button in SafariHoebe Leads High Stakes Specialists Into WSOPC Madrid Main Event Final Table
Looking at the initial field of the World Series of Poker Circuit Madrid Main Event, it might be surprising at first to see High Roller and Super High Roller regulars enter a €1,500 tournament. Or is it really? Because in their quest for titles, they found Casino Gran Vía to be a great opportunity to claim a WSOP-C gold ring and a €207,000 first-place prize.
Among the 918 entries and the 140 who returned on Day 2, these players did not disappoint, with several of them making it to the final nine, starting with the chip leader at the start of the day Nacho Barbero.
From 1,500,000 chips, he saw his stack dwindle to fewer than ten big blinds before finding himself at risk and doubling up with a straight. A pot featuring aces against aces and kings was another highlight of his Day 2, and he ended the day on a high note with 2,430,000 chips, although that remains the shortest stack among the final nine.
WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event final table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cesar Montanes Alonso | Spain | 6,525,000 | 54 |
| 2 | Luca Zapatero Martin | Spain | 4,445,000 | 37 |
| 3 | Jay Hoebe | Netherlands | 12,260,000 | 102 |
| 4 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 2,430,000 | 20 |
| 5 | Fausto Munz | France | 5,170,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Per Hildebrand | Sweden | 3,160,000 | 26 |
| 7 | Cristobal Ochoa Aguilera | Venezuela | 2,630,000 | 22 |
| 8 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | Norway | 5,520,000 | 46 |
| 9 | Aliaksandr Shylko | Belarus | 3,735,000 | 31 |
Aliaksandr Shylko (3,735,000) is also in this category of High Roller players. Propelled under the spotlights after his 2023 PSPC success, he became a regular player of the SHR scene and showed his skills today by going from a relatively short stack to the top of the counts. He held a big stack until the two-table redraw, then slowly stepped back from 6,500,000 to 3,735,000.
With a completely different style, Tom-Aksel Bedell is a regular in this galaxy as well. His journey today was far from easy, as he had to double up with pocket tens while short-stacked to survive before scoring an elimination to secure the third-largest stack heading into the final table (5,520,000).
All these players are well known to Fausto Munz, who usually covers them as a poker reporter. After working for French websites such as Club Poker and Winamax, he now collaborates with a poker team while occasionally finding time to play himself. That combination is paying off so far, as he has already multiplied his biggest career live cash by ten. His Day 2 could hardly have got off to a better start, with a massive triple-up followed by a coin flip victory with ace-king. The last level of his day was more challenging, particularly with Hoebe putting pressure on him, but Munz still managed to bag 5,170,000.
However, the player who could still steal the show at this final table is the current chip leader Jay Hoebe, who heads into the final day with a massive 12,260,000-chip stack, more than 100 big blinds. He flew under the PokerNews radar for most of the day before rivering a full house against Luca Zapatero's straight to score a massive double-up. Despite losing that pot, the Spaniard still finished with 4,445,000.
From that point on, Hoebe nearly doubled his stack, winning pot after pot such as slow-playing ace-queen from the small blind or flopping trips.
Last but not least, high-experienced Per Hildebrand (3,160,000) and Cristobal Ochoa Aguilera (2,630,000) will have their word to say at this final table.
The final table is set to kick off at 1 p.m. local time, with the remaining players returning at Level 27, featuring blinds of 60,000/120,000 and a 120,000 big blind ante. Play will then continue with 60-minute levels until a winner is crowned and takes home the €207,000 first-place prize. All nine finalists have already secured a minimum payout of €14,200.
The final table will be to follow on stream, but further details will come at the restart.
Remaining payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €207,000 |
| 2 | €130,000 |
| 3 | €90,000 |
| 4 | €63,000 |
| 5 | €45,000 |
| 6 | €33,000 |
| 7 | €24,000 |
| 8 | €18,200 |
| 9 | €14,200 |
PokerNews will be back tomorrow as the players return to battle for the prestigious WSOPC Madrid Main Event ring. Be sure to tune in for all the action and updates!