Live poker is booming. Festivals around the world are thriving, and players today are spoiled for choice. No matter where you turn, there’s a big event waiting. In the first half of May, two major poker festivals went head-to-head in Europe: the 2025 European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Monte Carlo and the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party (MPP) in Cyprus.
David vs. Goliath
Typically, organizers avoid clashing with the EPT, one of the oldest and most prestigious live poker brands. Monte Carlo, especially, has long been considered the crown jewel of the tour, many times serving even as the official Grand Finale of the EPT season. But this time around, the team behind the Mediterranean Poker Party didn’t blink—they did their own thing, and they did it big.
And just like in the online world, where PokerStars was eventually knocked off the top by a rising competitor—something that was unimaginable just five years ago—the same story might be happening on the live circuit as well. David took on Goliath and edged him out by one entry. While the €5,300 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event drew 1,195 entries for a prize pool of €5,795,750, the comparable $5,300 MPP Main Event at Merit Royal Diamond in Kyrenia, Cyprus, drew an impressive 1,196 entries and built a prize pool of $5,740,800, crushing its $5M guarantee.
It’s true that “one entry more” is only a symbolic upset, but it is still an incredible statement about MPP’s appeal and proof that they are doing something right, whether it is the location, atmosphere, structure, satellites, or most likely, a bit of everything.
Merit Royal Diamond Attracting Poker Royalty
In just a few years, the luxurious Merit Royal Diamond has established itself as one of poker’s most desirable live destinations. It’s already hosted elite brands like PokerGO’s Super High Roller Bowl, the Triton Poker Series, and even the EPT itself. But the EAPT-powered Mediterranean Poker Party may be its defining moment.
It wasn’t just a numbers game as some of poker’s biggest names chose the Mediterranean over Monte Carlo. Among them were three world champions: 2019 WSOP Main Event winner Hossein Ensan, 2020 online champ Stoyan Madanzhiev, and 2022 winner Espen Jørstad. Triple Crown winner Niall “Firaldo” Farrell was also spotted, alongside EPT Main Event winners like Andrey Pateychuk, Ognyan Dimov, Anton Wigg, and many many others.
“I like this destination better,” Jørstad told poker.pro. “Here, you’ve got multiple gyms, spas, and so many food options.” That all-inclusive lifestyle clearly makes a difference to players.
GGPoker Hosting the Satellites
Another huge factor is the satellite options, hosted by GGPoker. The world’s largest online poker site ran a satellite promotion for MPP, awarding $7,000 packages that included a Main Event buy-in, five nights of all-inclusive luxury for two, and round-trip airport transfers.
If you were lucky enough, you could’ve made the trip for as little as $0.01, thanks to the deep qualifier format. The Sunday before the festival started, 20 such packages were up for grabs in one final mega satellite.
The $1,000,000 Tittle Awaits
While the EPT has already crowned its champion—Aleksandr Shevliakov, a Russian player based in Slovenia, won €1,000,000— the Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event is still playing out. Day 3 kicked off today with 96 players remaining, and the $1,000,000 top prize is still up for grabs. Russia’s Dmitry Kataev leads the field, followed by British poker legend Sam Trickett, another one who chose MPP over any other festival. Surely not just for the Main Event, but also for the juicy high-stakes NLHE and PLO cash games running throughout the series.
You can watch Day 3 of the MPP Main Event live in the stream below.
