2023 PokerStars EPT Barcelona

€1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event
Day: 1h
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 1h
Entries
1,267
Players Left
190

Final Flight of Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event Set to Begin at 6 p.m.

EPT Barcelona
EPT Barcelona

Welcome back to Casino Barcelona for Day 1h of Event #1: €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event, which is the last of eight starting flights and is part of the Pokerstars Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT).

Last night, Avihai Smadga took the overall chip lead with 983,000 after topping a 1,467-player flight in Day 1e. The first six flights have attracted a total of 4,331 entrants and, at the time of this writing, an additional 1,760 have entered Day 1g, which began earlier today at 11 a.m.

Top Ten Chip Counts From Days 1a-1f

RankPlayerCountryChip Count
1Avihai SmadgaIsrael983,000
2Emmanuel LopezArgentina829,000
3James AkenheadUnited Kingdom804,000
4Pavlos XanthopoulosGreece799,000
5Oleksii NatoptanyiUkraine781,000
6Theodoros AmpelikiotisGreece772,000
7Marcos DiegoSpain767,000
8Nabil BenchaouchFrance729,000
9Vasyl LabaUkraine671,000
10Jose Rodriguez ZuritaMexico610,000

Some notables who have already secured a Day 2 berth include Jack Salter (410,000), Antoine Saout (219,000), Uri Reichenstein (213,000), and Team PokerStars Pros Arlie Shaban (206,000), Irene Albarran (146,000), and Benjamin Spragg (59,000).

Players will begin with 30,000 in chips with blinds starting at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante. Day 1h features a turbo-like structure that includes accelerated 20-minute levels. Late registration will close at the start of Level 11, at which point the total amount of entrants will be finalized and the total prize pool will be calculated. Twenty-five-minute breaks will be held after every five levels and play will end for the day once 15 percent of the field remains.

All the remaining players across all eight starting flights will reconvene tomorrow at noon local time for Day 2. All players who make it to Day 2 will have made the money (the amount of a min-cash will be determined once the final prize pool is confirmed).

Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action from this eighth and final starting flight of Event #1: €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event!

Tags: Antoine SaoutArlie ShabanAvihai SmadgaBenjamin SpraggEmmanuel LopezIrene AlbarranJack SalterJames AkenheadMarcos DiegoNabil BenchaouchOleksii Natoptanyi

Kassouf Shows The Goods

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante
Will Kassouf
Will Kassouf

On a flop of A10A, Joel Izcara checked from the big blind and Ezequel Waigel bet 1,000 from under the gun. Will Kassouf raised to 2,200 from the hijack and Izcara called cold. Waigel folded.

Izcara then check-called a 4,000 bet from Kassouf on the 2 turn and a 10,000 bet from Kaossouf on the J river. Kassouf revealed A6 for trip aces and Izcara mucked — awarding the pot to Kassouf.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Will Kassouf gb
Will Kassouf
56,000
25,800
25,800
Profile photo of Ezequiel Waigel ar
Ezequiel Waigel
32,000
32,000
32,000
Profile photo of Joel Izcara es
Joel Izcara
14,000
14,000
14,000

Tags: Joel IzcaraWill Kassouf

Zeng Wins Huge Three Way Flop All In

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

Action was on the flop on a board of 1083 and three players were all in, with Nima Bigdeli the shortest stack and Zhiping Zeng covered by Ruben Moreno.

Nima Bigdeli: J10
Zhiping Zeng: K7
Ruben Moreno: A5

Bigdeli had a pair of tens, Zeng had a useless king-high flush draw as Moreno had the ace-high flush draw.

The turn came the K and the river was the 9. Zeng managed to pair up his king on the turn and held on the river to win the pot and triple up his stack. Bigdeli was eliminated from the tournament and Moreno was left with just 5,500 behind.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Zhiping Zeng cn
Zhiping Zeng
82,000
82,000
82,000
Profile photo of Ruben Moreno es
Ruben Moreno
5,500
5,500
5,500
Profile photo of Nima Bigdeli es
Nima Bigdeli
Busted

Tags: Nima BigdeliRuben MorenoZhiping Zeng

Macchiarelli Flops Nut Straight

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Luciano Machiavelli
Luciano Machiavelli

Patrick Zanone opened the action with an early position raise to 1,400 and picked up two callers before Claudio Tornetta reraised to 6,800 from the small blind. Zanone called, Christophe Larquemin called and Luciano Macchiarelli called on the button.

Four players went to the flop, which came 684. Tornetta continued for 11,300 and action folded to Macchiarelli, who moved all in for 12,900. Tornetta called and players flipped their cards, with Macchiarelli at risk.

Luciano Macchiarelli: 75
Claudio Tornetta: 99

Tornetta had pocket nines, but Macchiarelli had flopped the nuts with his straight. The turn came the A and the river was the K. Macchiarelli held and won the pot. Tornetta tutted and shook his head in dismay.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Claudio Tornetta it
Claudio Tornetta
79,000
79,000
79,000
Profile photo of Luciano Macchiarelli ar
Luciano Macchiarelli
51,000
51,000
51,000

Tags: Christophe LarqueminClaudio TornettaLuciano MacchiarelliPatrick Zanone

Josanu Makes Full House in Three Way All In

Level 6 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante
Ionut Josanu
Ionut Josanu

Oleksii Ievchenko raised to 2,000 from middle position and picked up three callers before Florens Feenstra moved all in from the big blind for 25,600. Ievchenko called with a little less and Ionut Josanu also made the call with a similar stack size. Three players flipped their cards.

