Ketzer Dominates Early and Often to Win First €25,000 No-Limit Hold'em of EPT Barcelona (€255,480)
The first one-day €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em of the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) has come to an end and Felipe Ketzer beat a field of 28 players to win the top prize of €255,480 at Casino Barcelona.
Ketzer wins the big bag from a total prize pool of €672,280. He was followed in second by Eduard Barsegyan and in third by Lei Yu. Kayhan Mokri and Ottomar Ladva rounded out the five cashing players.
Finishing just outside the money was Timothy Adams after his ace-eight lost to Mokri’s king-ten to burst the bubble. He’s joined by the two other players that made the final table but could not cash, Erik Seidel and Bruno Volkmann.
$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | €255,480 |
| 2 | Eduard Barsegyan | Russia | €164,700 |
| 3 | Lei Yu | China | €109,200 |
| 4 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | €79,000 |
| 5 | Ottomar Ladva | Estonia | €63,900 |
The Highlights
The day started with nine players registered, including all five players that cashed. Ketzer jumped out early and was one of the first players to double the starting stack, and by Level 4 it had nearly tripled.
Barsegyan was also among those that jumped to the top part of the leaderboard in the early going, thanks in part to a nut flush that eliminated Tom Orpaz. Adams also made early moves, including the double knockout of Orpaz and Daniel Rezaei. Orpaz got it in on his second bullet with ace-queen and Rezaei had fours, but the pocket jacks of Adams held on to take a big early pot.
The final table was reached in Level 14 and Seidel was the first exit just before the dinner break when his queen-jack lost to Ladva’s suited ace-eight. Ketzer maintained his lead throughout the early going, and seven-handed play stretched out as players looked to survive a tough bubble.
Barsegyan, who came into the final table with just 13 big blinds, picked up chips throughout seven-handed play and was the one to knock out Volkmann to send the tournament to the stone bubble.
Six-handed play continued for just over 30 minutes before Adams hit the rail to burst the bubble, while Barsegyan used the opportunity to jump into the chip lead after a clash with Ketzer. Within just a few minutes, Ladva hit the rail in fifth after his king-queen ran into Ketzer’s ace-queen.
Ketzer reclaimed the lead and Mokri doubled up in four-handed play, but he was the next to go when his king-five lost to Yu’s ace-eight. Yu, who battled in the middle of the pack throughout the day, was knocked out in third when he shoved with a pair of nines and lost to the suited king-five of Barsegyan.
Heads-up play started with a small margin for Ketzer, but an early nut flush gave him a comfortable lead. Barsegyan managed to find a small double, but it wasn’t enough. The big moment came when Ketzer’s king-four found three-of-a-kind to beat the king-five of Barsegyan.
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