€5,300 EPT Main Event | 2022 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

08-21-2022 09:55 UTC+1

Seat 3: Patrik Jaros, 29, Czech Republic – 14,975,000

Sandra Barbour

Patrik Jaros likes to play computer games – mainly World of Warcraft. "I'm not that good at sports," he said. But he's very solid at poker.

Jaros played the game for fun with friends in high school. When he turned 18, he started to look for live action. Jaros initially considered poker only as a part-time source of income. But after a year, he quit his regular job to focus fully on poker.

Although mainly a cash game player, Jaros has racked up more than $220,000 in tournament cashes. Gradually moving from smaller to higher stakes, Jaros has improved his career-best score several times this year.

He will do that again here in Barcelona, turning his second-ever EPT Main Event appearance into at least a six-figure score. He can become the Czech Republic's second EPT winner, following Jan Skampa's win at EPT Prague 2009.

Patrick Jaros' Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	77,500	384/780
Day 3	497,000	47/210
Day 4	2,200,000	6/64
Day 5	10,350,000	3/16
Day 6	14,975,000	1/6

Player	Chips	Progress
Patrik Jaros	14,975,000

Tags: Patrik Jaros

08-21-2022 09:55 UTC+1

Seat 4: Fabiano Kovalski, 34, Brazil – 12,925,000

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Sandra Barbour

Fabiano Kovalski might be called the EPT Barcelona Main Event specialist. This is the fourth time he will be cashing in this tournament, adding to his ITM finishes from 2016, 2018, and 2019.
The second cash was the biggest as Kovalski came close to making the final table. At the time, he would bow out in 11th place for €98,900.

With over $1 million in cashes and experience with such a deep run, Kovalski is in a great spot to make the most of his first EPT Main Event final table appearance. And it's not just Barcelona where Kovalski thrives. The Brazilian boasts nearly $5 million in online winnings at PokerStars, where he plays as "kovalski1".

Fabiano Kovalski's Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	83,500	350/780
Day 3	291,000	99/210
Day 4	1,600,000	9/64
Day 5	4,540,000	6/16
Day 6	12,925,000	3/6

Player	Chips	Progress
Fabiano Kovalski	12,925,000

Tags: Fabiano Kovalski

08-21-2022 09:55 UTC+1

Seat 5: Giuliano Bendinelli, 31, Italy – 10,700,000

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Sandra Barbour

Giuliano Bendinelli has been playing the EPT events for more than a decade. He had cashed in five Main Event before the record-breaking EPT Barcelona tournament, but none were big deep runs.

Bendinelli's resume, however, includes a lot of side event results. Until this trip, Bendinelli's top score had stood at €100,000 for nine years. Back then, he won a €1,100 event at EPT Monte Carlo.

Now guaranteed to eclipse $1 million in live cashes, Bendinelli will set a new career-high with his EPT Barcelona payday. He can join Salvatore Bonavena and Antonio Buonanno as the third EPT Main Event champion from Italy and end an eight-year drought for the country.

Giuliano Bendinelli's Main Event run

Entering	Chips	Position
Day 2	84,500	344/780
Day 3	274,000	104/210
Day 4	1,155,000	24/64
Day 5	5,885,000	5/16
Day 6	10,700,000	4/6

Player	Chips	Progress
Giuliano Bendinelli	10,700,000

Tags: Giuliano Bendinelli

08-21-2022 09:55 UTC+1

Seat 6: Neville Costa, 30, Brazil – 10,550,000

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Sandra Barbour

Brazilian player Neville Costa lives in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. From home games through poker clubs, he made the steps to turn pro several years ago.

Costa has amassed around $60,000 in reported live cashes, with the best deep run dating back to the 2014 WSOP Monsterstack event (47th for $26,534).

At PokerStars, Costa uses the moniker "NevilleWeeee“. He has already banked a six-figure prize in the online arena. He finished sixth in the 2020 WSOP Online Millionaire Maker for $288,356.

With his first EPT Main Event cash, Costa is guaranteed to best that online result. He (or Kovalski) can become the second Brazilian champion, following Marcelo Mesqueu‘s title at the tour‘s previous stop in Monte Carlo.