Sebastian Ionita’s PokerStars European Poker Tour resume wasn’t an extended and distinguished one earlier than he got here right here to Barcelona: two EPT major occasions, zero cashes. However the Romanian is profiting from his third alternative, as Ionita takes the chip lead with 14,725,000 over the ultimate six into the final day of the EPT Barcelona Essential Occasion.
“It feels superb, however on the identical time, it’s very exhausting. There are superb gamers right here. The chips are fairly tight. Something can occur, everyone knows,” Ionita stated after the six gamers who made their approach via a beginning subject of two,045 bagged up their chips for the night time. “Everybody who performs poker is aware of the way it works. It could go superb, however it might probably additionally go very dangerous. All you are able to do is play your finest fingers, play one of the best you’ll be able to.”
EPT Barcelona Remaining Six Chip Counts
Ionita got here into the occasion with round $300,000 in dwell earnings, in response to The Hendon Mob, his highest profession rating of $177,000 coming from a third-place end in an occasion in Cyprus in Could. His EPT outcomes have all come from Eureka occasions, together with 263rd in Prague final December. He had solely performed two EPT Essential Occasions earlier than Barcelona with no success, however he’s one step nearer to reaching a aim he set for himself way back.
“It was at all times my dream to change into knowledgeable poker participant, and profitable an EPT title, I believe, will get me nearer.”
“It was at all times my dream to change into knowledgeable poker participant, and profitable an EPT title, I believe, will get me nearer,” he stated. “It’s going to imply rather a lot to me. Particularly my first time right here in Barcelona enjoying. That is my third EPT. My first two that I performed, I haven’t cashed, and this, the third one, the chip chief on the last desk.”
Ionita nonetheless has to beat a gifted group of 5 opponents that can attempt to snatch away the Golden Shard trophy and €1,436,000 prime prize tomorrow. In second place sits French excessive curler Thomas Eychenne (11,375,000), who can normally be discovered competing in opposition to a few of the greatest names within the sport in a few of the largest buy-in occasions on the planet. Eychenne’s $2.7 million in dwell earnings embrace a last desk run in a PokerStars occasion, when he completed in seventh place within the 2023 PSPC for $801,000.
Colombia’s Julian Pineda Lozano (9,700,000) and Umberto Zaffagnini of Italy (9,525,000) sit in the midst of the pack, whereas Anton Suarez (8,400,000) and Tomasz Brzezinski (7,625,000) spherical out the six who return tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. native time to play all the way down to a champion.
Remaining Payouts
Day 6 Motion
Day 6 started with 11 gamers returning to On line casino Barcelona, hoping to safe a spot on the EPT Barcelona last desk. Suarez had an enormous chip lead with 15,340,000, whereas two Frenchmen, Youssef Zereg and Yohan Rascar, have been on the backside of the counts at first of the day.
Zereg had a dream begin, selecting up aces on the primary hand, then making quads on the second to double off Pineda Lozano. Rascar wasn’t as lucky, as he referred to as off his final 850,000 on the flip with a pair of nines however bumped into Brzezinski’s tens.
Pineda Lozano was all in for two,900,000 with two deuces and racing in opposition to Suarez’s ace-queen on the ultimate desk bubble. Suarez picked up a straight draw on the flop to go together with his overcards, however Pineda Lozano held on via the flip and river to double up. Sergio Carro Marin then fired three bullets in opposition to Suarez till the river gave Suarez a flush. Suarez moved all in and Marin folded, leaving himself on a brief stack. He was eradicated shortly after when Brzezinski made two pair on the river to beat his turned pair of kings, setting the nine-handed last desk.
Suarez nonetheless maintained an enormous benefit over the sector with 16,275,000 at first of the ultimate desk, with Ionita (10,290,000) and Eychenne (10,195,000) trailing far behind. Zereg had blinded again all the way down to lower than 1,000,000 when he acquired his final chips in with ace-five in opposition to Eychenne’s sixes. Eychenne spiked a set on the flop, then improved to a full home on the flip to depart the sharp-dressed Zereg drawing lifeless and heading to the rail as the primary casualty of the ultimate desk.
Cesar Garcia then moved all in for 975,000 within the massive blind and Suarez referred to as below the gun. Garcia’s ace-jack had Suarez’s ace-ten dominated as each gamers flopped an ace, however Suarez hit two pair on the river to bust Garcia in eighth. On the subsequent hand, Marc Foggin was all in for 1,800,000 in opposition to Brzezinski. Each gamers confirmed ace-king and have been poised to cut the pot till the flip gave Brzezinski a flush, ending Foggin’s run in merciless style.
Suarez was nonetheless comfortably within the lead, however one hand modified all that. Heads-up in opposition to Ionita on a seven-five-high flop, Suarez guess 275,000 and Ionita referred to as with a pair of fives. The flip paired sevens and Suarez guess one other 650,000. Ionita once more referred to as and noticed a queen fall on the river, the place Suarez slid out an enormous guess of two,600,000. Ionita went deep into the tank, burning up 5 time banks earlier than he referred to as with two pair. Suarez may solely present jack-high and handed over the pot, and with it the match chip lead for the primary time within the day.
Ionita later defined that the scale of Suarez’s river guess aroused his suspicion. “I used to be pondering. He guess very massive on the river. If he needed to signify a seven…he knew I had a weak hand like a 5, and if he needed me to name his worth, he would’ve guess smaller. Not that massive. His guess was very polarized. I put him on eight-nine, ten-eight, jack-eight, fingers like this,” Ionita stated.
Ionita’s chip lead didn’t final for lengthy, as Eychenne made journey fives and guess 4,000,000 on the river to get Ionita to fold ace-high. Eychenne, although, was then caught bluffing by Pineda Lozano who referred to as a guess of 850,000 on the river holding only a pair of deuces. Pineda Lozano ended the night time with a four-bet jam in opposition to Suarez, sending Suarez tumbling all the way down to fifth place.
The motion on the ultimate day picks up on Degree 33 with blinds of 125,000/250,000 and a 250,000 massive blind ante. Ranges will once more final 30 fingers every. Every participant has already locked up €291,800 for making it this far, whereas the champion earns €1,436,000. The ultimate desk will likely be streamed on PokerStars’ YouTube and Twitch channels on a 30-minute delay starting at 1 p.m.
The EPT started right here in Barcelona greater than twenty years in the past, and through the years the EPT Barcelona Essential Occasion has grown into one of many largest and most prestigious tournaments on the poker calendar. Illustrious names equivalent to John Juanda and Stephen Music have lifted this trophy, whereas new stars equivalent to two-time EPT champ Mikalai Pobal, Sebastian Malec, and Simon Wiciak have been made.
One other title will likely be added to the listing of champions tomorrow, and PokerNews will likely be following all of the motion till the confetti rains down and the trophy is held aloft.
