2,120 players dropped in for the tournament, including a number of high-rollers
Simon Wiciak was the chip leader for the final three days of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona Main Event, with no plans of giving them up. He took every chip in play after outlasting 2,120 entrants and defeating João Sydenstricker heads-up to win €1,134,375 ($1,224,943).
Wiciak, who primarily plays online, recently started focusing on live tournaments and has now won his first major live poker title and first seven-figure score. The Frenchman, Sydenstricker, and Britain’s Carl Shaw struck a three-way deal that flattened the payouts before playing on for the trophy and an additional €108,975 ($117,676) in cash.
Canadian Santiago Plante finished fourth for €511,300 ($552,122), Argentina’s Ezequiel Waigel was sixth, taking home €302,500 ($326,652), and Brazilian Andre Akkari took fifth place for €393,300 ($424,701). Wiciak was the chip leader for most of Day 7, later giving it up during four-handed and three-handed play, with Shaw and Sydenstricker moving ahead.
It was a wild few hours with the two Brazilians at the final table at Casino Barcelona’s main tournament room, with Wiciak supported by a deep rail of French fans who cheered him on. Not long after the three-way deal, Shaw’s king-queen was dominated by Wiciak’s ace-queen, sending him to the rail in third place and giving the Frenchman a big chip lead over Sydenstricker. After a short period of heads-up play, Wiciak made a big call against Sydenstricker with just a pair of fives to win the tournament.
Emma Rodriguez is the Proofreader at the Big Blind, with seven years of experience and five years in online gambling. She plays a crucial role in maintaining content quality by ensuring error-free, reader-friendly information about the gambling industry.
