EPT Barcelona: Gerard Piqué Makes Final Table But Misses Money

By Mrinal Gujare

30 Aug 2024

Mrinal Gujare 30 Aug 2024

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Image Credit: Danny Maxwell/Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited

Gerard Piqué made headlines when he made an appearance at the 2024 European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona. The Spaniard bought into the €20,000 tournament alongside big names like Erik Seidel and Niklas Astedt. The tournament did not end well for Piqué as he was eliminated at the hands of Jules Dickerson who had Cowboys holding ground.

But the soccer legend quickly upped the ante with his game and made the final table in the €25,000 No-Limit Hold'em I tournament. But unfortunately for Piqué, he was the first casualty at the final table. Only the top six players were paid, so the footballer did not get any return on his investment.

€25,000 No-Limit Hold'em I

The first €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em event of the 2024 PokerStars EPT Barcelona had many well-known players vying for the trophy. The ultimate winner was Byron Kaverman who pocketed a prize money of €381,060.

Kaverman had previously finished second in the €12,300 Cuatro Knockout, for a payday of €119,400. But in the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament, Kaverman outsmarted his rival in the heads-up match. The runner-up took a pay cheque of €248,500.

The remaining sum of the €1,104,460 prize pool was distributed among players who made it in the money like Mike Watson, Enrico Camosci, Niklas Astedt, and Sam Grafton. The event had 46 entries with min-cash resting at €77,300.

Early Action

The tournament kick-started amid high energy, as players like Teun Mulder and Sven Andersson made multiple entries late registration was shut.

Hall of Famers Erik Seidel and Patrik Antonius were busted including Kayhan Mokri, the champion of the €20,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament.

Other heavy-weights like Seth Davies, Sean Winter, and David Coleman couldn’t survive till the dinner break. Nacho Barbero was the first player to exit post dinner break.

Sam Greenwood missed out on his final table of the current edition of EPT. He was followed by notables like Santhosh Suvarna and Jesse Lonis.

The 13th player on the All Time Money List, Steve O’Dwyer couldn’t nail his second trophy of the series, and took the 11th spot. Jean-Noel Thorel was the final table bubble boy.

Final Table

After Piqué lost a flip to Watson, Ren Lin took the exit route. Watson eliminated Nick Petrangelo only to finish third for over €170K.

Kaverman established a 2:1 chip lead that he maintained throughout the heads-up session. Markkos Ladev pushed his remaining blinds holding Nine-Deuce against Kaverman's Ace-Nine but failed to improve.

Place	Player	Prize
1	Byron Kaverman	€ 3,81,060
2	Markkos Ladev	€ 2,48,500
3	Mike Watson	€ 1,71,200
4	Enrico Camosci	€ 1,27,000
5	Niklas Astedt	€ 99,400
6	Sam Grafton	€ 77,300

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