The Road to EPT Paris: The Field is Set for the Spin & Go Championship Live
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The Spin & Go format on PokerStars has long been a staple of online poker, known for its three-handed, winner-take-all intensity. Now, that same energy is being brought to the live stage at Le Palais des Congrès during the EPT Paris festival.
A little over a year ago, Carlos Gurdiel became the first Spin & Go Championship Live winner at EPT Prague, with Guilherme Kleist winning the second edition at EPT Barcelona last summer.
Now, 81 qualifiers are ready to sit across 27 tables to compete for a prize pool of over €300,000. Action gets underway on Monday, with the latter stages streamed on Monday evening and on Tuesday, February 24.
"We're really excited about how Spin & Go Live has captured the imagination of our players," said Sebastian Pico, Associate Director of Key Account Management. "The atmosphere, the arena and the format gave a great additional buzz to everything else going on at the EPT."
Reading the Room: The Story of Kevin Berman
Among the 81 qualifiers is perhaps the most uniquely prepared player in the field: Kevin Berman, a retired LAPD detective and counterterrorism expert. Berman’s journey from the front lines of law enforcement to the poker table is one of resilience.
"I was impeccably trained by the best of the best," Berman said of his time in the force. However, his career was marked by danger: "I was injured on the job a few too many times... I was shot twice."
"The PokerStars locations, formats, and the dealers and staff are always amazing"
Now retired, Berman says he's a "neophyte" in the realm of poker, first playing on the EPT in December 2022.
"My wife is Czech, and we were visiting Prague and family, so I decided to play the EPT. Before that, I had played very little poker. Once in 2018, when one of my sons took me to the WSOP in Las Vegas, and then in 2019, while visiting Barcelona."
Berman cashed the Main Event and finished third in the Senior's Event at EPT Prague, and followed that up with a 37th-place finish at the PokerStars Summer Festival Malta Main Event the following year for €3,390.
"I have played all over the world the last few years, but PokerStars events are close to my heart, and although I may not cash all the time, the experience and the talent I have played against is always fun. The PokerStars locations, formats, and the dealers and staff are always amazing, and that’s part of the attraction. PokerStars does it best!"
Meet the Qualifiers
In addition to Berman, the Spin & Go Championship Live field is composed of a diverse mix of professional grinders and casual players who turned small buy-ins into once-in-a-lifetime packages.
William Underwood (UK): Having previously participated in the Prague edition, this year Underwood qualified after finishing third in two different leaderboards.
"[Prague] was great fun, meeting a lot of the people I play online face to face, and I look forward to seeing some faces again. Spins have been pretty much my main game my whole poker career... I let out a little ‘NO WAY, YESSS!’" when I finally received the email telling me I'd qualified."
Gustavo Valdivia (Mexico): Valdivia is another player returning to Spin & Go Championship Live action, after a disappointing run in Barcelona. "I was left with the feeling that I could do better, which motivated me to put in a lot of volume. Having experienced it last year, I know how special it is, which makes me even more motivated to perform better this time."
Roman Zhesnovskyi (Ukraine): A student and online regular who is looking forward to the live atmosphere. "It wasn't easy to qualify, but I did it! I hope that luck will be on my side in Paris."
Leopold Rezar (Slovenia): After qualifying through the leaderboard, Rezar has been studying hard ready for a shot at the title."The promotion and qualification were a wonderful surprise on top of my regular play. I am looking forward to having a great experience."
