Twenty years ago it all started here in Barcelona. The PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona has only gotten bigger and better since then, and a packed room filled up the Casino Barcelona today on Day 1a of the �5,300 Main Event to ring in the party.
A total of 697 players entered the opening flight of the EPT��s 20th anniversary, with 223 surviving to make it to Day 2. Yevhenii Kuzmin was one card away from elimination, but a rivered flush on the river allowed him to take in a massive three-way all in against Justin Saliba��s set and Youness Ait Hssain��s flopped straight as he ended up with 300,500 and among the chip leaders after Day 1a.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joost Hollak | Netherlands | 364,500 | 243 |
| 2 | Ram Sanati | Australia | 303,000 | 202 |
| 3 | Yevhenii Kuzmin | Ukraine | 300,500 | 200 |
| 4 | Andrea Salamone | Italy | 275,000 | 183 |
| 5 | Sean Jazayeri | United States | 237,500 | 158 |
| 6 | Pablo Ubierna | Spain | 222,000 | 148 |
| 7 | Preben Stokkan | Norway | 207,500 | 138 |
| 8 | Ian Hunter | United Kingdom | 203,000 | 135 |
| 9 | Toni Kaukua | Finland | 203,000 | 135 |
| 10 | Claudio Gordon | Brazil | 199,500 | 133 |
Preben Stokkan also ended up in the top 10 after taking out Espen Sandvik in a big pot with a pair of queens, ending up with 207,500. Other top stacks include EPT champion Mark Teltscher (199,000), Jack Hardcastle (181,500), Kenny Hallaert (164,000), and 2022 fourth-place finisher Fabiano Kovalski (127,000).
EPT Monte Carlo champion Derk van Luijk (122,000), PSPC champion Aliaksandr Shylko (118,000), Maria Ho (107,000), and Sam Greenwood (101,000) also survived the day, as did Peter Jorgne (91,500), Marle Spragg (66,000), two-time EPT champion Mike Watson (47,000), and PokerStars Team Pro Elias Gutierrez (33,500).
Reigning champion Simon Wiciak made an appearance in defense of his crown today but was unable to make it through the day and will have to try again on a second bullet. Lex Velduis burned through both of his bullets today, while Barny Boatman, Benjamin Spragg, and Fintan Hand also hit the rail. Alexander Stevic started it all here 20 years ago when he won the first-ever EPT title. He hasn��t cashed in an EPT event in more than a decade but he couldn��t miss the milestone celebration. His run proved short-lived, however, as he busted early in the day.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at noon when what is expected to be an even bigger field takes their shot at the title. Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on September 3, with players allowed one reentry.
Stay tuned as PokerNews returns tomorrow to provide all the action from another starting flight here at the EPT��s 20th-anniversary celebration in Barcelona.
