Over the past two decades, the European Poker Tour (EPT) has become a cornerstone of the poker world, producing countless memorable moments, champions, and legends of the game. From the first champ crowned in Barcelona to the most recent historic win in Paris, they’ve all left a distinct mark on the tour’s rich history. 

Let’s go through some of the key figures who have shaped the EPT over the years, from groundbreaking champions to record-setting players, all of whom have helped define what makes the EPT so special.

Alexander Stevic: The First

There’s only one way to kick this list off and that’s by going back to where it all began.

It was in Barcelona that Alexander Stevic made history. The Swede navigated a field of 229 players to become the European Poker Tour’s first champion, winning an €80,000 first-place prize. 

The victory was not only pivotal to Stevic, who followed up his success with another deep run in the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo the same season, finishing third for an additional €178,000. His win set the course for what would become one of the most prestigious poker tours globally, and the multicultural field showed that the world’s top players were willing to travel for a shot at a title.

Victoria Coren-Mitchell: The Double

Victoria Coren-Mitchell is undoubtedly one of the European Poker Tour’s most important figures, making history not once but twice.

In 2006, she became the first woman to win an EPT Main Event, taking down EPT London for a cool £500,000. This accomplishment alone was groundbreaking and paved the way for more female players to compete at the highest levels of the game. As a well-known television personality and acclaimed writer, her success also helped bring significant attention to the tour.

And she wasn’t done. In 2014, she became the first player — male or female — to win two EPT Main Event titles, capturing her second trophy and €476,100 in Sanremo, Italy. 

As both the first female winner and the first double champion, there’s simply no denying Coren-Mitchell’s poker talent and enduring legacy in the game.

Mike McDonald: The Youngest

Mike McDonald, or “Timex”, as he was known and feared online, became the youngest EPT Main Event winner at the age of 18 when he won the 2008 EPT Dortmund event. 

An online poker prodigy and satellite winner, the Canadian showcased incredible skill and poise for someone so young, famously brushing aside mockery from World Series Of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Jamie Gold on his way to victory. By this time EPT fields had swelled significantly and McDonald’s title was worth €933,600.

This was just the beginning of McDonald’s storied poker career. He’d go on to become a super high roller regular, his intense stare and strategic depth helping him amass $13 million in winnings before retiring and starting a business.

Despite seeing many wunderkinders since, McDonald remains the tour’s youngest champion.

Pieter de Korver: The Biggest

If you thought McDonald’s prize was impressive, you should see how big things got just a year later.

In 2009, Pieter de Korver won the biggest prize ever awarded in a European Poker Tour Main Event. The Dutch player triumphed at the 2009 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, besting 935 entrants to take home a staggering €2.3 million which, considering inflation, remains the largest top prize in a Main Event.

The massive payout highlighted the growing prestige and stakes on offer at EPT events.

Jason Mercier: The Qualifier

Jason Mercier’s rise to poker fame began with an online satellite victory that earned him a seat at the 2008 EPT Sanremo Main Event. 

Mercier, a Florida resident who was relatively unknown at the time, then grabbed the bull by the horns, making a legendary hero call before joining the champions club with an €869,000 payday. His victory was a testament to the power of online poker and the potential for players to transition from playing on sofas to big stages. 

This was just the start for Mercier, who would forge a legendary poker career full of high-profile titles, millions in winnings, and a long stretch as a PokerStars Team Pro. It all started online and kicked into gear on the EPT.

Liv Boeree: The Star

Liv Boeree made her mark on the European Poker Tour by becoming the second female to win an EPT Main Event, after Coren-Mitchell. Boeree, a former game show contestant and astrophysics student, captured the title and €1.25 million at the 2010 EPT Sanremo event. 

The win not only launched Boeree’s poker career, in which she became one of the faces of PokerStars as a long-time Team Pro, but it was also important for women in poker, reinforcing the success of female players on a global stage. 

This was proven a year later when Germany’s Sandra Naujoks clinched victory and €917,000 at EPT Dortmund. 

Adrian Mateos: The Phenom

Adrian Mateos is simply one of the best and brightest stars to emerge from the European Poker Tour. 

The Spanish phenom won his EPT Main Event title in 2015, taking down the Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €1.08 million. His fearless, aggressive play made him stand out from the pack, and he quickly became the poster boy for young European players dominating high-stakes tournaments.

The amazing thing? He was already a WSOP Europe Main Event champion and Estrellas Poker Tour champion. The 21-year-old Mateos was on a tear that hasn’t stopped in the near decade since.

By 22, he became the youngest player to ever win three WSOP bracelets (he now has four). Today, with just shy of $50 million in earnings, he’s one of the most successful tournament players of all time. 

Mateos’ achievements on the EPT are a testament to his incredible talent and work ethic, and he remains one of the most exciting players to watch on the tour.

Steve O’Dwyer: The Leader

Steve O’Dwyer has dominated the European Poker Tour like few others and currently sits atop the EPT’s all-time money list with more than $13 million in earnings. 

The America-raised Irishman’s most notable EPT victory came in 2013 when he won the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, earning €1.22 million. Beyond that, he’s accumulated a vast list of high roller titles and deep Main Event runs, showcasing his consistency and ability to perform under pressure.

Like Mateos, he’s one of the most successful poker champions on this list.

Mikalai Pobal: The Second

For five long years, Victoria Coren-Mitchell was alone in being the only two-time champ on the European Poker Tour. 

That exclusive club finally got a new member in December 2019 when Mikalai Pobal of Belarus took down the EPT Prague Main Event, seven years after his first victory at EPT Barcelona in 2012. Coincidentally, Pobal won just over €1 million both times.

The incredible feat earns Pobal his place on this list and, along with years of great results in between the wins, shows his initial success was no fluke.

Mike Watson: The Third

The words fluke and Mike Watson have never been uttered in the same sentence (before this one). 

The self-proclaimed “Mad Dog” from Canada, known as “SirWatts” on PokerStars, has a poker career most can only dream of, plus he’s the third and most recent member of the European Poker Tour’s two-time champions club.

Watson’s first Main Event title came at the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event, which is considered part of the EPT schedule. That victory earned him $728,325.

He followed that up in 2023 with a win at EPT Monte Carlo worth €749,425, the latest in a long list of major titles he picked up in the years since – including dozens online.

Barny Boatman: The Legend

The most recent chapter of Barny Boatman’s legendary career began when he won EPT Paris for €1.3 million in February 2024. At 68, Boatman became the oldest player ever to win an EPT Main Event.

“It was the reward for a six-day clinic, during which Boatman outlasted a field of 1,747 entries including dozens who were not even alive when Boatman won his first poker tournament,” wrote PokerStars Blog’s Howard Swains on the day of Boatman’s victory.

“He outplayed them. He outwitted them. He was faster and sharper. Boatman’s victory is certainly one for the old school and the resilient, but it is also for the innovators and the ageless.”

He’s easily one of the tour’s most popular champions.

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HERE’S TO THE NEXT WAVE OF CHAMPIONS

The European Poker Tour is not only a breeding ground for the next young and hungry poker superstars, but also an arena where legends of the game, long-time fans and complete beginners can pit their wits, sharpen their strategies and ultimately find success at any age.

Long may it continue. 

MORE ABOUT 20 YEARS OF THE EPT:

EPT 20: Patience, composure, and the need to pee – 4 key qualities of EPT champions

Ch-ch-ch-changes: How things have changed in 20 years of the EPT

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