Juan Pardo Wins Back-To-Back High Rollers At EPT Barcelona

Spanish poker pro Juan Pardo secured the two largest poker tournament scores of his career in the span of just over 24 hours. The 25-year-old from the city of Malaga managed to win back-to-back single-day no-limit hold’em high roller events at the 2019 European Poker Tour Barcelona, earning more than $1.6 million USD for emerging victorious in both tournaments.

“I’m beyond happy,” Pardo told PokerStars reporters. “I know this is something that might happen once in a lifetime.”

In the €25,000 buy-in single-day high roller Pardo overcame a field of 70 total entries to secure the trophy and the top prize of €491,600 ($545,676 USD). He also earned 588 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win.

Pardo outlasted a stacked final table that included the likes of World Poker Tour and EPT main event winner Mike Watson (9th – $54,101 USD), World Series of Poker bracelet winner Joao Vieira (8th – $70,896 USD), EPT high roller regular Ramin Hajiyev (7th – $91,409 USD) and two-time bracelet winner Michael Addamo (3rd – $254,656 USD).

Joining the poker professionals at the final table were two sports stars in Gerard Piqué and Arturo Vida. The two were less than a day removed from winning a match, with their team FC Barcelona beating Real Betis Sevilla 5-2, thanks in part to a goal scored by Vidal.

Vidal ultimately finished fifth in the tournament for $149,251 USD, while Piqué made it down to heads-up with Pardo. He ultimately was eliminated in second place, earning $391,775 USD for his impressive showing. This was his fourth career final-table finish, bringing his career live tournament earnings to $667,103.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:

Mere hours after securing his first title, Pardo woke up and got right back to the tables for more high-stakes poker action. The EPT Barcelona €50,000 single-day no-limit hold’em high roller drew 76 total entries, creating a final prize pool worth more than $4 million USD. Pardo managed to navigate to the winner’s circle yet again, taking home €1,013,860 ($1,125,385 USD) for his second win in as many days. The score increased his career earnings to $3.5 million.

Pardo also earned 714 POY points as the champion. He has now won five titles and made seven final tables in 2019. All three of Pardo’s previous wins this year came in high roller events held at Aria in June and July. As a result of his consistent success, Pardo now sits in 46th place in the overall 2019 POY race standings, which are sponsored by Global Poker.

Pardo once again had a final table full of accomplished players to contend with, including the 11th player on poker’s all-time money list in Steve O’Dwyer (7th – $196,426 USD), WSOP bracelet winner Tim Adams (6th – $249,628 USD), 2018 Poker Master purple jacket winner Ali Imsirovic (5th – $319,203 USD) and Luc Greenwood (4th – $403,097 USD).

Pardo knocked out recent Triton Million tenth-place finisher Chin Wei Lim in third place to set up a heads-up showdown with Seth Davies. It came down to a classic preflop race situation for the title, with Davies holding AK to Pardo’s QQ. Pardo flopped top set and turned a full house to lock up the win, while Davie settled for $800,044 USD as the runner-up.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Winner photos provided by Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Neil Stoddart and Rene Velli.

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