Stephen Song has taken down the EPT Barcelona €5,300 EPT Main Event, banking a €1,290,386 payday after defeating a field of 1975 entries.
The flagship tournament of the PokerStars’ European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Barcelona attracted 1975 entries at €5300 apiece, producing a prizefund of €9,578,750.
Six days of non-stop poker action has seen the original field whittle down, but there were plenty of stories along the way.
First up, the money bubble, which broke early on day 3 and saw 287 players cash after the following hand finally burst an hour-long bubble…
There were plenty of bubble ups in the #EPTBarcelona Main Event, but the bubble has burst. 👇
So, it's time for the post bubble bustout bonanza.
Watch the carnage at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/hRFaQAqWdk#EPT20 ♠️ pic.twitter.com/KXRvCtersn
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 4, 2024
Among those in the money, Poker Hall of Famer, Erik Seidel (252nd for €8700), Sweden’s online crusher, Niklas Astedt (234th for €8700), PokerStars’ ambassador Parker Talbot (187th for €10,050), former EPT Main Event champ, Mark Teltscher (41st for €23,350) and defending champ Simon Wiciak (36th for €26,900).
By day six, only 16 players remained, with €62,150 locked up and knowing that a top 10 finish would bag a six-figure score. It wasn’t to be for Dutch duo Metaal and Moene and when the final table bubble burst, it was Harry Lodge missing out after a brutal runout…
Harry Lodge: A♦ J♥
David Coleman: :k: J♦
Flop: 6♠ 2♥ A♠
Turn: Q♣
River: 10♦
There was still poker to be played, however, as the plan was to play down to six. That looked less and less likely to happen as two levels passed with nobody hitting the rail, but after the last break of the night there was a quick triple KO.
Rania Nasreddine contributed by first taking out Fabiano Kovalski and then ousting China’s Jianwei Lin in crazy fashion…
Wait for it…
"I have never seen that, in more than a decade on the EPT," says @Stapes.
Watch the final table at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O#EPT20 ♠️ pic.twitter.com/BxB1rmfWeb
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 7, 2024
The final six returned today to decide who would leave with the biggest of PokerStars’ coveted ‘Spadies’ and it was Nasreddine who landed the first blow.
Kuzmanovic jammed over the US pro’s open and received the bad news…
Boris Kuzmanovic: Q♠ J♠
Rania Nasreddine: A♦ K♣
Flop: 9♥ 8♠ 7♥
Turn: 4♠
River: 6♥
David Coleman’s hopes were dashed when he flopped top pair but had run into Andrew Hulme’s queens, a 5th place finish worth €398,950 and then play got quite ridiculous.
Stephen Song survived two all-ins, the second against satellite qualifier Marius-Catalin Pertea’s aces, and then Pertea himself rivered a lifesaver, which crippled Nasreddine.
Nasreddine was looking to surpass her excellent 3rd spot (for €442,900) in the Monte Carlo EPT Main Event in April, but falling in 4th place in Barcelona was worth €518,600 meant she had at least cracked her own career best score.
Romanian Pertea had sattied in to the ME from a $55 buy-in qualifier and turned that into €674,150. It might have been more but he lost the following race to Hulme for the last of his chips…
Marius-Catalin Pertea: 5♥ 5♣
Andrew Hulme: A♣ 6♦
Flop: K♥ Q♦ J♣
Turn: 2♦
River: 6♠
Heads-up for the title was preceded by a deal, Song’s narrow chip lead translating to €1,233,586, with Hulme taking €1,165,614. That left the trophy and €56,800 to play for.
The heads-up battle started off with cagey play, neither player wanting to risk more than a small pot.
Song made the first move when he bluffed Hulme off top pair when the board read four to a straight.
As the dinner break approached, Song had stretched his once slender lead to more than two-to-one.
Sadly, there wasn’t much more fighting to be done. The first time all the chips went in, Song was favoured by the poker gods with an inferior hand.
Song jammed A♣ 7♥ and got a call from Hulme’s 8♦ 8♥.
The flop came down 5♦ 3♦ 6♣ and the rail could immediately see Hulme’s reaction. Only four outs to win but everything had just been going Song’s way.
And so it was to be; the 4♠ turn left Hulme hoping for a chop but the 9♦ river sealed the deal for Song.
2024 EPT Barcelona Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Song | United States | €1,290,386* |
| 2 | Andrew Hulme | United Kingdom | €1,165,614* |
| 3 | Marius-Catalin Pertea | Romania | €674,150 |
| 4 | Rania Nasreddine | United States | €518,600 |
| 5 | David Coleman | United States | €398,950 |
| 6 | Boris Kuzmanovic | Croatia | €306,900 |
| 7 | Alexandre Fournier | Canada | €236,100 |
| 8 | Jianwei Lin | China | €181,600 |
| 9 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | €139,750 |
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