Simon Brandstrom rallied from a massive head-up deficit during heads-up play against Marton Czuczor to win the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1.29 million. The Swede, who defeated 1,988 entries, won the largest European Poker Tour Main Event in history.
Brandstrom certainly wasn’t a household name prior to this event. But he is no slouch on the felt, having cashed for approximately €800,000 in live tournaments in the past. Now, however, he’s a “major” poker champion, which is something you can’t ever take away from him.
Simon Brandstrom Wins Extra €77K in Chop
When heads-up play began, Marton Czuczor held a slim lead over Brandstrom. The two millionaire hopefuls agreed to chop all but the €77,000 of the remaining €2.54 million pot.
Czuczor received the biggest cut – barely – at €1,253,234, via a chip-chop. And his opponent was then guaranteed at least €1,212,706. But there was still a bit of cash up for grabs along with an EPT trophy. So, there was incentive to continue trying to win.
Heads-up play started off horrendously for Simon Brandstrom. He went from a slight chip disadvantage to barely treading water. Czuczor quickly turned his slim lead into an 4-1 advantage.
But in tournament poker, whether you’re playing low-stakes or an EPT Main Event, it’s never over until one player has every single chip in play. Just ask Marton Czuczor.
Brandstrom quickly battled back and, before long, regained the lead. And then he began to pull away, turning his lead into a 5-1 advantage. He then finished off his opponent with pocket sixes in a pre-flop all-in race against K-Q when the board ran out clean for him (7-2-9-A-5).
EPT Barcelona Main Event Final Table Results
- Simon Brandstrom (Sweden) €1,290,166*
- Marton Czuczor (Hungary) €1,253,234
- Rui Sousa (Portugal) €607,400
- Diego Falcone (Brazil) €436,760
- Giovani Torre (Portugal) €364,660
- Yunye Lu (China) €295,520
- Yohan Storakers (Sweden) €226,490
- Pasquale Braco (Italy) €159,580
- Kully Sidhu (United Kingdom) €121,760
*Indicates money won via heads-up chop.
