It was every week spent in crowded tournaments rooms as one event after another set new records to overcome old records set at previous incarnations of EPT Barcelona. After the announcement that the EPT would become the PokerStars Championship, it meant this will be the last Barcelona festival under the EPT livery. However it would arguably become one in every of its most memorable.
Sometimes, faced with an ever growing D1A field, a protracted day ahead and no prospect of having any in the direction of the tale for the tournament, you choose out whatever you'll. Luckily Charlie Carrel was taking his seat.
Usually it's Carrel's clothing that draws attention. Perhaps sensing he needed a decoy, he brought along a pal to take a few of that focus away.
Is he any good, we asked?
"He's pretty good, but I'VE position on him," replied Carrel. "It's be a very tough day for him."
If there have been problems keeping tabs at the opening field, the next day was enough to make a reporter tear up their notebook, with the sphere unfolded from one end of Casino Barcelona to the other.
Such a large field however meant it was not an even day for everyone, and the truth of keeping a stack at fighting weight would prove too difficult for some. This image captured one particular forlorn have a look at a dwindling stack.
More than 1,200 players were squeezed into the tournament room, including some faces from yester year like Erik Friberg, Peter Eichhardt, Jeff Sarwer, Thierry Van Den Berg, Vladimir Geshkenbein, and Viktor Blom, in addition to a 23 year old newb called Sebastian Malec. It seemed there wasn't a poker player within 1000 miles who desired to fail to spot probably the most biggest events of the year.
It was time for the cameras to begin rolling at the Main Event for the primary time, which meant they were available to capture the primary Day 2 bubble for a very long time at the EPT.
While it might be Yann Pineau who would depart empty handed, we got an even picture of what is at stake for many players looking to first to achieve the money before considering what could potentially follow. Among them Leo Margets, shown within the image (inside the image) above. She was playing on home turf and would prosper on Day 2, bagging up 123,500 that day, and ultimately happening to complete in 150th place.
We'd get used to seeing a yellow hoodie in play before the week was out, but there happened to be a couple of to cause somewhat confusion when it came to reporting. The opposite"" hoodie belonged to Anthony Chimkovitch, who like another contender also happened to be something of a baby-faced assassin.
Chimkovitch was a few of the leaders on Day 3, setting himself up nicely for a deep run. That's exactly another player in a yellow hoodie was doing at the other side of the tournament area. Chimkovitch would stick around, eventually reaching 20th place.
Some days are quieter than others at the Tour; Day 4 was not one in every of them. This was partly way to Sam Grafton, the British pro who had spent the former three days in a state of permanent conversation.
Grafton is a superb natured player, never knowingly impolite to his opponents, including those he beats and people who send him to the rail. He'd spent most of his day at the feature table, entertaining those watching on EPT Live, but his final departure would happen within the shadows of the outer tables, sent to the rail in 30th place by Chimkovitch.
Harcharan Dogra Dogra may not was probably the most exciting player to watch, but there has been something compelling about his last stand rear-guard within the latter stages of Day 5.
With the sector set to minimize to a last six Dogra Dogra was in no mood to overlook out on an appearance at the final day, even though he was the fast stack. Urged on by friends and family watching from a couple of feet away, he picked his moments. When he did play a hand it seemed riddled with tension - was this the hand he would move all in with?
And yet somehow, against superior and higher stacked opponents, he clung on, running down the clock until time was called at the day with seven players remaining.
Final day yes, but not quite the overall table. Dogra Dogra returned the following day to bust in seventh place.
In all honesty Sebastian Malec had become the tale of EPT Barcelona long before he was hoisted aloft by friends as he celebrated winning his first EPT title. Within the days before he had impressed individuals with his play, but in addition endeared individuals with his manner and strategy to the game.
Rather than letting the occasion get to him, the 23-year-old Pole, who had qualified for the development for €27, appeared to enjoy himself increasingly as play went deeper and deeper, ending every day wither with a dance, a photograph of his stack or just a "woop".
The last hand he played against Uri Reichenstein will continue to exist in EPT memory long after the Tour transforms itself into the PokerStars Championship. A feel good winner if there ever was one to bring the festival to a close.
All images by official EPT photographer Neil Stoddart.
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Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog. Follow him on Twitter: @StephenBartley.
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