For his total poker profession, Thomas Eychenne would lie awake at night time and picture himself on a giant stage, surrounded by vibrant lights and the blinding flash of cameras, as he hoisted a serious trophy within the air. There have been many alternatives for him to realize that dream, however he all the time got here up only a bit quick. Nonetheless, he by no means gave up hope that it could occur someday.
These hopes had been realized as we speak, because the 35-year-old Frenchman defeated Sebastian Ionita heads-up to win the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Important Occasion title and €1,217,175*. With it got here his greatest profession rating after conquering the large 2,045-player subject, but additionally, simply as importantly, his first-ever reside event win.
EPT Barcelona Important Occasion Remaining Desk outcomes
*denotes heads-up deal
Winner’s Response
“It feels simply superb. It’s my first event win. I clearly didn’t anticipate to win when coming into a 2,000-player subject. It’s robust to place phrases on such feelings. It’s unbelievable,” Eychenne, the confetti that was as soon as simply the stuff of desires laying round him, mentioned after lifting the PokerStars Golden Shard trophy.
“I used to be for a few years sleeping and visualizing myself in some unspecified time in the future successful a trophy”
“I used to be for a few years sleeping and visualizing myself in some unspecified time in the future successful a trophy and answering questions like I’m doing now. It helped rather a lot. I knew it could come in some unspecified time in the future. It was only a matter of time. My work paid off as we speak. Clearly, I used to be very fortunate, however it’s an incredible accomplishment.”
Eychenne was already established as one of many high execs on the high-roller circuit. He had greater than $2.7 million in reside earnings, together with a run to forty seventh place on the WSOP Important Occasion this summer season and seventh within the 2023 PSPC within the Bahamas. He entered the ultimate desk as essentially the most completed participant remaining within the subject, first making a reputation for himself by streaming on-line bankroll challenges, working up €50 to €50,000 in 50 days, then turning €10 into greater than €1,000,000. However he nonetheless didn’t have a win on his resume. 4 instances he had reached heads-up, solely to complete second each time, together with a €25,000 at EPT Monte Carlo in 2023 and a €10,000 6-Max finally 12 months’s EPT Barcelona.
All these shut calls wore on him, however lastly ending the deal as we speak allowed all of it to vanish. Any more, he gained’t must reside with these unrealized expectations. “I believe I’ll really feel a bit much less strain, as a result of in some unspecified time in the future I used to be beginning to really feel, you already know, when you’ll be able to’t win and you find yourself second, second, it will get psychological in some unspecified time in the future. I believe any more I’ll play with much less strain, I’d say,” he mentioned.
Remaining Desk Motion
The ultimate six gamers returned to the principle stage contained in the On line casino Barcelona as we speak to crown a champion. Ionita started atop the leaderboard, however Eychenne took the chip lead early when he known as down Julian Pineda Lozano with two pair whereas Pineda Lozano might solely present a missed straight draw.
Anton Suarez, looking for to hitch Stockholm neighbor Simon Brandstrom as an EPT Barcelona champion, misplaced most of his chips when Ionita flopped journey queens and fired out 1,800,000 on the river. Suarez went deep into the tank however finally folded two pair, leaving himself with lower than 5,000,000.
Only a few palms later, Suarez turned a pair of queens and wager 2,500,000 on the river. Eychenne, although, had spiked journey fives and moved all in. Suarez, with simply 1,030,000 behind, finally known as off the remainder of his stack and hit the rail in sixth place as Eychenne approached 20,000,000.
Umberto Zaffagnini, the Italian newbie who runs a producing firm, took the lead when he and Ionita each confirmed down a pair of aces, however Zaffagnini’s eight-kicker performed to earn him the pot. Eychenne then tried a bluff for 3,500,000 on the river with the board exhibiting 4 queens, however Ionita known as with a king to retake the lead.
Desk quick stack Tomasz Brzezinski shoved for his final 3,300,000 from the small blind with king-five and Eychenne known as with jack-seven. Brzezinski hit a king on the flop, whereas Eychenne picked up a straight draw however didn’t enhance and Brzezinski doubled up. Pineda Lozano then acquired his final 5,225,000 in with king-four towards Ionita’s pocket eights. The board supplied no reprieve, and Pineda Lozano was despatched again to Colombia with €379,350 for his fifth-place end.
