In a frantic day of poker here at PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona, a field of 2,175 entrants for the €550 Estrellas Poker Cup has been whittled down to 326 for Day 2, following two bust outs during hand-for-hand play.
Those numbers generated a prize pool of €1,044,000, with all players through to Day 2 guaranteed a minimum cash of €840.
Players who navigate their way to the final table will be guaranteed a payout of €14,390, while the winner will take home the princely sum of €155,480.
2021 WSOP Main Event podium finisher Jack Oliver (409,000) lurks in the top twenty, but it is Edgar Ishida of Brazil who leads the way heading into the final day, having amassed a stack of 888,000. He is closely followed by British player Kian Kiani (865,000) and Diogo Simoes (859,000) of Portugal.
Ishida has total recorded lifetime cashes of $38,000, and will have his sights set on his first career six-figure score. Kiani's only previous recorded result is a cash in the 2023 EPT Barcelona ESPT Main Event, while Simoes is also seeking a breakthrough result.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | 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 notable names who remain in the mix include Kenny Hallaert (283,000), Joao Sydenstricker (277,000) and Jake Cody (155,000).
The players will return for Day 2 on Saturday, August 31 at 11 a.m. local time, to 30-minute levels. Play will recommence with four minutes left at Level 18, featuring blinds of 4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 big blind ante, and it is intended to play down to a winner.
PokerNews will be on the floor covering the event until its conclusion, so stay tuned to see who will get their hands on the trophy and six-figure first place prize.
