Here’s How the EPT Barcelona is Shattering Records in 2022
Poker is alive and well across Europe, as the European Poker Tour returns to Barcelona for the first time in three years this August in record-shattering fashion.
With the EPT Barcelona last occurring in 2019, Covid-19 restrictions have prevented the event from taking place in 2020 and 2021. Now, the event is back in Spain, and records are dropping like flies.
More than 60 different tournaments are scheduled for the EPT Barcelona 2022, and with the event running from August 8 to August 21, play is heading towards the pointy end of the tournament this weekend. Both the €10,200 Mystery Bounty and €100,000 EPT Super High Roller events have reached completion, leaving just the €5,300 EPT Main Event to play out over this weekend.
We take a look at how the tournament has fared so far and what records have been broken already.
The History of the EPT Barcelona
To grasp the magnitude of the EPT Barcelona’s success in 2022, let’s take a look at the tournament’s progression over the past two decades, in terms of player numbers and prize money for the EPT Barcelona Main Event:
· 2004 – 229 total players, €229,000 prize pool, won by Alexander Stevic for €80,000
· 2005 – 327 total players, €1,300,000 prize pool, won by Jan Boubli for €416,000
· 2006 – 480 total players, €2,304,000 prize pool, won by Bjorn-Erik Glenne for €691,000
· 2007 – 543 total players, €4,181,100 prize pool, won by Sander Lyloff for €1,170,700
· 2008 – 619 total players, €4,952,000 prize pool, won by Seb Ruthenberg for €1,361,000
· 2009 – 479 total players, €3,832,000 prize pool, won by Carter Phillips for €850,000
· 2010 – 758 total players, €3,790,000 prize pool, won by Kent Lundmark for €825,000
· 2011 – 811 total players, €4,055,000 prize pool, won by Martin Schleich for €850,000
· 2012 – 1,082 total players, €5,247,700 prize pool, won by Mikalai Pobal for €1,007,550
· 2013 – 1,234 total players, €5,984,900 prize pool, won by Tom Middleton for €942,000
· 2014 – 1,496 total players, €7,255,600 prize pool, won by Andre Lettau for €794,058
· 2015 – 1,694 total players, €8,215,900 prize pool, won by John Juanda for €1,022,593
· 2016 – 1,785 total players, €8,657,250 prize pool, won by Sebastian Malec for €1,122,800
· 2017 – 1,682 total players, €8,157,700 prize pool, won by Seb Sorensson for €987,043
· 2018 – 1,931 total players, €9,365,350 prize pool, won by Piotr Nurzynski for €1,037,109
· 2019 – 1,988 total players, €9,641,800 prize pool, won by Simon Brandstrom for €1,290,166
After being stuck in the mid-to-high 1000s for the past eight years, in 2022 the EPT Barcelona shattered those numbers.
This year, a whopping 2,294 players have entered the EPT Barcelona Main Event, competing for a prize pool of €11,470,000 prize pool, vastly surpassing numbers from previous events.
The winner of this year’s EPT Barcelona Main Event will be revealed by the end of the weekend.
Defending Champion Brandstrom Still in the Running
With four days of play complete in the EPT Barcelona 2022 Main Event, 2019 Champion Simon Brandstrom has yet again made a deep run towards the title.
Speaking to the media following his successful navigation of Day Four, Brandstrom said,
“Three years ago seems like a long time ago. But at the same time it feels like not too long ago that I won this event.”
Brandstrom is seeking to become only the third ever player to win two EPT titles, with the Swede not happy simply cashing again at the EPT. With less than 70 players left in the field, Brandstrom is well placed to continue his charge on Day Five of play.
Race Heats Up Towards Final Table
However, Peterson Machado is even better placed than Simon Brandstrom.
The Brazilian holds a commanding chip lead over the rest of the field. With 4,470,000 chips to his name, Machado has over a million more than the next biggest stack, Jordan Saccucci who has 3,250,000, and double that of fifth-placed Patrick Jaros. Drawn next to pro player Maria Lampropulos of Argentina on Day Five, Machado will be looking to use his big stack to bully and secure a final table placing later in the event.
With all players guaranteed a cash of €23,580 and 64 contestants returning to the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event on Friday, expect a ferocious day of action as play barrels towards the final table.
