Flashback: Barny Boatman Completes Long Road to EPT Main Event Title
At the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris, a standing ovation took place for one of poker's legends as an emotional Barny Boatman captured a long-awaited EPT Main Event title inside Les Palais des Congres.
The veteran defeated 2013 WCOOP Main Event winner David Kaufmann in a swift heads-up encounter to take home the trophy along with the €1,287,800 top prize.
Kaufmann, who recently returned to the felt after an educational hiatus, collected €804,750 for his efforts, while the final podium finisher, Aleksejs Ponakovs, was awarded €574,850.
A fixture on the European Poker Tour since its inception, Boatman came close to Main Event glory once before, narrowly missing out on the victory in Sanremo in 2011. He'd long thought his chances of going the distance had passed him by, but as we know, anything can happen on the felt.
"If you don't get cards like I did today, it's very, very hard. I have won tournaments, obviously, but nothing this big and it feels unbelievable," the newly crowned champion told PokerNews.
2024 EPT Paris Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barny Boatman | United Kingdom | €1,287,800 |
| 2 | David Kaufmann | Germany | €804,750 |
| 3 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | €574,850 |
| 4 | Owen Dodd | United Kingdom | €442,150 |
| 5 | Peter Jorgne | Sweden | €340,100 |
| 6 | Eric Afriat | Canada | €261,650 |
| 7 | Ami Barer | Canada | €201,250 |
| 8 | Lorenzo Arduini | Italy | €154,800 |