Kelvin Kerber and Maria Konnikova Lead Final 20 at End of Day 2 of €3,000 EPT Mystery Bounty
The PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona at Casino Barcelona continued today with an action-packed Day 2 of the €3,000 EPT Mystery Bounty. Following yesterday’s Day 1 flight and an additional 116 late registrations this morning, there were a total of 1,113 entrants recorded. Of those, 370 players found their seats this morning to battle it out over the felt, as the Mystery Bounty tokens were introduced later in the day. After 12 hours of play, only 20 remain.
As the dust settled, it was Kelvin Kerber who emerged with the chip lead, having amassed 4,560,000 by the end of Level 26 tonight. Kerber soared to the top of the counts in a massive pot where his river overbet was called by Jon Kyte. Close behind him is PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova, who stayed near the top throughout the day with minimal setbacks, finishing the day with 4,235,000.
Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelvin Kerber | Brazil | 4,560,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Maria Konnikova | United States | 4,235,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Alexander Ivarsson | Sweden | 2,635,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Jacob Stone | United Kingdom | 2,190,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Murilo Milhomem | Brazil | 2,060,000 | 41 |
| 6 | Julien Sitbon | France | 1,845,000 | 37 |
| 7 | Cherish Andrews | United States | 1,830,000 | 37 |
| 8 | Leo Margets | Spain | 1,700,000 | 34 |
| 9 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 1,505,000 | 30 |
| 10 | Paul Lagan | Royaume-Uni | 1 400 000 | 28 |
Day 2 Action
The rapid pace of play on Day 2 saw the field shrink dramatically, with 370 players reduced to just 213 by the first break. At the start of Level 15, the tournament’s focus shifted to the highly anticipated Mystery Bounties. Each player elimination earned the victor a token, granting them the chance to draw a mystery bounty. While many prizes were up for grabs, the two coveted €100,000 bounties captured the field's undivided attention, adding an extra layer of excitement and tension to every knockout.
There were a total of nine €25,000 bounties in play, with four already claimed by the first break. Remy Murcia, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Shiina Okamoto, and Vlad Lache were the lucky recipients, adding an early boost to their tournament runs and further intensifying the chase for the remaining mystery prizes. However, all four fell short of Day 3.
The bubble burst during level 17 and unlike previous years, it was over extremely quickly. The hand-for-hand began with 169 players remaining as 167 made the minimum cash of 2,950, and it was fan-favorite Ren Lin who stone-bubbled in a three-way all-in before the flop when his pocket eights couldn’t defeat the ace-king of Edward Quinn.
A few hours later, 2024 FPS High roller champion Henrik Juncker was the first to pull the highest bounty of €100,000.
It looked as if the second €100,000 bounty might not be pulled until the final day, but Arni Gunnarsson crushed the dreams of the remaining players at the final break of the day, securing himself a six-figure payday of €100,000 to go along with his guaranteed cash of €12,000 thus far.
Remaining Bounties
| Bounty Prize | Count | Remaining | Total | Remains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €100,000 | 2 | 0 | €200,000 | €0 |
| €50,000 | 4 | 0 | €200,000 | €0 |
| €25,000 | 9 | 1 | €225,000 | €25,000 |
| €10,000 | 18 | 3 | €180,000 | €30,000 |
| €5,000 | 18 | 2 | €90,000 | €10,000 |
| €2,000 | 2 | 0 | €4,000 | €0 |
| €1,000 | 204 | 40 | €204,000 | €40,000 |
| €1,000 & Draw Again | 10 | 3 | €10,000 | €3,000 |
| NAPT Gold Pass & Draw Again | 1 | 0 | €10,000 | €0 |
With no major bounties at large, the focus of the tournament floor is starting to switch to the looming first-place prize of €321,658.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | € 321,658 | 8 | € 38,600 |
| 2 | € 200,700 | 9 | € 29,700 |
| 3 | € 143,350 | 10-11 | € 22,850 |
| 4 | € 110,300 | 12-13 | € 19,000 |
| 5 | € 84,800 | 14-15 | € 15,850 |
| 6 | € 65,250 | 16-17 | € 13,800 |
| 7 | € 50,200 | 18-20 | € 12,000 |
Day 3 restarts tomorrow, September 6 at 12 p.m. local time. The structure will recommence on Level 27 with blinds at 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante.