As the clock ticks down on Day 5 of the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event and with only two more days to crown the champion, the tension can be felt throughout the poker room. From an impressive pool of 2,120 entries, only 32 players remain, making it the second-largest EPT Main Event ever recorded, surpassed only by the previous year's numbers.
At the forefront is Simon Wiciak with a 4.5 million chip stack, while Daniyar Aubakirov with 3.9 million and Joao Sydenstricker holding 3.7 million are close on his heels. Although Wiciak had a commendable finish at this year's WSOP Main Event, securing 344th place for $44,700, the stakes here are on a completely different scale. Every player left at the tables is assured at least €31,250. However, with a mind-blowing first-place prize of €1,488,000 up for grabs.
2023 EPT Barcelona Day 5 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon Wiciak | France | 4,515,000 | 113 |
| 2 | Daniyar Aubakirov | Kazakhstan | 3,855,000 | 96 |
| 3 | João Sydenstricker | Brazil | 3,745,000 | 94 |
| 4 | Carl Shaw | United Kingdom | 3,595,000 | 90 |
| 5 | Mathias Duarte | Uruguay | 3,525,000 | 88 |
| 6 | Pedro Lopes | Brazil | 3,405,000 | 85 |
| 7 | Mohamad El Rais | Switzerland | 3,200,000 | 80 |
| 8 | Santiago Plante | Canada | 2,940,000 | 74 |
| 9 | Curtis Knight | Canada | 2,865,000 | 72 |
| 10 | Jose Rodriguez Zurita | Mexico | 2,820,000 | 71 |
The smallest chip stack of a mere 11 big blinds 5 will be the last standing member of PokerStars Team pro, Andre Akkari. Yesterday he already teetered on the brink of elimination, but a two-outer on the river saved him and now his Brazilian rail is eagerly watching, of Akkari can pull another miraculous comeback.
⚠️Classic race alert ⚠️
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) August 31, 2023
Vamos @aakkari 🇧🇷
Cards-up coverage of the #EPTBarcelona Main Event continues, watch at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O pic.twitter.com/rwakQBovXV
72 players started Day 4 on Thursday and several big names that were left in the contention have bowed out. Antoine Labat, fresh from a €500,000 windfall in the Estrellas High Roller, was ousted in 53rd place, pocketing €27,250. A few minutes before him, Patrik Antonius took the 54th spot. 2014 EPT winner Dominik Panka met his match at 63rd, and Stephen Song, the 2022 GPI Player of the Year, wrapped up his run at 47th.
The drama resumes at noon, and if you're keen to watch the events unfold live, the livestream fires up at 12:30, albeit with a 30-minute delay to ensure game integrity.
2023 EPT Barcelona Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €1,488,000 |
| 2 | €931,250 |
| 3 | €664,750 |
| 4 | €511,300 |
| 5 | €393,300 |
| 6 | €302,500 |
| 7 | €232,700 |
| 8 | €179,000 |
| 9 | €137,700 |
| 10-11 | €105,900 |
| 12-13 | €88,200 |
| 14-15 | €73,500 |
| 16-17 | €63,250 |
| 18-20 | €55,000 |
| 21-23 | €47,800 |
| 24-27 | €41,550 |
| 28-31 | €36,100 |
| 32 | €31,250 |
Images courtesy of PokerStars/PokerNews.
