Sandro Hauser Wins the 2022 888poker LIVE Barcelona €1,100 Main Event (€56,800)
The 2022 888poker LIVE Barcelona €1,100 Main Event has come to a conclusion and Italy's Sandro Hauser came out on top of a tense heads-up duel with Alexandre Ventura Bolet. In the fourth edition of the popular mid-stakes tour at Casino Barcelona, a field of 334 entries produced a prize pool of €320,640 and the biggest portion was shared among the final three players.
Besides Hauser and former Catalan chess title winner Ventura Bolet, 2013 EPT Barcelona runner-up Kimmo Kurko was also part of a three-way deal which left €13,800 and the trophy to up for grabs to the eventual champion.
Kurko was the first to bow out thereafter and had to settle for €39,800 while Ventura Bolet earned €41,400 for his efforts. For cash game player Hauser, the victory not only came with a top prize of €56,800 and the 888poker LIVE Main Event trophy but also a package for the next stop of the series in Bucharest in June 2022.
Kurko was one of the most notable contenders on the final table alongside the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Marti Roca de Torres and popular Spanish streamer Gerard "Gforcall" Carbo.
Final Table Result 2022 888poker Barcelona €1,100 Main Event
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandro Hauser | Italy | €56,800* |
| 2 | Alexandre Ventura Bolet | Spain | €41,400* |
| 3 | Kimmo Kurko | Finland | €39,800* |
| 4 | Stefan Wesson | United Kingdom | €24,000 |
| 5 | Bernat Carreras | Spain | €20,000 |
| 6 | Gerard Carbo | Spain | €16,500 |
| 7 | Ewen Trevidy | France | €13,000 |
| 8 | Marti Roca de Torres | Spain | €10,000 |
| 9 | Alex Baena | Spain | €7,500 |
* includes deal of the final three players, which continued to play for €13,800 and the trophy to the winner
The final day recommenced with 13 players still in contention and Sandro Hauser dominated the early stages on the outer table. As a matter of fact, he was responsible for three of the first four eliminations to enter the unofficial final table of the last nine with a very solid lead.
Antonio Sanchez Torregrosa and Adan Soler Fernandez were the first two victims of Hauser's hot run while Gerard Carbo knocked out the always dangerous Jose Manuel Gonzalez on the feature table. Ashley Timms started the final day with the lead but never got anything going. When he made his stand with ace-deuce via three-bet shove, Hauser looked him up with the superior ace-jack and the Brit found no help.
The final table kicked off with a clash between Day 1a chip leader Alex Baena and Kimmo Kurko as three-way action triggered the shove by Baena with the nut flush draw. Kurko tank-called with jacks and held up thanks to blanks on turn and river. The Finn was also responsible for the elimination of Marti Roca de Torres thanks to a successful flip with ace-king versus pocket tens.
Hauser got back in the mix by felting Ewen Trevidy but it was Kurko who continued a hot run in all-in showdowns, sending Gerard Carbo and Bernat Carreras to the rail next. The streak vaulted the Finn to two-thirds of the chips in play but as quick as the chips came, they vanished in a spell of 20 minutes as he dashed out three double-ups.
Stefan Wesson was one of several short stacks to watch as it all unfolded while taking part in his first major live poker event. He was in Barcelona on a business trip as the manager of 888poker brand ambassador Chris Eubank Jr and made it all the way to fourth place. After the departure of Wesson, the final three players struck a deal and left €13,800 to play for.
Hauser prevailed with the top two pair against Kurko's gutshot and flush draw to take a near three to one lead into heads-up play with Ventura Bolet. But a fierce duel unfolded from there on with several double ups taking place. Ultimately, the blinds made the action shallow and Hauser had the best of it to earn his first tournament victory on the live poker circuit.
Third Italian champion in four editions of 888poker LIVE in Barcelona
The 888poker LIVE tour headed to Barcelona for the first time in 2017 and Luigi Shehadeh came out on top of an 609 entry strong field to claim the top prize of €110,000.
In 2018, Adrian Constantin and Joel Isla Gonzalo cut a heads-up deal to secure €114,025 each and Constantin won the following duel for the trophy. The Romanian was among the contenders in the current edition as well but got knocked out early on Day 2 by fellow 888poker LIVE Main Event winner Adrian Costin Constantin.
Gabriele Rossi then followed in the footsteps of fellow countryman Shehadeh in 2019 to claim €110,000 after topping a field of 551 entries to make it two victories out of the first three editions in Catalunya. The Italian domination in Barcelona has now continued with yet another triumph albeit in the smallest edition so far.
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Top Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 609 | €584,640 | Luigi Shehadeh | Italy | €110,000 |
| 2018 | 709 | €709,000 | Adrian Constantin | Romania | €114,025 |
| 2019 | 551 | €551,000 | Gabriele Rossi | Italy | €110,000 |
| 2022 | 334 | €320,640 | Sandro Hauser | Italy | €56,800 |
For its next stop, 888poker will be heading back to Bucharest in June 2022 for an €888 Main Event and Hauser will be invited to take part courtesy of the event sponsor. The online satellites and further details will be announced shortly.
flop gave Hauser the top pair while Ventura Bolet had a flush draw. His Spanish friends were still hopeful but there would be no celebration after the 
turn and 
river ended the tournament.
and Kimmo Kurko defended the big blind holding the 
. The 
flop provided the flush draw for Kurko and the top two pair for Hauser. Kurko checked it over to the Italian, who bet 350,000 and earned a call from the Finn.
turn provided an additional gutshot for Kurko and he checked once more. Hauser bet 700,000 for a little bit more than half the pot. As a result, Kurko moved all-in for 2,800,000 and Hauser snap-called.
on the river missed the double draw of Kurko and he had to settle for third place. According to the deal agreement, he takes home €39,800 and Hauser will enter heads-up with a commanding lead over Ventura Bolet.
flop but the 
turn left Wesson with just three outs, as only a king would avoid his elimination. Instead, it was the 
flop was a disaster for Carbo as he needed a miracle to survive. It was all over after the 
river a formality. Carbo's run ended with a payday of €16,500 and Kurko pulled further ahead at the top of the leaderboard with five players remaining.
flop and nothing changed on the 
turn. However, the 
flop propelled Kurko into the lead as no running outs were left. No miracle happened on the 
turn, the 
river also bricked off and sent Baena to the rail in 9th place for €7,500.
