Barcelona has traditionally been one of the most successful stops on the PokerStars LIVE calendar, and this year is proving to be no different. In fact, early numbers are already shattering previous records, with the Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) Main Event turning into the largest live tournament organized by PokerStars.
Despite a somewhat slow start during the initial couple of flights, things really started to pick up in the final few Day 1s, resulting in a record-breaking turnout of 7398 entries.
Interestingly, this same tournament set the record for the largest PokerStars live event last year when it attracted 6313 entries. That number was blown out of the water this time around, as we saw a year-on-year increase of over 1,000 entries.
ESPT Barcelona Main Event
- Buy-In: €1100
- Number of Entries: 7398
- Unique Players: 3291
- Reentries: 4107
- Final Prize Pool: €7,102,080
- Total Players Paid: 1109
- Countries Represented: 86
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Massive Prize Pool Up for Grabs
As is usually the case with poker tournaments, big turnout resulted in a massive prize pool as those players still in the tournament will be fighting for their share of €7.1 million.
The event will pay 1109 players, with the minimum cash set at €1750. The winner will take home €676,230, while everyone making it to the final nine will be guaranteed a payday of a least €62,470. Not too shabby for a €1100 tournament.
The tournament has a truly international character, as there were players from 86 different countries represented in the field. There were 3291 unique players and 4107 reentries.
Interestingly enough, the most represented country was France, with 559 participants. Spain was in second place with 426 players, followed by Italy with 375.
All players who managed to survive the initial flight were immediately in the money, so there was no waiting for the bubble to burst when they all reconvened at the start of Day 2. However, there is still plenty of action left and big money up for grabs.
- Online Qualifiers now running, including Freerolls
- PokerStars’ first-ever EPT stop in Cyprus!
- EPT Main Event October 16 – 22
- Includes Mystery Bounty, High & Super High Roller Events
Champion to Be Crowned on Sunday
The ESPT Barcelona Main Event will see its conclusion on Sunday, August 27, at which time we will find out the name of the player who will take home the coveted trophy and over €676k in cash.
As the tournament is currently underway and there is still a long way to go, it is hard to predict what the final nine might look like. At the time of writing this, there are several known names in the field with decent stacks, including James Akenhead, Martin Zamani, and PokerStars’ own Parker Talbot.
Regardless of who wins the tournament, there is one clear winner here already: PokerStars. The operator has proven once again they are capable of organizing hugely successful live tournaments, and the numbers growing year after year are no coincidence.
The ESPT action may be winding down soon, but there is much more action to come in Barcelona, as the EPT Main Event will be commencing on Sunday. If early indicators are anything to go by, we might be looking at another record-breaker by the time the registration timer runs out.
