Stephen on Song Wins EPT Main Event for Biggest Ever Win

The European Poker Tour’s 20-year run as the biggest tournament series in poker entered a new era as the Spanish city of Barcelona – home of the first-ever winner Alexander Stevic – welcome 1,975 entries into the Catalan city of culture and poker history. It was the American player Stephen Song who won, as he captured the second leg of a possible Triple Crown, and the biggest score of his professional poker career.

The Anniversary Present

PokerStars can be incredibly proud of the way they have grown the European Poker tour and that was evident in Barcelona two decades on from the tour’s first visit to the Catalan city. Back in 2004, the brainchild of John Duthie, the first-ever EPT took place as the new tour that hoped to rival the World Poker Tour (WPT) in scope and size started to take shape. Winning the top prize of $98,000 20 years ago, Sweden’s Alexander Stevic was present but didn’t make the money places of the 1,975 entries in this year’s EPT Barcelona.

In the 2024 version of the EPT Barcelona Main Event, the original top prize was over 15 times what it was back in 2004. The prizepool, which easily sailed past $10 million, saw 287 players make the money places, with a min-cash worth $9,600. When nine players remained, Stephen Song led the way from players such as Romania’s Marius-Catalin Pertea and Song’s fellow American David Coleman.

With other stars such as Rania Nasreddine and Andrew Hulme a little further back, the short stack was the Brazilian player Fabiano Kovalski. He saw an opportunity to double-up when he shoved with king-five but ran into Nasreddine’s pocket jacks and couldn’t hit on the board of 8-4-3-7-Q, meaning the South American departed in ninth for $154,335.

Fournier Falls, Coleman Cut Down

Out in eighth place was Chinese player Jianwei Lin. All-in with jack-ten, he was ousted by Rania Nasreddine, whose ace-eight was ahead pre-flop. The flop of K-T-6 handed the advantage to Lin, but after the turn of a jack gave the Chinese player two-pair, a queen on the river gave Nasreddine a Broadway straight and sent Lin home for $200,550.

Next to depart was the Canadian player Alexandre Fournier, whose ace-eight was deemed sufficient to check-shove the flop of 8-6-5. It wasn’t good enough to win the hand, however, as David Coleman snap-called with pocket kings and they held to reduce the field to six, with the Canadian Fournier heading home to Canada with $260,740.

Stephen Song had the chip lead with the final six off for one last night’s sleep before the last day. The short stack was Boris Kuzmanovic from Croatia and he ended up busting in sixth place for $338,930. Shoving with a suited queen-jack, he ran into Nasreddine’s ace-king and a nine-high board ejected him from proceedings soon after the final day’s lights had been turned onto the players.

America’s finest was David Coleman, whose latest deep run in a major tournament saw him cash for $440,590. On a board of J-3-3-2-A, the British player Andrew Hulme shoved with pocket queens and Coleman hero-called it off with jack-nine, only to see that whilst Hulme hadn’t hit the board, he hadn’t needed to.

Stephen’s Song Hits Number One

Four-handed play began with two big pots that went the way of the eventual winner as Stephen Song managed to survive twice to both remain in the lead and improve his lot to boot. Rania Nasreddine was unable to repeat the trick, busting for $572,725 when her ace-king lost to Pertea’s nine-eight for 90% of her stack, a heartbreaking nine on the river denying her exactly one place and over $160,000 in equity.

Soon after that hand, Nasreddine was out, losing with a dominated ace to cash for $572,725 in fourth. Pertea may have won that hand but he still went next, cashing for $744,510 in third place. All-in with pocket fives, he lost a coinflip to Andrew Hulme, whose ace-six got there and sent play heads-up.

Before the final duel, both Hulme and Song were happy to discuss a deal and they agreed on ICM-related numbers before the final battle to smooth out the final two pay-jumps. Song’s lead grew to a 4:1 advantage before his ace-seven got the better of Hulme’s pocket eights with all the money in pre-flop. A flop of 6-5-3 was followed by a dramatic turn of a four. The river had to come a seven for Hulme to survive but instead, a nine landed and Song was champion.

Facing his rail at the moment of truth as he waited for that fateful river card, Song’s partner told him ‘I love you’. Seconds later, Stephen Song had the first EPT title of his career and Hulme his biggest-ever prize, as both men looked delighted with proceedings. Watch the PokerStars EPT Barcelona 2024 Main Event final table as it happened, with commentary from James Hartigan and Joe ‘Stapes’ Stapleton.