John Dafoe: The Man Who Created and Lost EPT

John Dafoe, the president of partypoker LIVE, is a well-known figure in the poker world. He created the European Poker Tour (EPT) and made it one of the most prestigious poker series. Dafoe worked at PokerStars until 2012, when the company took full control of EPT. He then became the president of partypoker LIVE in February 2017.

Dafoe was approached by partypoker after Amaya renamed EPT to PokerStars Championships. He was inspired to create EPT by players he knew from the Victoria casino in London. The first EPT event took place in September 2004 in Barcelona. Initially, Dafoe wanted each EPT event to have a different sponsor, but PokerStars became the sole sponsor and significantly influenced its development.

Dafoe left PokerStars around 2012 when the company took full control of EPT. He worked as a marketing consultant for PokerStars after leaving his role as Non-Executive Chairman. In 2016, he directed two episodes of the Netflix and ITV series Paranoid. Dafoe returned to poker after being approached by partypoker. He criticized the corporate culture and lack of player respect at Amaya, believing that partypoker is more attentive to player feedback compared to PokerStars. Dafoe mentioned that the renaming of EPT to PokerStars Championships was one of the worst decisions in poker history.