Simon Brandstorm Grabs €1.2m at 2019 EPT Barcelona Event

The 2019 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) €5,300 Main Event was won by Swedish poker pro Simon Brandstorm. He defeated a record field of 1,988 entrants to capture the much-coveted title along with a prize of €1,290,166.

Brandstorm was able to clinch Sweden’s 11th EPT Main Event trophy after outclassing Marton Czuczor in a heads-up battle. Prior to the one-on-one match, both players agreed to a chop up the largest chunk of the €9,641,800 prize pool and set aside €77,640 and the trophy to play for.

When the dust settled, it was Brandstorm who emerged on top, with Czuczor taking home €1,253,234 for his second place finish.

The last Swedish player to win an EPT Main Event was Robin Ylitalo at EPT10 London back in October 2013.

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Swedish Poker Players Have Good Run

Brandstorm is not one of the top players on the circuit but his $800,000 in lifetime live cashes is something to be proud of. There was no shortage of support for him from the start till the end of his EPT Main Event bid, with fellow countrymen Alexander Ivarsson and Anton Siden cheering on him at the final table.

Ivarsson and Siden also performed well at the EPT Barcelona. Ivarsson won the €2,200 EPT National High Roller, and also finished 10th in the Main Event while Siden placed 44th in the Main Event and finished 19th in the €10K EPT High Roller.

The EPT Main Event win will give Brandstorm the credit he deserves and his name will be a lot more recognisable on the poker circuit as he will go down as the winner of the biggest-ever EPT Main Event. The EPT Barcelona stop has grown from strength to strength over the years. The first ever EPT Barcelona event took place back in September 2004 and coincidentally, Alexander Stevic.

Final Battle

It took just 50 minutes of play on the final day before the table came down to just two players. Both Brandstorm and Czuczor were already guaranteed a seven-figure payday. The duel lasted three long hours with both players determined to win the biggest score of their careers.

During a crucial hand, Brandstorm and Czuczor hit a full house, but in the end it was Brandstorm who emerged on top, securing another EPT Main Event title for his home country.