€10,200 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
€10,200 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
On the last day of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona, the conclusion of the €10,200 No-Limit Hold'em event played out in the Pau Cassals room at Casino Barcelona, where Erik Bauer put on a short-stack masterclass to emerge victorious and take home the €151,400 top prize.
Bauer navigated through a field of 48 entries to take home the lion's share of the €465,600 prize pool, and overcame Canada's Dongwoo Ko in a short but gripping heads-up duel that spanned two levels.
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Erik Bauer | Slovakia | €151,400 |
2 | Dongwoo Ko | Canada | €100,100 |
3 | James Collopy | United States | €67,500 |
4 | Samuel Ju | Germany | €51,200 |
5 | Aram Zobian | United States | €39,600 |
6 | Jeremie Zouari | France | €31,400 |
7 | Zachary Habayeb | Canada | €24,400 |
"I feel very nice, I always wanted one of those spades, so it's nice to have one," were Bauer's first words after he caught up with PokerNews.
"I started [the final table] with average so it started pretty well, then I lost a really big one with ace-king against jack-ten which either I would have the chip lead or be the short stack. Then I got lucky in a three-way all in, then I got very lucky with ace-ten against ace-king, and then I just ran very hot. I felt like I played heads up very well,"
PokerNews informed Bauer then he had broken into the top ten on Slovakia's all-time money list after jumping from 22nd to ninth with this victory.
"To be honest, that's always been a goal for me to get into the top ten so that's really nice for me. I didn't even know I was in the top ten."
After playing through ten levels on Day 1, the sixteen survivors were joined by twelve more late registrants, bringing the total number of entries up to 48. Those that fell short of making the money include PokerStars Team Pro Maria Konnikova, who was eliminated by Vladas Tamasauskas in the second level of the day.
Ren Lin, Sam Greenwood, Stoyan Madanzhiev, and Krasimir Yankov were also eliminated before the money and the unfortunate title of bubble boy went to Eduard Barsegyan. The Russian player got his chips in good with ace-king against the ace-queen of Ko, but a queen on the flop meant he was the last player to leave empty-handed.
Once the bubble had burst, Zachary Habayeb lost a flip with ace-queen against the pocket jacks of Aram Zobian, which left him out in seventh. After an intense battle between the short stacks, it was Jeremie Zouari who finally succumbed in sixth when he got in his last big blind but couldn’t manage to spin up a stack.
Somebody that did spin up a stack is Bauer, who went from the table short stack with three big blinds all the way up to chip leader in the space of a few moments, albeit with a little help from the dealer.
Fortune certainly wasn’t on Zobian’s side today as his pocket kings were taken down by Bauer’s ace-jack, which left him very short-stacked. Shortly after, he shoved pocket fours and ran into the pocket aces of James Collopy, which ended his run in fifth.
Samuel Ju was short-stacked for the majority of the final table but managed to ladder up a few spots before he ran ace-jack into the eventual champion's pocket queens, which left him out in fourth, just shy of the podium places.
Play wasn't three-handed for long as Collopy flipped for his tournament life against Ko, and came off second best after the Canadian player rivered a full house.
The stacks were almost identical going into heads-up play and it was Bauer who took an early lead and reached a three-to-one chip advantage before Ko Correctly called with ace-high to even out the stacks again.
Bauer didn't let that deter him as he continued to chip away at his opponent. In the last hand of the night, he got the chips in good with top pair and managed to fade the open-ended straight draw of Ko.
That wraps up PokerNews coverage of the €10,200 No-Limit Hold'em event, but be sure to stay tuned to coverage of the remaining tournaments that are being played out at EPT Barcelona.
Erik Bauer limped on the button and Dongwoo Ko raised to 200,000 in the big blind. Bauer called.
Ko continued for 150,000 on the Q♠J♦3♣ flop and Bauer raised to 375,000. Ko tanked for a bit and then announced he was all in for a bit under 2,000,000. Bauer quickly called to put Ko at risk and a showdown was held.
Dongwoo Ko: K♠10♣
Erik Bauer: Q♦9♣
Bauer was ahead with his pair of queens, but would need to fade a lot of outs against Ko's straight draw and king.
"Hold, baby!" Bauer shouted upon seeing Ko's hand.
Bauer got his wish, as the 6♣ turn and J♠ river bricked out for Ko — eliminating him in second place to bring an end to the tournament.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Erik Bauer |
4,800,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
Dongwoo Ko | Busted |
Dongwoo Ko made it 125,000 and Erik Bauer called.
Both checked the 6♠9♦J♣ flop to see the Q♥ drop on the turn. Bauer checked, Ko bet 180,000, then Bauer raised to around 600,000. Ko quickly folded.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Erik Bauer |
2,700,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Dongwoo Ko |
2,100,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |
Erik Bauer limped in and Dongwoo Ko made it 200,000 to go. Bauer called.
Ko continued for 120,000 on the J♦2♦J♣ flop, and Bauer called.
The 7♦ turn was checked through to the 5♥ river. Ko checked, and Bauer shoved. Ko had 845,000 behind and after thinking for just a few moments, he called.
Bauer showed Q♦8♥ for queen-high, and Ko tabled A♥8♦ for ace-high to double up.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Erik Bauer |
2,400,000
-1,200,000
|
-1,200,000 |
Dongwoo Ko |
2,400,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
In the first hand, Erik Bauer opened to 150,000 on the button and Dongwoo Ko called.
Ko check-called a 100,000 bet from Bauer on the 8♥10♥8♣ flop and then both players checked on the 9♥ turn.
The 10♦ completed the board and Ko led out for 330,000. Bauer raised to 900,000 and Ko laid his hand down after announcing he held an eight.
On the very next hand, Ko opened to 125,000 on the button and Bauer called.
Bauer check-called a 100,000 bet from Ko on the 8♠Q♦6♥ flop and a 330,000 bet from Ko on the Q♠ turn.
Action checked down on the 2♦ river and Bauer tabled A♣8♦ for queens and eights. Ko couldn't beat it and mucked to award Bauer another pot.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Erik Bauer |
3,600,000
1,050,000
|
1,050,000 |
Dongwoo Ko |
1,200,000
-1,050,000
|
-1,050,000 |
Dongwoo Ko opened to 100,000 on the button and Erik Bauer called.
On the 2♦8♥10♣ flop, Bauer check-called a bet of 80,000 from Ko.
Bauer went into check-call mode again on the 3♦ turn after Ko bet 240,000.
The K♦ river was checked down where Bauer showed A♠3♥ for a pair of threes, and Ko mucked.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Erik Bauer |
2,550,000
550,000
|
550,000 |
Dongwoo Ko |
2,250,000
-550,000
|
-550,000 |
Level: 21
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 50,000
Dongwoo Ko opened to 100,000 on the button and Erik Bauer defended his big blind.
Both players checked on the A♣3♠5♥ flop and then Bauer check-called an 80,000 bet from Ko on the K♦ turn.
The K♥ completed the board and Bauer checked a final time. Ko fired 240,000 into the middle and Bauer looked him up.
Ko tabled K♣10♥ for trip kings and Bauer sent his hand into the muck.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dongwoo Ko |
2,800,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Erik Bauer |
2,000,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dongwoo Ko | 2,500,000 | |
Erik Bauer |
2,300,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |