Juan Pardo outlasted a player field of 70 at the EPT Barcelona to win a total of €491,600 ($546,708), considered to be his biggest live cash ever at the EPT Barcelona circuit.
In the midst of the fray, there were two notable local soccer pros who managed to take home some sweet cash as well - Gerard Piqué and Arturo Vidal.
European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona
- Date: August 26, 2019
- Event #24: €25,000 NLHE Single-Day High Roller
- Entries: 70 (44 + 26 re-entries)
- Total Prize Pool: €1,680,700 ($1,869,106)
The appeal of the record-breaking EPT Barcelona has always attracted a lot of famous personalities such as soccer player Neymar Jr and golfer Sergio Garcia. This week, it was Arturo Vidal and Gerard Piqué who attended this event.
Joining the €25,000/$27,600 Single-Day High Roller, the two regulars for FC Barcelona Vidal and Piqué were evidently using this particular EPT event as a way for them to relax and unwind from their lucrative soccer careers.
Gerard Piqué and Arturo Vidal just finished playing for FC Barcelona on August 25 in a match against Real Betis. The game concluded with a 5:2 score. The very next day, they went on to play at the EPT Barcelona high roller tourney that cost €25,000 to enter.
Most of the time, all the attention was focused on the two famous soccer players Gerard Piqué and Arturo Vidal of FC Barcelona (pictured below). During some point in the game, these teammates became short-term rivals at the poker table.
It was the very first time for Arturo Vidal to join a poker tournament, yet he showed great skills for a newbie at the table. He even managed to reach the final table and settle for 5th place, taking home €134,460 ($149,532).
As for Gerard Piqué, this was his 5th cash in his poker career by far, as he won €352,950 ($392,515) for finishing as runner-up. He was unable to defeat Juan Pardo in the final heads-up match.
The final hand saw Juan Pardo's deuces winning against Piqué's ace-nine suited.
Pardo said after he won, "I was like a little kid with Piqué and Vidal at the tables. I am obviously really happy, everything went my way."
The European Poker Tour (EPT) is a series of poker tourneys that are quite like in the World Poker Tour (WPT). EPT was created by John Duthie, the winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. EPT started in 2004 as part of the global explosion in Texas Hold'em popularity. The EPT has been sponsored, wholly-owned and controlled by
PokerStars since 2011.
EPT Barcelona €25,000 NLHE (Event #24) High Roller - Results
|
|
Player
|
Country
|
Prize (in EUR)
|
Prize (in USD)
|
|
1
|
Juan Pardo
|
Spain
|
€491,600
|
$546,708
|
|
2
|
Gerard Piqué
|
Spain
|
€352,950
|
$392,515
|
|
3
|
Michael Addamo
|
Australia
|
€229,420
|
$255,137
|
|
4
|
Hirokazu Kobayashi
|
Japan
|
€173,110
|
$192,515
|
|
5
|
Arturo Vidal
|
Chile
|
€134,460
|
$149,532
|
|
6
|
Kazuhiko Yotsushika
|
Japan
|
€104,200
|
$115,880
|
|
7
|
Ramin Hajiyev
|
Azerbaijan
|
€82,350
|
$91,581
|
|
8
|
Joao Vieira
|
Portugal
|
€63,870
|
$71,029
|
|
9
|
Mike Watson
|
Canada
|
€48,740
|
$54,203
|
Source:
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/08/fc-barcelona-gerard-pique-ept-barcelona-arturo-vidal-poker-35229.htm?itm_content=pn-hp-hero-1