Oleksii Ievchenko: 99
Ionut Josanu: 75
Florens Feenstra: AQ

Ievchenko had pocket nines and Feenstra had ace queen. Josanu had called with a suited one-gap connector.

The board ran out 64776. Josanu made a full house with sevens full of sixes to win the pot and triple up. Ievchenko was eliminated from the tournament and Feenstra was left short.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ionut Josanu it
Ionut Josanu
71,000
71,000
71,000
Profile photo of Rens Feenstra nl
Rens Feenstra
16,000
16,000
16,000
Profile photo of Oleksii Ievchenko ua
Oleksii Ievchenko
Busted

Tags: Florens FeenstraIonut JosanuOleksii Ievchenko

Double Elimination as Josanu Cracks Set With Runner-Runner Straight

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Ionut Josanu
Ionut Josanu

Ionut Josanu raised to 2,200 from middle position and Peter Phanmaha called. Jonathan Vignone then moved all in from late position for 19,500. Both Josanu and Phanmaha called. Three players flipped their cards, with both Vignone and Phanmaha at risk.

Jonathan Vignone: 88
Peter Phanmaha: AJ
Ionut Josanu: AK

The board ran out 7Q810J. Vignone made a set of eights on the flop and it looked like the pot was his to win. That was until Josanu made the nuts with a runner-runner straight on the river. He scooped a huge pot that brought him up to over 130,000 chips.

Both Phanmaha and Vignone were eliminated from the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ionut Josanu it
Ionut Josanu
137,000
66,000
66,000
Profile photo of Peter Phanmaha fr
Peter Phanmaha
Busted
Profile photo of Jonathan Vignone fr
Jonathan Vignone
Busted

Tags: Ionut JosanuJonathan VignonePeter Phanmaha

Christmas Gift Turns Sour as Lin Makes Flush

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Ren Lin
Ren Lin

Ren Lin raised from early position and Didrik Mantor moved all in for over 20,000. Lin made the call.

"Merry Christmas," said Lin. But his opponent was not so sure. "What, you have nothing too?" asked Lin as they flipped their cards.

Didrik Mantor: AK
Ren Lin: 86

A spectator came over to cheer on the hand as the board ran out AK7J4. The river brought Lin a flush to win the hand. Lin laughed and got up to give Mantor a hug as he left the table.

"Somebody's got a gambling problem," said Lin, referring to himself.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Ren Lin cn
Ren Lin
64,000
43,000
43,000
Profile photo of Didrik Mantor no
Didrik Mantor
Busted

Tags: Didrik MantorRen Lin

Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event Sets New Record for Attendance and Prize Pool

Level 11 : 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
EPT Barcelona Location Shots
EPT Barcelona Location Shots

The PokerStars Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event has reached a total of 7,398 entries, up from 6,313 last year. That's a new attendance record and a new record for the prize pool, which stands at €7,102,180.

Flight 1H has attracted 1,267 entries and there are now 733 players remaining. Expect players to drop out quickly over the next few blind levels. A total of 190 players will make it through the flight to Day 2 and into the money.

Ghizaoui Trips Haverstad Out of Contention

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Jamel Ghizaoui
Jamel Ghizaoui

Jamel Ghizaoui opened to 15,000 from early position and was called by Thomas Haverstad in the big blind.

Haverstad checked to Ghizaoui on the J6J flop and he bet 30,000 Haverstad put in 10,000, which he assumed was the bet, and the floor was called over. Haverstad was given the option to fold or call, but the 10,000 had to remain in the middle. Haverstad then attempted to go all in for his remaining stack, but the floor ruled he could only call, which he did.

The K came on the turn and Haverstad shoved his remaining stack, which Ghizaoui quickly called.

Thomas Haverstad: 96
Jamel Ghizaoui: AJ

Haverstad found himself drawing dead against Ghizaoui's trip jacks and an irrelevant 8 completed the board — sending Haverstad to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jamel Ghizaoui fr
Jamel Ghizaoui
240,000
240,000
240,000
Profile photo of Thomas Haverstad no
Thomas Haverstad
Busted

Tags: Jamel GhizaouiThomas Haverstad

Kennedy Turns Trips to Eliminate Karpati

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy

Andrei Boghean raised from early position and was called by Paul Tait, Anthony Kennedy in the small blind and Tibor Karpati in the big blind.

Four players went to the flop, which came 7A2. Action checked to Beghean, who continued for 10,000. Tait and Kennedy both called before Karpati moved all in for 45,000. Only Kennedy made the call and the two players flipped their cards, with Karpati at risk.

Tibor Karpati: A9
Anthony Kennedy: 76

Karpati had a pair of aces and Kennedy had a pair of sevens. The turn came the 9 to give Kennedy a flush draw and the river was the 7 which gave him trip sevens to win the pot. Karpati was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Paul Tait gb
Paul Tait
240,000
210,000
210,000
Profile photo of Anthony Kennedy gb
Anthony Kennedy
235,000
235,000
235,000
Profile photo of Tibor Karpati
Tibor Karpati
Busted

Tags: Andrei BogheanAnthony KennedyPaul TaitTibor Karpati