With the cancellation of EPT Paris, this month's trip to the south of France for PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo has been thrust into the spotlight.
It is not just the next big stop on the calendar, but now serves as the unofficial opener of the European Poker Tour season. For fans, it’s a chance to see the game’s biggest names back under the lights.
For Francine Watson, Associate Director of Creative & Content at PokerStars, it marks the start of what could be the most ambitious year yet for the brand’s poker output.
Watson sees Monte Carlo not as a finale, but as a launchpad. It’s a sign of the momentum PokerStars has built heading into 2025.
“Monte Carlo used to feel like the grand finale,” Watson says. “But now, with Paris off the table, it’s the launch pad. There’s this real sense that live poker is back. And we’re coming into it with so much momentum.”
That momentum has been building online. Just ahead of the festival, PokerStars dropped The Big Game on Tour Uncut, a full 150-hand deep dive into one of the most iconic tables from last season’s revival. It’s raw, uninterrupted, and designed squarely for the purists.
“It was for the hardcore fans,” Watson explains. “No editing, no polish. Just every decision, every dynamic, stack sizes, positions, everything poker purists have been crying out for.”
The release signals a clear shift in how PokerStars approaches content. While the original Big Game episodes are still delivered in punchy, YouTube-friendly packages for casual and new fans, Uncut embraces depth over speed. It’s part of a broader strategy to meet poker audiences where they are, whether they’re watching for entertainment or dissecting hands for strategy.
“The challenge is always: how do you speak to both?” Watson says. “There’s no one-size-fits-all anymore. The Big Game is designed to feel like premium TV. It’s fun, dramatic, full of personality. But Uncut is about trust. It gives the audience everything. We’re saying, ‘Here, you figure it out.’”
Watson’s team was responsible for reviving The Big Game after more than a decade off-air. And while season one was a viral success, season two came with added pressure. That was especially true when it came to finding and casting the show’s Loose Cannons.
“It’s honestly my favourite part,” she says. “It scratches that talent-show itch. You’re meeting people from all over the world with wild stories who are genuinely obsessed with poker. And the feedback from the pros was incredible. They loved it. Lex, Keating, they were all keen to come back.”
The behind-the-scenes effort was massive. “I think I had 275 versions of the spreadsheet before we locked the line-ups in,” Watson says with a laugh.
But as the PokerStars team looks back at the huge Irish Open, with electric atmosphere and wild final table scenes, the attention turns toward Monte Carlo and the European Poker Tour. The return to live poker, with new elements like the PokerStars Live League and revitalised regional festivals like the one in Dublin, represents a fresh push to connect the dots between content and competition.
“There’s a real journey now,” Watson explains. “Before, the EPTs kind of stood alone. But with the League, we can build storylines that stretch across events. Mid-stakes players have something to chase, fans have new names to follow, and it gives us the chance to tell bigger, richer stories.”
In a poker landscape where breakout stars are harder to come by and content windows are more competitive than ever, that continuity is vital.
“We need new characters. We need rivalries. The League gives us that.”
Watson hints that more big ideas are in the pipeline. Some are still under wraps, while others are already in production. But for now, the focus is firmly on Monte Carlo.
“This year already feels special,” she says. “And we’re only just getting started.”
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