The European Poker Tour closed the first event of its second season, this past weekend in Barcelona. 325 players laid down the Barcelona Open's €4,000 (~ $4,860) buy-in, vying for the total prize pool of €1.3 million (~ $1.58 million). At the end of two days of competition, Frenchman Jan Boubli took first place, and the €416,000 top prize. Boubli will also join other EPT champions from this season at the €10,000 (~ $12,149) Grand Finale event, slated for March 2006, in Monte Carlo. Boubli took the crown following half and hour of heads-up play against ultimate runner-up Christer Johansson.

The Barcelona Open took place at the Casino de Barcelona's smoky downstairs poker room. The next European Poker Tour (EPT) competition, the £3,000 (~ $5,400) buy-in EPT Grosvenor Masters, is scheduled to take place September 30 to October 2, at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London. Further tour stops include Baden, Dublin, Copenhagen, Deauville, and of course, Monte Carlo.

The European Poker Tour's official sponsor, online poker site Poker Stars, is currently hosting satellite qualifier tournaments for the various EPT events. More information is available at PokerStars.com.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Tuesday, 20 September 2005