Still in the previous level, Robert Ashelm raised to 23,000 in the small blind and saw Kenny Hallaert defend his big blind. Asheim checked the J♦4♥8♥ flop, after which Hallaert bet 22,000
Ashelm then put in a raise to 62,000, which forced a quick fold from the PokerStars Ambassador.
The €550 Estrellas Cup has been nothing short of a roaring success at the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona . The lines for late registration slithered throughout Casino Barcelona on Day 1 of the event, eventually resulting in a total entry number of 2,175, nearly double that of last year's event.
At the end of the day, 326 players made it through to the second and final day of the tournament, which is due to begin today at 11 a.m. local time.
Among those returning today is the newest PokerStars Ambassador, Kenny Hallaert. Hallaert's unique influence as a PokerStars live events advisor has already brought forth some changes at EPT Barcelona, but the Belgian proved he is also still more than competent at playing the game by bagging 283,000 chips on Day 1, an above-average stack.
Hallaert is still some ways away from being the chipleader, however, as that honor was bestowed upon Brazil's Edgar Ishida, who amassed a whopping 888,000 on Day 1, good for 111 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
Ishida is closely followed by Kian Kiani from the United Kingdom, who will start today with 865,000, while Portugal's Diogo Simoes occupies third place on the leaderboard with 859,000. The best Spanish player was Jose Herrera in fourth with 674,000, while Josep Ruiz (566,000) and Juan Gonzalez Suarez (489,000) also made the top ten in their efforts to keep the trophy at home soil.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Edgar Ishida
Brazil
888,000
111
2
Kian Kiani
United Kingdom
865,000
108
3
Diogo Simoes
Portugal
859,000
107
4
Jose Herrera
Spain
674,000
84
5
Nils Veipans
Latvia
583,000
72
6
Axel Hamou
France
571,000
71
7
Josep Ruiz
Spain
566,000
70
8
Mihai Costiuc
Romania
562,000
70
9
Juan Gonzalez Suarez
Spain
489,000
61
10
Jukka Hopearuoho
Finland
487,000
60
Other notables who captured a seat on Day 2 were British grinder Scott Margereson (393,000), runner-up in the 2023 EPT Barcelona Main Event Joao Sydenstricker (277,000), rising star Bixi Yao (180,000), and Triple Crown winner Jake Cody (155,000).
Joao Sydenstricker
Day 1 played until the money, so they have all guaranteed a slice of the massive €1,044,000 prize pool. Although each player can add the sum of €840 to their bankroll, the grand prize of €155,840, the only six-figure payout of the tournament, will only be awarded to the eventual champion.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Price
1
€155,840
2
€97,170
3
€69,410
4
€53,390
5
€41,070
6
€31,590
7
€24,300
8
€18,700
9
€14,390
Day 2 will restart in Level 18: 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante. All levels will remain 30 minutes in length, with a break after every four of them. A long day is ahead of the players as the tournament will conclude only when a winner is crowned.
Stay tuned as the final day of the €550 Estrellas Cup promises nothing but explosive action throughout the day. Meanwhile, do not forget to check out the other EPT Barcelona events PokerNews is live reporting, including the prestigious €100,000 Super High Roller, over at the EPT Barcelona hub.
