2023 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

€1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2023 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k8
Prize
€676,230
Event Info
Buy-in
€1,100
Prize Pool
€7,102,080
Entries
7,398
Level Info
Level
42
Blinds
1,000,000 / 2,000,000
Ante
2,000,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
155
Players Left
23

Welcome to Day 1b of the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event

Branding
Branding

The Pokerstars Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) is back, running at the Casino Barcelona on the stunning Mediterranean coast. The €1,100 Main Event continues with Day 1b, the second of eight total starting flights.

Starting at 8 p.m. local time and running into the early hours of the morning, Flight 1b will feature an accelerated format with 30-minute blind levels. Players will start with 30,000 chips and will play until only 15 percent of the field remains. Those players will earn their seat in Day 2 of the mammoth event.

Last year's event was a record breaker, the largest tournament in EPT history in terms of attendance, as 6,313 players took to the felt. The 2023 edition could well break that record once again, with two additional starting flights promising more opportunities than ever for players to register and make it through.

The reigning ESPT Main Event champion is Rick van Bruggen. The Dutch player defeated the UK's Jack Sinclair heads-up to walk away with a career high payday of €600,000.

2022 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Rick van BruggenNetherlands€600,000
2Jack SinclairUnited Kingdom€377,120
3Simon BouaksaLuxembourg€268,100
4Hendrik SoeringNetherlands€206,190
5Kyle HoCanada€158,600
6Bjorn BrunsGermany€121,970
7Ahmad RehaimeCanada€93,800
8Yoan AsparuhovBulgaria€72,170
9Renat BohdanovUkraine€55,500

Players will be able to fire two bullets per flight and late registration for Day 1b will remain open until 1:45 a.m. local time (start of Level 11).

Stay tuned to PokerNews for full coverage of the ESPT Main Event as reporters follow the action all the way down to a winner.

Tags: Ahmad RehaimeBjorn BrunsHendrik SoeringJack SinclairKyle HoRenat BohdanovRick van BruggenSimon BouaksaYoan Asparuhov

¡Vamos, Vegas! Sergio Perez Races Down the Strip in Red Bull F1 Promo

Sergio
Sergio

The Oracle Red Bull Formula One racing team released a promotional video ahead of November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix and it's an action-packed preview of what F1 has to offer when it invades the Strip this fall.

Readers might remember hearing about the race car tearing through the Wynn Las Vegas last November. It appears that was part of the production for Red Bull's epic race through Las Vegas.

Check out the video here!

Kaufman Makes Trips to Double Up Through Boukhalfa

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante
Kamel Boukhalfa
Kamel Boukhalfa

Action was on the flop on a board of 244. Kamel Boukhalfa checked and Igor Kaufman shoved all in with a relatively short stack. Boukhalfa quickly made the call and players flipped their cards, with Kaufman at risk.

Igor Kaufman: A4
Kamel Boukhalfa: AK

Boukhalfa had ace-king high and Kaufman had flopped trip fours, leaving his opponent drawing incredibly thin. The turn came the J and the river was the 5.

Kaufman held and doubled up to bring himself back above starting stack.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Igor Kaufman il
Igor Kaufman
32,000
32,000
32,000
Day 2 Chip Leader
Profile photo of Kamel Boukhalfa fr
Kamel Boukhalfa
18,000
18,000
18,000

Tags: Igor KaufmanKamel Boukhalfa

Queijeiro Makes Set and Doubles Up

Level 4 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Antonio Queijeiro
Antonio Queijeiro

Antonio Queijeiro moved all in for 19,200 preflop and was called by Robert Sanchez Callol. Players flipped their cards, with Queijeiro at risk.

Antonio Queijeiro: 99
Robert Sanchez Callol: AK

It was a classic poker race. Queijeiro had pocket nines and Callol had ace king.

The board ran out 967J2. Queijeiro further improved his hand to make a set of nines and double up.

"It's better to eat one egg, but not two eggs," said Queijeiro. "It's Spanish philosophy," he explained.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Antonio Queijeiro es
Antonio Queijeiro
43,000
43,000
43,000
Profile photo of Robert Sanchez Callol es
Robert Sanchez Callol
39,000
39,000
39,000

Tags: Antonio QueijeiroRobert Sanchez Callol

Callol Busts Haddouche

Level 4 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Robert Sanchez Callol
Robert Sanchez Callol

The very next hand on the same table, Robert Sanchez Callol raised from the button and was met with a reshove all in from short stacked Mehdi Haddouche in the big blind. Players flipped their cards, with Haddouche at risk.

Mehdi Haddouche: 73
Robert Sanchez Callol: 55

Haddouche had shoved on a bluff and Callol made the call with pocket fives.

