€5,300 EPT Main Event | 2019 PokerStars.es EPT Barcelona

2019-08-31 22:52 UTC+1

Seat 1: Rui Sousa, 28, Maia, Portugal, PokerStars qualifier - 9,100,000

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It’s been 10 years since Antonio Matias won the EPT Main Event to become the second⁠—and so far last⁠—Portuguese champion. But Matias‘ fellow countrymen have been trying hard to join him on the pedestal. 2018 EPT Barcelona saw Pedro Marques and Rodrigo Carmo bow out in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Carlos Branco and Luis Medina then appeared on subsequent final tables in Prague and Monaco, but they couldn’t convert either. Now Rui Sousa and Giovani Torre are in the limelight here in Barcelona.

28-year-old Sousa hails from Maia, a small town near Porto. He is an experienced player whose standout online results include a WCOOP title as well as a Super Tuesday title.

Sousa has racked up nearly $300,000 in reported live cashes, with his best results coming from PokerStars-sponsored events. His largest score has been $86,400 for a 33rd place in the PSPC, but Sousa will set a new high after he visits the payout desk tomorrow. He’ll collect his third EPT Barcelona Main Event cash, following the 18th place in 2015 and a 48th in 2016.

Rui Sousa’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	210,700	21 / 783
Day 3	561,000	24 / 191
Day 4	1,340,000	18 / 48
Day 5	6,980,000	1 / 16
Day 6	9,100,000	3 / 6

Tags: Carlos Branco Antonio Matias Giovani Torre Luis Medina Pedro Marques Rodrigo Carmo Rui Sousa

2019-08-31 22:48 UTC+1

Seat 2: Giovani Torre, 36, Funchal, Portugal - 4,450,000

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From Madeira, Giovani Torre has played poker for a living for 10 years. He splits his time between the online and live poker felts, but currently favors the live scene due to the Portuguese legislative. The 36-year-old claimed to have done a thorough preparation for the EPT Barcelona festival, and his studying during the summer has paid off.

Torre qualified to the Main Event for €1,200, winning his seat through a live satellite. He turned it into what he called the „most important result of my career“. He’s already guaranteed to triple his live tournament earnings. Torre’s previous best result was $34,845 for the 370th place in this year’s WSOP Main Event.

Giovani Torre’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	161,000	56 / 783
Day 3	436,000	47 / 191
Day 4	650,000	37 / 48
Day 5	4,290,000	6 / 16
Day 6	4,450,000	6 / 6

Tags: Giovani Torre

2019-08-31 22:45 UTC+1

Seat 3: Simon Brandstrom, 37, Stockholm, Sweden - 18,500,000

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If his name doesn’t ring a bell, it might be because Simon Brandstrom used to be known as Persson before he got married. Brandstrom, 37, is roommates with Alexander Ivarsson here at EPT Barcelona. They came close to making the final table together, but Ivarsson eventually bowed out in 10th place. Brandstrom, whose resume boasts over $820,000 in live tournament winnings, secured himself a seat in the six-handed finale.

His previous biggest cash (€187,880) came six months ago here in Barcelona when he surpassed his €182,913 payday from the 2013 Master Classics of Poker Main Event. Both of those results came along with a silver medal.

Brandstrom’s best result at a PokerStars-sponsored event came in 2016 at EPT12 Prague: he took home €120,090 for a third place in the Eureka Main Event. Brandstrom’s previous maximum in an EPT Main Event was a 25th place finish at EPT8 Berlin. Now adding a final table appearance to his name, Brandstrom is guaranteed a new career-high score.

Simon Brandstrom’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	49,900	499 / 783
Day 3	509,000	35 / 191
Day 4	2,300,000	4 / 48
Day 5	2,165,000	12 / 16
Day 6	18,500,000	1 / 6

Tags: Alexander Ivarsson Simon Brandstrom

2019-08-31 22:42 UTC+1

Seat 4: Yunye Lu, 41, Shanghai, China, resides in Hong Kong - 4,500,000

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Yunye Lu lived in Shanghai for 30 years, but now he resides in Hong Kong. The 41-year-old claimed to have played professionally for several years, but he’s treated the game as a sidekick since 2016. Lu works as an investment analyst.

He picked up poker ten years ago in the United States where he studied at UCLA. Lu revealed that he had previously made some trips to Europe for cash game action, but this is his first tournament experience on European soil. Lu’s racked up $440,000 in reported live cashes, half of that coming from his second-place finish in the PokerStars-sponsored 2015 APPT Red Dragon.

The EPT Main Event is yet to crown a Chinese champion, and Lu is the third player in the last 12 months who has a decent shot at changing that. Last year saw Haoxiang Wang finish second here in Barcelona, and Wei Huang repeated Wang’s feat three months ago in Monaco.

While poker is his primary hobby, Lu also enjoys many sports activities, including snowboarding, skiing, and playing tennis.

Yunye Lu’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	60,500	420 / 783
Day 3	294,000	84 / 191
Day 4	1,300,000	19 / 48
Day 5	5,490,000	3 / 16
Day 6	4,500,000	5 / 6

Tags: Haoxiang Wang Wei Huang Yunye Lu

2019-08-31 22:38 UTC+1

Seat 5: Marton Czuczor, 29, Budapest, Hungary - 14,450,000

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From Budapest, Hungary, Marton Czuczor has been a familiar face on the tour for a decade. And while the games were arguably softer when he started traveling around the circuit, Czuczor is one of the players who have been able to step up their game. Most of his big scores⁠—both live and online⁠—came in recent years. Making the final table in the record-breaking EPT Barcelona is a testament to the 29-year-old’s improvement.

Czuczor will collect his 10th EPT Main Event cash here. He’s had a narrow miss at the 2016 EPT Prague where he finished second, taking €630,000 after cutting a heads-up deal with Jasper Meijer van Putten. That remains Czuczor’s largest reward to date.

Czuczor recently proved his qualities in high roller fields as well. Three months ago at EPT Monte Carlo, he emerged third in the €25,000 High Roller for a €364,460 payday. Now guaranteed another six-figure check, Czuczor has locked up a fourth place on the Hungarian all-time money list with over $2.5 million in earnings. A victory would catapult him into the lead.

Marton Czuczor’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	63,600	399 / 783
Day 3	391,000	52 / 191
Day 4	1,195,000	25 / 48
Day 5	6,065,000	2 / 16
Day 6	14,450,000	2 / 6

Tags: Jasper Meijer van Putten Marton Czuczor

2019-08-31 22:35 UTC+1

Seat 6: Diego Falcone, 21, Brazil, resides in Malaga, Spain - 8,600,000

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Diego Falcone has a Spanish grandfather, but he hails from Brazil, which is the country he opted to represent here at EPT Barcelona. But the 21-year-old didn't have to fly across the ocean to compete in the record-breaking EPT Main Event; he resides in Malaga.

He learned to play poker as a 15-year-old and became a professional player when he turned 18. He splits his online and live poker time between two continents, going back to Brazil to grind online while playing live events in Europe.

Falcone won his seat in a €1,200 live satellite and reaching the EPT Barcelona final table is by far the most impressive achievement of his career. Nonetheless, Falcone doesn't plan to focus on laddering up: he wants the title and prestige that comes with it. "I'm here for the glory," he said.

Diego Falcone’s Main Event run:

Day	Chip Count	Position
Day 2	152,500	67 / 783
Day 3	698,000	12 / 191
Day 4	2,310,000	3 / 48
Day 5	1,800,000	16 / 16
Day 6	8,600,000	4 / 6

Tags: Diego Falcone