European event which recognises the skills needed to be a top STT player," said the spokesman. "This tournament gives players four rounds to accumulate points for a place in a grand final, rather than suffering the disappointment of getting knocked-out by a bad beat on the first day of other major events offered elsewhere."
 
Finalists will receive a €4,000 package that includes a buy-in to the ECOSTT; a €550 buy-in to a NL Hold’em side event with a prize pool of €21,000; entry into a live Blackjack tournament; three nights’ accommodation; travel and spending money.
 
"Over 40 of the world’s leading online poker rooms use our software and the ECOSTT will be available via all our Network Operators, exclusively to their players,” the spokesman said, adding that a dedicated website has been set up with tournament information at ecostt.eu
 
Online qualification to the ECOSTT is available via a variety of routes — STTs, MTTs and via Microgaming's new Rounders format, now available in Euros.