EPT Barcelona: Who is in the frame for the €100K Super High Roller?
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The EPT Barcelona Super High Roller event has always been one of the most eagerly-anticipated tournaments on the calendar. It’s the one where all the stars assemble to build a massive prize pool and then play for an eye-watering first prize.
With a buy-in of €100,000 and unlimited re-entries, those figures fly upward at a staggering rate.
Interestingly enough, two players have twice won this tournament: Mikita Badziakouski (in 2018 and 2022) and Kayhan Mokri (in 2023 and 2024). It seems likely both will be back this year to chase an unprecedented third win.
Can Kayhan Mokri make it three?
But who else might take to the Super High Roller felt in Barcelona this time? Let’s take a look at some of the likely contenders.
SOME ESTABLISHED REGULARS
The aforementioned Kayhan Mokri is already confirmed for Barcelona, and despite skipping last year, Mikita Badziakouski is still a good bet to return. Nobody has ever won three EPT Super High Rollers, let alone in the same venue. So either of those two could break the mould.
The German No 1 Fedor Holz is coming to Barcelona. He won this event in 2016, beating the biggest ever field of 102 entries. The buy-in was “only” €50,000 back then, meaning his €1.3 million first prize was smaller than either of Badziakouski’s payouts. But it’s hardly about the money for Holz, whose live earnings top $50 million, and who continues to collect major titles with seeming ease. He could join the two-time winners club.
Fedor Holz is coming back to the EPT in Barcelona
Family commitments mean recent Hall of Fame inductee and Team Pro Jason Koon won’t be available for this one. But other high-profile Americans Bryn Kenney, Phil Ivey, Nick Petrangelo and Jesse Lonis played here last year and may well be back. David Coleman, last year’s runner-up, has continued his brilliant form in the past 12 months. Coleman has booked his ticket once again for a trip to Catalonia.
The two PokerStars Live League titans Klemens Roiter and Enrico Camosci are confirmed. As is the online megastar Niklas Astedt.
Suffice to say, this is going to be characteristically tough.
SOME NEW FORCES
It seems strange to describe a player with the reputation of Eelis Parssinen as a “breakout” star as he has been crushing tournament poker for so many years. But Parssinen was mainly regarded as a PLO player and has only relatively recently taken to playing hold’em for the highest stakes in live tournaments. However, he is now enjoying the same exceptional results in the two-card game as he has for years in Omaha. Parssinen is confirmed for Barcelona.
Austria’s Sam Mullur is widely considered one of the hottest young tournament players in the world at the moment, and he will take another stab at a first PokerStars title in Barcelona. Mullur has quickly taken his live earnings into high seven figures, including a $3.5 million runner-up finish in South Korea last year. It can’t be long until he’s holding a trophy.
The same used to be said of Leon Sturm. He was playing breathtaking poker without ever going all the way to the title. But he picked up a first WSOP bracelet in 2023 and won the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller this time last year. He’s essentially a regular already, very likely to be coming to Barcelona to defend his title. But at 26, he is still incredibly young as well.
Sam Mullur, left, and Leon Sturm are two of the most feared tournament players at the moment
Meanwhile, Estonia’s Ottomar Ladva won the €100K Super High Roller at EPT Paris in February, demonstrating that he not only has the bankroll to play the biggest events, but the skill set too. Expect Ladva to be back for more in Barcelona.
Dejan Kaladjurdjevic is another player who is well known to followers of PokerStars tournaments. In 2021, playing as “dejanlc357”, Kaladjurdjevic became the first player from Montenegro to win a SCOOP title. And he didn’t stop there. He actually won three (and now has four titles). But Kaladjurdjevic now has the bankroll to play bigger. He is doing his thing in Super High Roller events as well.
Kaladjurdjevic won a €50K event in Monte Carlo in May, beating Badziakouski heads-up. He’s coming back for more in Barcelona.
Dejan Kaladjurdjevic is now a high buy-in regular too
MOVING UP TO THE BIG LEAGUES
Mat Frankland has been a regular on the EPT for more than a decade, but it’s only over the past couple of years that he’s become more acquainted to the highest buy-ins. It’s been worth it. Frankland picked up the biggest score of his career in a $25K High Roller in Vegas last summer. He has also cashed several more tournaments with buy-ins of $50,000 or similar. Is the €100K now in his sights?
Fellow Brit Jamie Dwan took down an enormous $50K event in Vegas this year, banking $2.3 million. He will surely feel he now has everything necessary to turn his hand to the Barcelona Super High Roller. Might online tournament crusher Markkos Ladev also sit down for this one? He hit a new career high in live tournaments in Cyprus in January in a $100K buy-in event. And he has been collecting regular online accolades for years. His first seven-figure win could be around the corner.
Jamie Dwan had a breakout summer in Las Vegas
With a week until cards are in the air, there’s plenty of time for numerous more high rollers to register an interest. This one is always a cracker.
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