EPT Barcelona has retained its reputation as a hot bed for poker action by breaking yet another attendance record.
With tournaments around the world enjoying an upswing, the European Poker Tour (EPT) has raised the bar once again.
Kicking off Barcelona’s annual National event inside Casino Barcelona, EPT organizers were confident of a healthy turn out. Indeed, with the industry riding the crest of a wave and the Spanish city a perennial summer favorite, the omens were positive.
Early Pace Leads to Record Finish
With everything in place, Day 1A set the standard with 1,240 players paying the €1,100/$1,215 entry fee. Although just 185 would make it through the opening session, the re-entry dynamic meant many would return for a second bite of the proverbial cherry.
By the time the fourth a final opening flight ended on August 22, a record 4,682 entries had been collected. That figure not only broke the high EPT Barcelona National set in 2017 (4,557) but generated a prizepool worth €4,541,540/$5,016,812.
Looking at the specifics, the latest EPT Barcelona National attracted 2,774 unique entries and 1,908 rebuys.
That upswing is not only a win for PokerStars by another example of poker’s current upswing.
The 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) may have been the biggest record breaker this year but other events have prospered.
Triton set new standards with a seven-figure buy-in high roller in August, while Grosvenor Casinos’ Goliath retained its title as largest live event outside of Las Vegas.
Online, we’ve also seen tournament fields grow. At the close of 2018, Partypoker’s Millions Online gave away a recorded-breaking $20 million+ prizepool.
With its rival setting new standards, PokerStars responded by adding a $75 million guarantee to its 2019 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP).
EPT Barcelona Riding Summer Heatwave
This surge of momentum has clearly helped the 2019 EPT Barcelona National reach new highs, something Markku Koplimaa will be pleased about.
The Estonian found himself in a strong position to clinch the biggest win of his career when he squared off against Adam Hendrix.
With more than $220,000 in winnings from previous EPT Barcelona events, Koplimaa certainly had the experience. In fact, despite being a respected mixed game specialist, Hendrix was playing his first EPT event.
This gulf in experience, coupled with some fortunate cards, gave Koplimaa the win. After just ten minutes of heads-up play, Hendrix three-bet shoved with K♣5♠.
EPT Barcelona National Result
- Markku Koplimaa – $652,928
- Adam Hendrix – $386,734
- Eldaras Rafijevas – $293,762
- Matias Arosuo – $236,728
- Barry McGovern – $187,619
- Jose Quintas – $144,091
- Jai Saha – $106,143
- Lawrence Whyte – $75,338
- Jose Prieto Pulido – $61,018
A quick call from Koplimaa holding pocket eights was enough to seal the deal after a third eight on the flop.
With no surprises on the turn or river, the latest EPT Barcelona title went to Koplimaa as did the honor of winning the largest event of its kind.
