Soccer legend Gerard Piqué took his seat in a €20,000 buy-in tournament, joining a star-studded field that included Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, triple crown winner Mike Watson, and 2024 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Niklas Astedt.
Piqué is no stranger to the felt, having played at the World Series of Poker and other EPTs. However, the World Cup winner fell below his usual high standards this time around.
Piqué Runs into Kings at EPT Barcelona
PokerNews live reporter Patrick Cole was on the scene to capture Piqué's bust-out hand. Here's how he reported the action:
In Level 8, where the blinds were 1,000/2,500/2,500 big blind ante, the action folded to Gerard Piqué, who raised from the small blind to 5,000. Jules Dickerson made it 16,000 from the big blind.
Piqué took a moment before four-betting all in for around 80,000. Dickerson quickly called as the covering stack.
Gerard Piqué: 2♠2♦
Jules Dickerson: K♣K♥
Piqué needed to find a deuce to stay alive, but the K♦10♣8♦ flop gave Dickerson top set and left Piqué drawing to runner-runner quads. His exit was confirmed on the 6♠ turn, and the 10♥ river was merely a formality for the former FC Barcelona star. He tapped the table and departed the tournament area.
In 2014, Piqué made an appearance at the WSOP in Las Vegas, although his first recorded poker cash came in 2011.
"I love to compete in many situations and like to compete against the best players in anything, in this case, poker," he told PokerNews in 2016. "So when I sit down at a table and know some of the players, and I know them because they are really good players, I really enjoy it.”
In 2019 he finished second for €352,950 in a €25,000 Single-Day High Roller. Former teammate Arturo Vidal joined him in the same event.
Piqué was back at the EPT poker tables three years later, trying his luck in Prague's €50,000 EPT Super High Roller. He fired two bullets into the event but fell short of making the paid places.
The following year, Piqué was back in poker streets in Barcelona, notching a sixth-place finish in the series' €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance for €65,000.
While Piqué missed out on turning a profit today, he'll have plenty of opportunities to add to his $738,611 in live earnings with the host of High Rollers pencilled in at EPT Barcelona.
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.
Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
