Welcome to Day 1 of the �5,300 Main Event
Record fields have been seen throughout the first few days of PokerStars and Barcelona?Casino European Poker Tour, and with the start of the �5,300 Main Event, that trend will likely continue.
Field sizes have progressively grown throughout the existence of this event, from 229 in its inaugural 2004 edition, won by Alexander Stevic to 2019��s record-setting field of 1,988 won by fellow Swede Simon Brandstrom.
EPT Barcelona Main Event Champions since 2012 (1,000+ entry fields)
| YEAR | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | 1ST PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,082 | �5,247,700 | Mikalai Pobal | Belarus | �1,007,550 |
| 2013 | 1,234 | �5,984,900 | Tom Middleton | United Kingdom | �942,000 |
| 2014 | 1,496 | �7,255,600 | Andre Lettau | Germany | �794,058 |
| 2015 | 1,694 | �8,215,900 | John Juanda | Indonesia | �1,022,593 |
| 2016 | 1,785 | �8,657,250 | Sebastian Malec | Poland | �1,122,800 |
| 2017 | 1,682 | �8,157,700 | Sebastian Sorensson | Sweden | �987,043 |
| 2018 | 1,931 | �9,365,350 | Piotr Nurzynski | Poland | �1,037,109 |
| 2019 | 1,988 | �9,641,800 | Simon Brandstrom | Sweden | �1,290,166 |
Early expectations are that for the first time ever, the event could break the 2,000 player and �10,000,000 prize pool marks, and could even far surpass those numbers.
The first group of hopefuls will flow into Casino Barcelona at 12 p.m. local time to begin a day of ten 60-minute levels, where players will start their days with 30,000 chips at levels of 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante.
The field will receive a 20-minute break after every second level, with a 75-minute dinner break after level six.
Players will be allowed two entries over the pair of opening flights which take place Monday and Tuesday, before the fields combine Wednesday for Day 2 of the six day event.
At the start of Day 3, a shot clock will be implemented, with players receiving five 30-second time bank cards.
Keep your browser locked on PokerNews throughout the week for complete updates from this and every event here at EPT Barcelona.