The eyes of the poker world were on the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona at the end of August and the start of September, with a host of exciting competitions being held as part of the European Poker Tour (EPT) event in the area.
Of course, if one tournament attracted more attention than any other it was the €5,300 No-Limit Hold’em EPT Main Event, with its field of 1,988 competitors making it the biggest-ever EPT Main Event which has ever been held. However, while hundreds of players did battle and competed for the top prize, there can only ultimately be one winner – and this year it was a Swedish player who grasped the opportunity to push himself into the spotlight.
A significant moment
Simon Brandstrom defeated Hungarian competitor Marton Czuczor to win the event outright, with his first-place finish meaning he was awarded an impressive €1,290,166 for his efforts. The final moments of the tournament proved to be hugely eventful, with the lead changing hands before Brandstrom was ultimately able to take the initiative and gain victory.
The win looks set to be a significant moment in the career of the player as, according to the Hendon Mob Database, it marks his best-ever finish in a poker event since he started competing in the World Series of Poker back in June 2008. It is thought that the victory has also taken his total live earnings to around $2.2 million, while it is further evidence that Barcelona has undoubtedly been a happy hunting ground for him across this year.
Back in June, he secured prize money of €187,880 after he came second in the €1,350 + 150 No-Limit Hold-em WPTDeepstacks event held in the city.
Source: Pexels
Major money for Czuczor
While Brandstrom’s Hungarian rival Czuczor did not ultimately get the glory of finishing first, it is fair to say he still would have been happy with his work. He secured €1,253,234 for his second-place finish, while the remaining top-five places at the event were filled by Rui Sousa (€607,400), Diego Falcone (€436,760) and Giovani Tore (€364,660).
A couple of Brandstrom’s fellow countrymen also enjoyed a bit of success with their tournament strategies in Barcelona, with Johan Storakers and Alexander Ivarsson finishing in seventh and tenth and securing €226,490 and €101,820 respectively.
Other competitors who finished in the top ten included Yunye Lu, whose sixth-place finish led to winnings of €295,520, as well as the Italian Pasquale Braco (€159,580) and England’s Kully Sidhu (€121,760).
Going from strength to strength
The EPT in Barcelona has undoubtedly proven to be a major success and this is typified by the fact that the Main Event ended up being the biggest ever held. It is clearly a sign that the EPT and major poker tournaments, in general, are going from strength to strength.
Brandstrom’s win was an intriguing development at the event and it will be fascinating to see how and if he can build on his biggest success in the months and years ahead.