The mystery as to who would win the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €3,000 Mystery Bounty has been solved. Murilo Milhomem has won his maiden EPT title for €321,658. He bested 1,113 players over three days to secure the win and a coveted PokerStars Spadie.
Milhomem defeated Jacob Stone heads-up for a career-best score, overcoming a chip deficit just shy of three-to-one. In finishing second, Stone also claimed a career best score of €200,700, a welcome addition to Stone's sole cash of €6,680 during this EPT stop in the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event.
Fintan Hand claimed third place and made it a hat trick of career-best live scores. The PokerStars Team Pro and popular streamer claimed €143,350 for his efforts, eclipsing his largest live cash of £44,200 when he won the 2023 UKIPT Edinburgh.
Words From the Winner
PokerNews was at the scene when Milhomem became champion. When asked how it felt to win his first EPT title, he said "It's amazing, indescribable." The Brazilian is currently in Barcelona for more reasons than one, he added "I'm here on a honeymoon. We were thinking of where to go, then I won a satellite then we decided to come here."
He attributed his victory to "Always being prepared, especially for live tournaments," adding "I've been studying a lot and talking to live coaches."
When asked what his plan of action was for upcoming events, he said "It is supposed to be my last tournament here. We are going to enjoy Barcelona, drink some mojitos and some aperols. Maybe I will play one more though."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murilo Milhomem | Brazil | € 321,658 |
| 2 | Jacob Stone | United Kingdom | € 200,700 |
| 3 | Fintan Hand | Ireland | € 143,350 |
| 4 | Fabrice Maltez | France | € 110,300 |
| 5 | Maria Konnikova | United States | € 84,800 |
| 6 | Julien Sitbon | France | € 65,250 |
| 7 | Kelvin Kerber | Brazil | € 50,200 |
| 8 | Arni Gunnarsson | Iceland | € 38,600 |
The Big Bounties
This tournament saw some big numbers pulled from the mystery chest. Henrik Juncker and Arni Gunnarsson took home the €100,000 bounties. Gunnarsson attributed the pulls to "Scandinavian luck" when they were both pulled on Day 2.
Runner up Stone and ninth placed Alexander Ivarsson claimed two of the €50,000 bounties. Artus Gimenez and Tudor Zapsa claimed the two remaining envelopes.
Niklas Astedt confirmed Scandinavian luck maybe real when he pulled a €25,000 bounty. Maria Konnikova asked Asted to pull two bounties for her. He agreed and pulled a €10,000 and a €25,000, the same scores he pulled himself before busting on Day 2.
Vlad Lache, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Chad Lipton, Shiina Okamoto, Paolo Boi, Francesco Pilato and Remy Murcia all claimed €25,000 bounties.
Day 3 Action
Day 3 ran for around eight and a half hours, with the final table being reached roughly halfway into today's play. Twenty players started the day and it was Leo Margets who was the first casualty of the day. The Barcelona native got coolered by Julien Sitbon.
Xiaohu Li and Martin Norberg were next to go in 19th and 18th places, respectively. Robbie Bull was the next to hit the rail in 17th. Henrik Juncker, one of the two €100,000 bounty receivers, was eliminated by the eventual champion in 16th place.
The South American duo of Marcelo Bonanata and Roberto Sagra were sent to the rail in 15th and 14th places. Jon Kyte's stack dwindled throughout play today and he could only manage 13th place.
Cherish Andrews and Stefano Terziani were eliminated in 12th and 11th. Paul Lagan busted in tenth before Alexander Ivarsson was coolered by eventual final tablist Stone.
Final Table Action
Arni Gunnarsson, the second recipient of a €100,000 bounty, was next to go in eighth place, despite winning this big pot in the early final table exchanges.
Third place finisher Hand busted Kelvin Kerber after the Brazilian ran his sixes into the cowboys of Hand to finish in seventh place.
Julien Sitbon chipped up nicely throughout the back end of last night's action and the early exchanges of play today. He was left short by Fabrice Maltez before being sent to the rail in sixth place.
Maria Konnikova's time came when she was eliminated in fifth place. She came into the day as one of the chip leaders. The second PokerStars Team Pro at the final table.
In fourth was Maltez, who started the day as one of the shortest stacks. He managed to make the most of his short stack through numerous double ups before busting to Hand in fourth place.
Hand's run came to an end in third. He was left short by Stone and fell victim to an incorrect hero call before being eliminated. He found hope in a double up before busting to a superior six.
Heads-Up Play
As mentioned earlier, Stone had a fairly commanding lead before heads-up play commenced. Milhomen kept chipping away, eventually pulling back the deficit before becoming a clear chip leader in the tournament.
He displayed a tenacious attitude in the face of an equally tenacious player in Stone.
The heads-up dual lasted around an hour and it was Milhomen's snowmen in the Spanish heat that saw him claim the victory over Stone.
Even though EPT Barcelona is drawing to its conclusion, there is still plenty of poker action to come over the following few days. Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of this EPT stop from Casino Barcelona.
