The 2023 European Poker Tour in Barcelona began with the Estrellas Poker Tour main event, boasting an entry fee of €1,100. With a staggering 7,398 players participating, this event, backed by PokerStars, became the largest live tournament ever recorded.
Lucien Cohen, fondly nicknamed “Ratman,” became the talk of the event. After another player accidentally spilled coffee on him at Casino Barcelona, Cohen wore the stained shirt throughout the tournament, feeling it was a good luck charm. And it seems his sentiment was right.
The Estrellas Poker Tour main event at the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour in Barcelona had to be extended by a day due to the sheer number of participants. Cohen emerged as the dominant force, eventually besting Ferdinando D’Alessio in the final heads-up play. The event saw a record-breaking 7,398 entries which translated to a massive prize pool of €7,102,080. Cohen secured the top prize of €676,230, and the prestigious PokerStars trophy.
A year-over-year growth of 17% was witnessed, given that the 2022 tournament had 6,313 participants. The event had attendees from 86 countries with 4,107 re-entries recorded. Translated to USD, the prize pool exceeded $7.7 million.
Cohen’s victory earned him a significant payout, second only to the $1.2 million he secured at the 2011 EPT Deauville main event. At 59, the Paris-based player now boasts over $2.3 million in lifetime winnings.
The tournament spanned eight days in Casino Barcelona. Although initially scheduled for seven days, an extra day was needed due to the large player turnout. By Aug. 25, all remaining contenders were in the money.
Notably, Parker Talbot, popularly known as ‘Tonkaaaap’, finished in seventh place, earning $114,037. But the day truly belonged to Cohen. He steadily eliminated competitors one by one. As the final hand played out, Cohen’s strong pair outplayed D’Alessio, who subsequently took home $448,546 for his second-place finish
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