The board ran out 45A37 and Callol improved his hand when he made a set of fives on the flop. Haddouche was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Robert Sanchez Callol es
Robert Sanchez Callol
61,000
22,000
22,000
Profile photo of Mehdi Haddouche fr
Mehdi Haddouche
Busted

Tags: Mehdi HaddoucheRobert Sanchez Callol

Mamouni Triples Up in Three Way All-In

Level 6 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante
Mohamed Mamouni
Mohamed Mamouni

Cesar Valqui open limped from early position and Oleksii Haievskyi raised it up to 3,000. Mohamed Mamouni moved all for not much more and then Valqui shoved over the top. Haievskyi called to make it a three-way all in, with both Mamouni and Valqui at risk.

Mohamed Mamouni: A10
Cesar Valqui: A9
Oleksii Haievskyi: 88

The board ran out 9610QK. Mamouni made a pair of tens and had the best hand. He won the main pot and tripled up.

Valqui hit a pair of nines to scoop a side pot against the bigger stacked Haievskyi, who took a hit to his stack.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Oleksii Haievskyi ua
Oleksii Haievskyi
41,000
41,000
41,000
Profile photo of Cesar Valqui
Cesar Valqui
32,000
-6,000
-6,000
Profile photo of Mohamed Mamouni fr
Mohamed Mamouni
24,000
-10,000
-10,000

Tags: Cesar ValquiMohamed MamouniOleksii Haievskyi

Haievskyi Shoves and Busts to Poncio's Aces

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante
Antonio Poncio
Antonio Poncio

Action folded around to Oleksii Haievskyi, who shoved all in from the hijack with a short stack. He was called by Antonio Poncio in the small blind. Players flipped their cards, with Haievskyi at risk.

Oleksii Haievskyi: 108
Antonio Poncio: AA

The board ran out 8K3J2. Haievskyi did manage to improve to a pair on the flop, but Poncio held with his pocket aces.

Haievskyi was eliminated from the tournament and Poncio chipped up to around 135,000.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Antonio Poncio ar
Antonio Poncio
135,000
135,000
135,000
Profile photo of Oleksii Haievskyi ua
Oleksii Haievskyi
Busted

Tags: Antonio PoncioOleksii Haievskyi

Heimiller Calls Hocquaux's Bluff

Level 7 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante
Dan Heimiller
Dan Heimiller

Dan Heimiller limped first-to-act and Jan van der Stroom called from the small blind. Alexandre Hocquaux checked his option from the big blind.

Action checked to Heimiller on the J109 flop and he bet 2,000. Both van der Stroom and Hocquaux called.

Action checked through on the 2 turn; however, Hocquaux fired 6,000 into the middle after being checked to on the 4 river. Heimiller tossed in a call and van der Stroom folded.

Hocquaux showed Q3 for a bluff and Heimiller turned over 98 for a pair of nines to take down the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Dan Heimiller us
Dan Heimiller
45,000
15,000
15,000
Profile photo of Alexandre Hocquaux fr
Alexandre Hocquaux
43,000
1,000
1,000
Profile photo of Jan Van Der Stroom nl
Jan Van Der Stroom
27,000
4,000
4,000

Tags: Alexandre HocquauxDan HeimillerJan van der Stroom

Frezza Finds Value With Flop Shove

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Pascal Frezza
Pascal Frezza

Action was on the flop on a board of 628. Pascal Frezza bet out 8,500 and Frederik Johansen moved all in for around 22,000.

Frezza looked across and started talking to his opponent, but Johansen gave no hints as he stared at the table. Eventually, Frezza made the call and the cards were on their backs, with Frezza at risk.

Pascal Frezza: QQ
Frederik Johansen: AJ

Frezza was ahead with pocket queens. The turn came the 7 and the river was the J. Johansen paired his jack on the river, but it wasn't enough. Frezza held with his pocket queens to win the pot and double up.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Frederik Johansen dk
Frederik Johansen
60,000
60,000
60,000
Day 1B Chip Leader
Profile photo of Pascal Frezza fr
Pascal Frezza
37,000
37,000
37,000

Tags: Frederik JohansenPascal Frezza

Georgopoulos Doubles Up Twice to Recover Stack

Level 10 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Leonidas Georgopoulos moved all in from under the gun for 11,700, around ten big blinds. He was called by Andres Korn and the two players flipped their cards, with Georgopoulos at risk.

Leonidas Georgopoulos: A8
Andres Korn: KQ

The board ran out 710J2J. Neither player improved and so Georgopoulos held with ace high to double up.


The next hand, Antonio Poncio raised from early position and Georgopoulos moved all in again, this time for around 24,000. Poncio made the call and Georgopoulos found himself once again at risk against the bigger stack.

Leonidas Georgopoulos: A10
Antonio Poncio: KJ

The board ran out 92854. Once again, Georgopoulos held with his ace high to double up. In just two hands, Georgopoulos went from being in the danger zone to garnering a stack of over 50,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Antonio Poncio ar
Antonio Poncio
140,000
5,000
5,000
Profile photo of Andres Korn ar
Andres Korn
56,000
56,000
56,000
Profile photo of Leonidas Georgopoulos gr
Leonidas Georgopoulos
50,000
50,000
50,000

Tags: Andres KornAntonio PoncioLeonidas Georgopoulos