Stephen Song Hoping for Repeat Title in EPT Barcelona Main Event
Both starting flights of the €5,300 Main Event of the 2025 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona have played out inside Casino Barcelona and it's now time for Day 2, which kicks off at noon local time.
Leading both starting flights is Day 1A chip leader Daiki Shingae, followed by France's Marc Bougare, Day 1B chip leader Anton Kraous of Bulgaria and Italty's Demis Mariani. Rounding out the top-ten chip counts heading into Day 2 are Jerry Odeen, Volodymyr Pashchetnyk, Cesar Garcia, Olivier Fazio, high-stakes pro Steve O'Dwyer and Jakub Sterba, who is just a few days removed from a career-best finish in the PokerStars Open Main Event.
EPT Barcelona Main Event Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daiki Shingae | Japan | 444,000 |
| 2 | Marc Bougaret | France | 339,000 |
| 3 | Anton Kraous | Bulgaria | 330,000 |
| 4 | Demis Mariani | Italy | 309,500 |
| 5 | Jerry Odeen | Sweden | 302,500 |
| 6 | Jakub Sterba | Czechia | 291,000 |
| 7 | Volodymyr Pashchetnyk | Ukraine | 278,500 |
| 8 | Cesar Garcia | Spain | 277,500 |
| 9 | Olivier Fazio | France | 276,000 |
| 10 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | 266,000 |
O'Dwyer is hardly the only big name in the Day 2 field. Defending champion and 2022 GPI Player of the Year Stephen Song is looking to go back-to-back after making the most of a second bullet, while the same is true for his predecessor, 2023 winner Simon Wiciak.
Other notables in the Day 2 field include poker villain Martin Kabrhel, recent the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller champion Leon Sturm, Rania Nasreddine, Kasey Lyn Mills, Jessica Vierling, Eugene Katchalov and Niklas Astedt.
Representing the PokerStars brand are team pros Kenny Hallaert, Alejandro Lococo, and the poker power couple of Marle Spragg and Benjamin Spragg.
Day 2 will consist of four 90-minute levels with 20-minute breaks at the end of each level. Late registration will remain until the start of the day as the field gets closer to surpassing its 2024 total and reaching a 2,000-entry milestone.
The prize pool will be formalized after the close of late registration, but it is unlikely the money will be reached on Day 2.
Stick around as the PokerNews live reporting team is on-site and ready to provide updates as the EPT Barcelona Main Event gets closer to the money.