Poker and Golf Combined at EPT Tournament

If you’re a golfer and poker player, chances are you’ve played in a lot of tournaments for each game. However, at the EPT Vilamoura event on September 1^st, PokerStars and the European Poker Tour are combining to create quite possibly the first tournament in the world to combine both games into one exciting event.

The tournament – known as Fairways and Felts – comes with a €1,100 buy-in that can be paid either directly at the Vilamoura Casino, or in the PokerStars software. Along with getting you into the event, paying the entry fee gets players a number of extras, like buffet meals, an invitation to an awards dinner, and a PokerStars gift bag.

So, how is this golf/poker tournament going to work? On the first day, players will be randomly assigned to four-player teams who will play in a best ball format. In other words, each player on the team will take a shot, with the team playing to choose any of the four balls before the next shot. Because of the team format, there are no individual scores; only team scores are tallied.

The golf portion of the event won’t determine the winners, but it will help put players in a better position to win the poker event, where the real prize money will be awarded. Depending on how well a player’s team does, they may receive a bonus to the number of chips they begin play with. For instance, scoring under par is worth a 15% bonus to the normal 5,000 chip starting stack, meaning each player on the team will start with 5,750 chips instead. In addition, individual players can earn bonus chips by winning longest drive, longest putt and closest to the pin contests. If someone manages a hole-in-one, they’ll earn a prize package to EPT London, though it won’t earn them any extra chips for the golf/poker tournament.

While the Fairways and Felts tournament may be the first to combine poker and golf, it’s no secret that many poker players enjoy playing the occasional round, or making prop bets on the sport. The tournament will be hosted by Team PokerStars Pro member JP Kelly, who is noted as an avid golfer as well as a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner.