Simon Wiciak Destroys Opposition in EPT Barcelona Main Event

Simon Wiciak has won the EPT Barcelona Main Event after dominating the final three days of action. The Frenchman lined up as the chip leader on each of those days and outlasted the 2,120-strong field to win €1,134,375.

Second Time Lucky

Simon Wiciak is mostly an online MTT player but he turned his attention to the live tournament scene last year. He had a good start, too, racking up his first cash at the EPT Monte Carlo, followed up with a cash in the 2022 WSOP Main Event barely two months later.

He repeated some of his success this year, scoring another four WSOP cashes in the summer, including, again, the Main Event.

It’s clear that Wiciak has what it takes in these major events and that must have played a part in his backers insisting that he fired a second bullet in the EPT Barcelona Main Event. Speaking to PokerNews after the event, he said:

"I didn't want to play the second bullet, because it's my second bullet in this Main Event. But some of my stakers pushed me to do it again...so I did it again, and obviously, it was good event. I'm going to start playing more and more, live of course."

Wiciak must have been delighted to have been offered a deal during three-handed play, guaranteeing him a seven-figure score. He then fought it out with Brazilian João Sydenstricker and Brit Carl Shaw for the remaining €108,975 and the bragging rights of the winner.

The heads-up battle wasn’t particularly long, and ended with a fantastic hero call from the Frenchman. Sydenstricker shoved all in on a river that paired the board in a three-bet pot and Wiciak found the call with a great read, both with betting patterns and even the fact that Sydenstricker didn’t pull his hood up as he normally does, feigning strength.

2023 EPT Barcelona Main Event Final Table Results