Held at the venerable Casino Barcelona, the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona marks the exciting end of the €2,200 High Roller event from PokerStars Estrellas. After a strong performance on the last day, Germany’s Berthold Winz emerged triumphant collecting the coveted trophy and a career-best prize of €600,000. Drawing an amazing 2,064 players across two starting flights. The tournament showcased top poker skills and produced a final table bursting with drama.
The Development of Berthold Winz
The path Berthold Winz follows to ascend the ESPT High Roller is evidence of his developing poker skills. Arriving on the last day of the event leading in chips, Winz wasted no time claiming supremacy. His past successes include a triumph in the €1,050 No-Limit Hold’em Hyper Turbo Freezeout tournament last year. This brought him €29,940, and a career-best score of €24,400 ($32,441), from a deep run in the 2014 EPT Barcelona Main tournament.
Still, the €600,000 triumph in the ESPT High Roller not only represents his second EPT championship. It also establishes a new standard in his poker career. With barely over $150,000 in career tournament earnings when Winz started the day. This triumph has shot him to a fresh degree of poker community recognition.
Results of the Final Table
The final table of the ESPT High Roller was a battlefield of elite European poker ability. The outcome is as follows:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Berthold Winz | Germany | €600,000 |
| 2 | Ronald Steinmetz | France | €374,850 |
| 3 | Christophe Pommier | France | €268,050 |
| 4 | Jan-Eric Schwippert | Germany | €206,080 |
| 5 | Grzegorz Kozieja | Poland | €158,500 |
| 6 | Anton Kraous | Bulgaria | €121,750 |
| 7 | Cedric Schwaederle | France | €93,500 |
| 8 | Hugues Girard | France | €71,950 |
| 9 | Bernat Carreras | Spain | €55,350 |
Day 3 Action: An All-Stake Conflict
With 26 players left on day three of the ESPT High Roller, each focused on the top prize. With a prize pool of €3,962,000, 309 players from their individual starting flights progressed to Day 2, when they were assured at least a min-cash of €3,200. The strain grew and every hand carried the weight of the stakes involved as the field closed.
Early Eliminations and Rising Stressful Conditions Of Berthold Winz
Beginning Day 3 as the chip leader, Berthold Winz promptly proved why he was a force to be reckoned with. He dropped Mitchell Garshofsky in the first twenty minutes, therefore establishing the daily tone. Rania Nasreddine, starting with the second-largest stack, had an early setback as well. Anton Kraous’s nut-flush caused her to lose a major pot, so halving her stack. Nasreddine was dropped by Winz just forty minutes later, ranking 17th and making €24,600 for her efforts.
Other well-known players that made it to Day 3 but missed the final table are Weiran Pu, who was eliminated in 10th place with €42,600, and Cherish Andrews, who finished 13th and brought home €35,540. Pu bubbled the last table during an almost two-hour struggle, so eliminating was especially dramatic. Grzegorz Kozieja’s five-three suited was unmatched, completing a flush on the turn and sending Pu to the rail, so preparing the field for the last nine.
Drama in Final Tables: Berthold Winz Takes Charge
Grzegorz Kozieja having the chip lead started the final table, closely followed by Ronald Steinmetz. Beginning in the middle of the pack, Winz ascended fast to the top after removing Hugues Girard in eighth position (€71,950) and Bernat Carreras in ninth place (€55,350). One of the turning points occurred when Winz defeated Anton Kraous in a huge pot, halfing Kraous’s stack and thereby confirming his advantage.
Starting the final table with the smallest stack, Cedric Schwaederle managed to gain two spaces before succumbing in seventh place amid a three-way preflop battle with triple up by Christophe Pommier. Following Schwaederle were Kraous (6th – €121,750), Kozieja (5th – €158,500), and Jan-Eric Schwippert (4th – €206,080).
Three-Handed Play and a Fast Heads-Up Duel
Winz led powerfully into three-handed play as the tournament drew to an end. His aggressive approach paid off since he constantly pressed his opponent and hardly let hands to go to showdown. Once reduced, Christophe Pommier finally found himself all-in with queen-ten versus Steinmetz’s ace-queen. Steinmetz’s hand held, removing Pommier in third position with €268,050, therefore preparing the ground for the heads-up clash.
Winz and Steinmetz had a brief heads-up contest. Winz, who came into the match with a 3:1 chip edge, pressed Steinmetz rapidly. Steinmetz tried a bluff on the river with ace-high after giving multiple blinds, but Winz, who had made a straight, snapped-called him. This left Steinmetz with just over ten large blinds, which Winz claimed shortly after to have guaranteed his triumph.
A glorious victory and what is ahead?
Berthold Winz has firmly established himself among the best European poker players with this triumph. The €600,000 award is the biggest of his career; the triumph marks his second EPT trophy. All eyes now turn to the EPT Main Event and other highly regarded events still to come at EPT Barcelona as the dust settles on the ESPT High Roller.
As the action carries on at one of the most esteemed poker events worldwide, keep tuned for additional updates.
