European Poker Tour's Decisive Showdown
European Poker Tour Barcelona 2025: Grand Final Approaches
The 11th season of the European Poker Tour (EPT) is reaching its climax, with the Grand Final set to take place at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort from May 2nd to May 8th. This year's event, held in the glamorous city of Monaco, features one of the largest Main Event fields in EPT history.
The Main Event, with a €10,600 buy-in, has attracted 2,045 entries, amassing a €9.92 million prize pool, making it the third-largest in EPT history. The competition is fierce, with several high-profile players vying for the top spot.
One of the players to watch is Kazuhiko Yotsushika from Japan, who led the PokerStars Open with a massive chip lead of 32.4 million chips. Yotsushika dominated the field before the final day of the €1,650 PS Open event. Another contender is Chin Wei Lim from Malaysia, a high roller with over $15 million in career earnings and a WSOP bracelet. Lim currently holds a stack of 19.8 million chips in the PS Open.
France has a strong representation in this season's EPT, with Alexis Nicolai and Jacob Amsellem leading the charge. Nicolai won the PokerStars Open €1,650 PS Open, beating a 5,036 player field and taking home the trophy and €772,000 prize. Amsellem, on the other hand, is leading the EPT Barcelona Main Event with a chip count of 802,000 ahead of the bubble stage.
The race for the best player of EPT Season 11 is heating up, with Lauri Saaskilahti (Finland), Michal Kil (Poland), Oskar Jonsson, Antonio Santichio, Dario Pieruzzini, Cesar Garcia, and Jason Wheeler all holding significant chip stacks in the Main Event.
The action doesn't stop at the Main Event. The schedule is packed with 78 tournaments, making it one of the largest EPT events in the world. High Roller tournaments with buy-ins ranging from €2,200 to €100,000 are scattered throughout the week, offering players a chance to test their skills against the best in the game.
In addition to the on-table action, players can also participate in the decision-making process with PokerStars' Poker Play Along app. The app offers real money prizes in weekly freerolls with a $500 prize pool.
The Grand Final of the event will be a thrilling spectacle, with Ismail Babayev, winner of the EPT Prague tournament, and Dzmitry Urbanovich, currently in 3rd place on the leaderboard and holder of the EPT record, among the contenders. The Super High Roller, 8-max, re-entry tournament with a €100,000 buy-in has already concluded, with its winner yet to be announced.
The FPS High Roller, an 8-max, 1 re-entry tournament with a €25,500 buy-in, is scheduled from May 6th to 8th, while the FPS Main Event, with a €1,100 buy-in, runs from April 29th to May 3rd. A High Roller, 8-max, 1 re-entry, 1-day tournament with a €50,000 buy-in is scheduled for May 3rd.
As the Grand Final approaches, the excitement is palpable. Who will emerge victorious in the 11th season of the European Poker Tour? Only time will tell.
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