Seat 1: Julian Pineda Lozano, 37, Samana, Colombia (9,700,000)
Julian Pineda Lozano discovered poker when he first arrived in Medellín around 20 years ago, and has been a professional tournament player for about 15 years. He lived abroad for about four years when PokerStars and other operators left the country, but returned some time ago.
This is his third visit to EPT Barcelona and already by far his best result to date in the country, beating his previous highest finish of 18th in the 2023 EPT Mystery Bounty. Most of his poker travel tends to be in the Americas, particularly in Brazil and the United States. His exploits there have taken him to seventh on the Colombian money list, with close to $1.1 million in documented earnings. His biggest career score was a prize of $237,713 in 2023 in Brazil.
In his opinion, the game in Brazil is more similar to the European game. He says it’s more aggressive and technical, at least compared with the United States, whose slow tournament structures encourage more passive play. He says that the fact that online poker services have not been available in the United States for a few years has meant that the technical aspect has not evolved as quickly.
Pineda usually travels with his wife and one-year-old son, but they are supporting from home on this trip to Europe. He says that the increased expenses and responsibilities that come with a young family have made him even more motivated than ever to succeed.
Beyond poker, he loves soccer, although he says he no longer plays it, and is a fan of Atlético Nacional de Medellín. He also likes movies.
Player profiles courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars
Tournament Progression
Day 1: 93,000 (89/221, 1a)
Day 2: 95,000 (234/313)
Day 3: 1,481,000 (2/103)
Day 4: 2,265,000 (12/29)
Day 5: 4,730,000 (5/11)
Day 6: 9,700,000 (3/6)
Career Statistics
Career earnings: $1,087,425
EPT cashes: 1
Best EPT result: 246th, 2022 EPT Barcelona
Key Hands
Deuces certainly never lost for Pineda Lozano on Day 6.
On the final table bubble, Pineda Lozano was all in for nearly 3,000,000 with deuces against Anton Suarez's ace-queen. Suarez picked up a straight draw on the flop to give him even more outs, but Pineda Lozano held on through the turn and river to double up.
Pineda Lozano later picked off a bluff from Thomas Eychenne at the final table by calling a river bet of 850,000 with just two deuces.