Brzezinski’s hopes of getting again into rivalry didn’t final lengthy as he shoved for six,000,000 below the gun and Zaffagnini known as with pocket tens within the massive blind. Zaffagnini spiked a set on the flop, then improved to a full home on the flip to depart Brzezinski drawing useless and heading to the rail in fourth place.
Eychenne grew to become the quick stack with lower than 10,000,000 throughout three-handed play. Zaffagnini, almost tied with Ionita for the chip lead, tried a bluff with queen-high and raised to five,500,000 on the flip, however Ionita had made a straight and put in a reraise to eight,500,000 that finally chased Zaffagnini away and gave him a giant benefit.
After Ionita opened on the button, Zaffagnini moved all in for 11,225,000 within the small blind. Eychenne reshoved within the massive blind and Ionita folded, leaving his two opponents heads-up with Eychenne having most of his stack in danger as effectively. It was a race, pocket fives towards ace-jack, with Ionita folding an ace to remove certainly one of Eychenne’s outs. The flop gave Eychenne a straight draw, whereas the flip left Zaffagnini a card away from a double up. He might barely look, overlaying his face along with his scarf because the seller turned over the river, which got here a queen to make Eychenne’s straight and ship Zaffagnini to the rail in third place.
Ionita and Eychenne had comparable stacks at first of heads-up play, with Ionita main barely, 32,300,000 to 29,050,000, and so they agreed to an excellent chop for €1,117,175 every whereas leaving €100,000 for the champion. Ionita took the primary three palms of heads-up, however Eychenne hit the river twice to take the chip lead.
Throughout deal discussions, Eychenne talked about to Ionita that this was his specialty. He had performed numerous hours of heads-up and understood the format in ways in which, he was certain, Ionita didn’t. Ionita didn’t protest, and Eychenne knew then that he had the benefit.
“I undoubtedly knew I had an edge when he didn’t say something after I instructed him I used to be a heads-up specialist. It’s regular. I performed numerous palms heads-up, whether or not it’s PLO4, PLO5, Maintain’em. I’ve a greater understanding. I’ve performed a bunch greater than him,” Eychenne mentioned. “I used to be assured I’d win more often than not, however clearly it’s, not a crapshoot, however we play 10-15 palms per stage so it’s nonetheless very excessive variance. So, if I had an edge, it was a small one in such a construction.”
Eychenne’s expertise confirmed over the approaching palms, as he took down almost each pot to open a large lead. On the ultimate hand, Ionita limped the button earlier than Eychenne raised to 2,400,000. Ionita shoved for 14,450,000 and Eychenne snap-called with ace-king. Ionita’s ace-six was dominated, and the king on the river served solely to seal the victory for Eychenne.
Ionita took the loss in stride, even staying behind to snap a photograph with Eychenne holding the trophy. For somebody who has lengthy dreamed of changing into knowledgeable poker participant and noticed this event because the stepping stone he wanted, the life-changing cash was a pleasant comfort prize.
The EPT started proper right here in Barcelona 20 years in the past. Pictures of the previous champions adorn the partitions within the hallway of On line casino Barcelona, serving as a reminder that, over 20 years, this has grow to be one of many largest and most prestigious titles in poker. Eychenne is now a part of that storied historical past
“That’s simply loopy. A buddy of mine gained it just a few years in the past, Simon Wiciak. I’m very completely happy to be alongside him. I’ll undoubtedly come again to defend the title. I really like this cease. I just like the meals, the solar, the seashore, all the pieces. The individuals, the group. It’s simply superb,” he mentioned.
For somebody who usually dreamed of what it could lastly really feel prefer to win a serious event, Eychenne picked a pleasant place to start out a trophy assortment.
That concludes PokerNews protection of the 2025 EPT Barcelona. The EPT subsequent heads to Malta for the primary time since 2016, with the pageant going down October 1-12.
