WSOP Main Event Final Tablist Boris Angelov's Banner Summer Continues at EPT Barcelona

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Aug 28, 2024 3 min read

Boris Angelov has had an extraordinary summer in the world of poker.

It all began in May when he secured a runner-up finish at the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Main Event (€620,500). Building on that success, the Bulgarian poker star achieved a remarkable fifth-place finish in the record-breaking World Series of Poker Main Event ($2,500,000). Now, Angelov has added another major achievement to his resume: his first career tournament victory at EPT Barcelona.

Though his win in the €10,200 Mystery Bounty event may not match the massive figures of his previous finishes, it marks a significant milestone in his journey. Angelov secured a well-deserved PokerStars trophy and solidified his place among poker's elite. In addition to the trophy, he earned €110,400 for first place and €75,000 in bounties, bringing his total haul to €185,400.

EPT Barcelona $10,200 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results

Final Day Recap

The event attracted 88 entries, making a total prize pool of €413,600. By the end of Day 1, 39 players bagged and tagged, while a further 12 jumped in before the end of late registration for a field of 51 players at the start of Day 2.

That field was quickly reduced as players dropped left, right and centre. Among the early bustouts was Nacho Barbero, as well as PokerStars ambassadors Sam Grafton and Elias Gutierrez.

By the day's mid-point, Angelov had already started accumulating a decent stack. He came into Day 2 fifth in chips and scored an early double knockout and other soon-to-be final tablists gained chips too, including Sam Greenwood and Paul Lagan.

Lagan doubled up right on the bubble as Albert Martinez hit the rail, the final player to bust before the money.

The field was reduced to nine shortly after the bubble burst, and the unofficial final table was set.

Final Table Set; Lagan Pulls Both Top Bounty Prizes

With the final table set and the bounty chest open for business, Lagan headed to exchange his tokens during the break and pulled out one of only two top prizes of €50,000.

He sat back down at the table and was involved in a hand against Angelov. The action escalated, and Angelov had moved all in on the river. Lagan called, and Angelov turned over the top set with a pair of kings. Lagan threw his pocket fours on the table, having flopped a lower set, and then took his leave from the table.

On his way out, though, it was time for one more trip to the bounty chest. Lagan pulled out a €10,000 envelope and then exchanged his second token. On his final pull, he cheered as he drew the second and last €50,000 bounty from the box.

He may have finished ninth for a humble €12,800 prize, but with bounties added, Lagan's total for the tournament stood at €130,300, the second-biggest of anyone in the event.

Ren Lin Mounts Comeback

By this point, Angelov had a significant lead on the final table, eliminating Hall of Famer Erik Seidel in seventh place along the way. It looked like the tourney was all his. But Ren Lin was about to mount a comeback.

Lin had been nursing a short stack for a while, falling to around six big blinds before doubling and then tripling up his stack. Lin knocked out Greenwood in fourth place and Sondre Svanevik in third to take the Mystery Bounty to heads-up.

Angelov Overcomes Lin in Heads-Up Battle

Chip stacks were pretty much even as Angelov and Lin returned from a break to take their seat in the heads-up match, the trophy on the table anyones for the taking. Lin soon managed to take and then extend his lead, winning a couple of showdowns and all-ins to reduce Angelov's stack to shoving size.

It could all have been over when Angelov shoved the button, and Lin called with the better hand, but Angelov got the double up and started to fight back.

Moments later, Angelov made a flush to regain momentum, and the pair went back and forth until the inevitable confrontation happened. Both players paired their hands to make two pair on the board, and the money went in the middle over the course of three streets. Angelov had the higher pair to win the pot, the tournament, and the trophy.

• Tags Boris Angelov Ren Lin EPT PokerStars EPTBarca24
• Related Tournaments European Poker Tour
• Related Players Ren LinBoris Angelov