Amateur player takes down huge Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event


We saw the rarest of things last night, a recreational player overcoming a stacked field of over 7,000 players in Barcelona.

Poker
Sylvain Berthelot

It seems that the days of Moneymaker-esque Cinderella stories of amateurs taking down big events were behind us, but perhaps not…

7,138 people entered the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event, which is part of EPT Barcelona. A few players shy of the previous event’s record. 

It was a stacked field and final table, which included Parker Talbot (who made this very final table last year) and Martin Zamani. 

However, it was a French amateur player who took home the lion’s share, as Sylvain Berthelot took it down for €499,224. 

This was after a three-way chop with Zamani of the United States and Santiago Nadal of Mexico.

Berthelot had just $7,443 in live cashes prior to this event, proof that dreams still come true in poker:

“I can’t believe it,” Berthelot told PokerNews after the win. “I need my friends to pinch me because it’s such a dream. I don’t have the words. I’m really happy. It’s. It’s an unbelievable sentiment. I can’t explain my feelings.”

PLACE PLAYER COUNTRY PRIZE (IN EURO)
1 Sylvain Berthelot France €499,224*
2 Santiago Nadal Mexico €394,526*
3 Martin Zamani United States €463,250*
4 Parker Talbot Canada €227,000
5 Jean Benvenga Switzerland €173,000
6 Francesco Macri Italy €136,400
7 Stanislovas Vinicenka Lithuania €104,500
8 Johannes Verhagen Netherlands €79,400

*Denotes a three-way deal


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