button in SafariBo Hoebe Overcomes Nacho Barbero to Win Second WSOP Circuit Ring (€207,000)
Table Of Contents
When he arrived at the final table of the €1,500 World Series of Poker Circuit Madrid Main Event on November 1, Bo Hoebe held 25% of the chips in play, and the day was supposed to be a mere formality on his way to victory. However, things didn't go as planned, as Nacho Barbero went from last to first during the first two levels thanks to an extraordinary run.
Hoebe and Barbero eventually found themselves heads-up for the title, with both coming close to winning one after the other. But after a dramatic final hand, Hoebe secured his second WSOP Circuit ring by taking down this Main Event at Casino Gran Vía from a field of 918 entries. He walks away with €207,000 from the €1,164,942 prize pool, along with a $5,000 package for the next WSOP Paradise.
WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event final table results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bo Hoebe | Netherlands | €207,000 |
| 2 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | €130,000 |
| 3 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | Norway | €90,000 |
| 4 | Cristobal Ochoa Aguilera | Venezuela | €63,000 |
| 5 | Per Hildebrand | Sweden | €45,000 |
| 6 | Aliaksandr Shylko | Belarus | €33,000 |
| 7 | Cesar Montanes Alonso | Spain | €24,000 |
| 8 | Fausto Munz | France | €18,200 |
| 9 | Luca Zapatero Martin | Spain | €14,200 |
Winner's Reaction
Surrounded by his friends, who had come to Madrid to support him, Hoebe couldn't stop smiling after his victory. "It's a dream come true," he said while taking a sip of champagne. "I started the day thinking I was going to win it, but then Nacho ran like crazy. He got aces three times, kings three times... So I was like: let this guy do the work, and I'll get him heads-up. And here we are."
To understand the full story behind his Main Event victory, we have to go back to when he was just ten years old, spending time in the café his family ran in the Netherlands. "My dad and my brother used to organize small friendly games. I was always watching them when I was ten, and I loved the game."
"Once, when I was 12, my school presentation was about Phil Ivey! Then I started playing more seriously during home games, and when I turned 18, I could finally go to the casino. I wanted to do that more often," he explained. "Then I finished my bachelor's degree and said, 'Let's give poker a try, or I'll regret it.' But during COVID, I couldn't play anywhere, and I don't really like playing online. So I started working part-time and playing part-time, but I wanted to play full-time."
His first major success came in 2023, when he won his first WSOP Circuit ring and €36,999. "The week after, I went to the Tournament of Champions, but I stone-bubbled. I was so disappointed, but I came back home and won a tournament for €51,000 that same month."
He then kept grinding, "studying, coaching, and playing," mostly in his free time, until it eventually became too much. "That's why I took a little break. The break turned into a long nine-month break, and I started playing again here... and we won this tournament!"
With his fresh mind, he came to Madrid without any stress or expectations. "I told myself: 'Let's play. If I lose, it's okay.' But on my second bullet, I started running very well. I began Day 2 with 30 big blinds, and the end of the day was crazy. I had a hot run, like with the hand where I had kings. And today was a dream come true, starting with a big chip lead. Then we went heads-up. It started pretty well, but I dropped down to 4,000,000. I made a huge comeback with the two-outer on the river. It's f****** crazy!"
The group of friends cheering him on from the rail were no strangers to his success either. "Having people celebrating for you gives you so much energy. Even Nacho felt he had a disadvantage because of that. I had been grinding alone everywhere for two or three years, and that's also one of the reasons I took a little break, because I don't like being alone," he said before listing the different qualities his friends bring, from those he "can have a beer with" to those "he can study with."
Now, this €207,000 payday opens up new perspectives for his career. "My dream is still to become a professional player. I tried, but it's a hard grind. I'm planning to go to Prague. I wasn't planning to go, but now I have a crazy bankroll. Let's see!"
When PokerNews told him that he had also won a $5,000 package for the next WSOP Paradise, he was taken by surprise. "I have a package for the Bahamas? I didn't know! It's crazy, let's go! So, Bahamas, maybe Prague, maybe Vegas. Let's do everything!"
Final Day Action
Among the nine finalists, a few names drew attention, starting with Nacho Barbero who was starting the final table last in chips with 2,430,000. Despite this short-stacked position, Barbero began the final day the best way possible by doubling up with ace-queen through Fausto Munz's ace-jack.
From this point, he continued with a barely believable run during which he doubled again with aces over kings, he eliminated Munz (8th - €18,200) then Cesar Montanes Alonso (7th - €24,000) with aces each time. In between those hands, he found kings, flopped a straight all the way until he hit a set with jacks to send Per Hildebrand (5th - €45,000) to the rail before the first break.
This rush of cards propelled him on top of the counts within the first two hours, multiplying his stack by ten to hold two-thirds of the chips in play.
Meanwhile, other players exited as well, such as Luca Zapatero Martin (9th - €14,200), who was left on fumes after the aces-over-kings hand against Barbero. He managed to survive once, but ultimately became the first player eliminated of this final table.
Aliaksandr Shylko also hit the rail in sixth place for €33,000 after losing a coin flip to Hildebrand. Following these eliminations, only four players remained by the first break.
Shortly after the restart, Cristobal Ochoa Aguilera was next to fall with his very short stack, finishing in fourth place for €63,000. This left Barbero, Hoebe, and Tom-Aksel Bedell to battle for the title. From that point on, the pace slowed down, only with Bedell doubling up through Barbero. Hoebe also doubled with kings before eliminating Bedell in third place for €90,000 to enter heads-up play with a slightly smaller stack than Barbero.
Both stacks remained fairly even for more than an hour until Hoebe took the lead and had his first match point with ace-king against king-ten. Barbero, however, found a double-up thanks to a ten on the turn, regaining the lead, although he wouldn't hold it for long after getting caught bluffing. He managed to double up again to build a 3:1 lead, but Hoebe doubled twice in a row to turn the tables.
Moments later, the cards went on their backs once again, with both players flopping a pair. Barbero turned trips, but Hoebe rivered a better full house to win the WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event.
This victory concludes PokerNews' coverage of the first-ever WSOP Circuit stop in Spain. A few more stops organized by Texapoker are scheduled across Europe before the end of the year, starting with Middelkerke in Belgium from November 6-15, followed by Sanremo in Italy from November 20-30.
As always, the PokerNews live reporting team will be on site to follow all the action from the tournament floor!
