Yesterday, on Day 1a of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €5,300 EPT Main Event, a total of 554 unique players entered the Main Event, with 44 re-entering. This brought the total number of entries to 598.
Today looks like being an even bigger starting flight than that, with a lot more than the 202 who made it through yesterday expected to bag up at the end of Day 1b. The tournament allows for up to two entries maximum; those that busted yesterday and haven't reentered yet have the chance to do so at Day 1b. Team PokerStars Pro Randy Lew will be among those to try a second time, while fellow teammates Daniel Negreanu, Andre Akkari and Jeff Gross are expected among those to try and make it through today.
A total of three $30,000 Platinum Passes will be awarded as well during the Main Event. Logically, the winner of this event will receive the first one on top of his victory. The second one will be awarded to the longest lasting PokerStars qualifier, both live and online. At PokerNews, we will track and keep you up to date on who the remaining qualifiers are as the tournament progresses. The third and final Platinum Pass will be up for grabs in the Crazy Pineapple Flipout at the start of Day 2.
Today will see ten levels of 60 minutes each being played out, with a 20-minute break scheduled after every two levels. A 75-minute dinner break is scheduled after level 6. A single reentry is allowed for those that run out of chips during their first attempt. The shot clock will be in play later this tournament, shortly before the money is reached, after which each player receives six time bank cards of 30 seconds each. PokerNews will be on the floor to provide start-to-finish coverage of this popular event over the next seven days, so don't go anywhere!
Day 1b Blind Structure
| Level | Time | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| BREAK 20 min | | | | |
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| BREAK 20 min | | | | |
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| DINNER BREAK 75 min | | | | |
| 7 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| BREAK 20 min | | | | |
| 9 | 60 min | 500 | 1000 | 1000 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1200 | 1200 |
PokerStars EPT Barcelona Main Event Champions
| # | Month | Year | Players | Buy-in | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | September | 2004 | 229 | €1,000 | Alexander Stevic | Sweden | €80,000 |
| 2 | September | 2005 | 327 | €4,000 | Jan Boubli | France | €416,000 |
| 3 | September | 2006 | 480 | €5,000 | Bjørn-Erik Glenne | Norway | €691,000 |
| 4 | August | 2007 | 543 | €8,000 | Sander Lyloff | Denmark | €1,170,700 |
| 5 | September | 2008 | 619 | €8,000 | Sebastian Ruthenberg | Germany | €1,361,000 |
| 6 | September | 2009 | 478 | €8,000 | Carter Phillips | United States | €850,000 |
| 7 | November | 2010 | 757 | €5,000 | Kent Lundmark | Sweden | €825,000 |
| 8 | August | 2011 | 811 | €5,000 | Martin Schleich | Germany | €850,000 |
| 9 | August | 2012 | 1,082 | €5,000 | Mikalai Pobal | Belarus | €1,007,550 |
| 10 | September | 2013 | 1,234 | €5,000 | Tom Middleton | United Kingdom | €942,000 |
| 11 | August | 2014 | 1,496 | €5,000 | Andre Lettau | Germany | €794,058 |
| 12 | August | 2015 | 1,694 | €5,000 | John Juanda | Indonesia | €1,022,593 |
| 13 | August | 2016 | 1,785 | €5,300 | Sebastian Malec | Poland | €1,122,800 |
| PSC | August | 2017 | 1,682 | €5,300 | Sebastian Sorensson | Sweden | €987,043 |
flop Pablo Banfi bet 900 and professional golfer Sergio Garcia called. The turn was the 
and both players checked.
and Banfi checked. Garcia bet 1,200 and Banfi tank-called.
for a pair of nines, and Banfi showed 
for an overpair and took down the pot.
flop and the Canadian continued for 300 and got two calls. Guilbert bet 600 on the 
for a missed flush draw and Guilbert showed 
flop. The turn was the 
and both players checked.
but Malec had rivered two pair with 
and he took down the pot, taking him back above starting stack after having lost a pot previously.
