Rising talent in Indian poker Sriharsha Doddapaneni is on the verge of creating history at the 2024 EPT Barcelona Main Event with a dominant stack as he seeks to be the first Indian to win an EPT Main Event title.
The excitement at Casino Barcelona is evident as the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona gets near its exciting end. Celebrating two decades of professional poker play, the EPT’s event this year honors its 20th anniversary. Once more playing up to its name, the festival—known for its high-stakes conflicts and historic successes—is. Attracting a huge field of 1,975 players, the €5,300 Main Event is fourth-largest EPT Main Event in history. Following an exciting Day 5, the tournament was reduced to just 16 players; Indian poker prodigy Sriharsha Doddapaneni is making news as he strives for a historic finish.
Sriharsha Doddapaneni: About To Live History
Renowned player in the Indian poker scene, Sriharsha Doddapaneni has shown great strength in the EPT Barcelona Main Event. Beginning Day 5 with a 2.73 million chip stack, Doddapaneni soon proved his felt ability. His strong style and deliberate play helped him to negotiate the daily fierce competition.
Early on in the day, one of the most important events occurred when Sriharsha Doddapaneni battled Yurii Zabrodotskyi. Though his stack dipped first to 2.2 million, Doddapaneni exhibited fortitude. Zabrodotskyi’s king-high locked the pot but Doddapaneni’s flush draw missed in a pivotal hand. This setback, though, did not stop him.
Later, Sriharsha Doddapaneni’s aggressiveness paid off since he engaged in a major hand with Luka Sorainen. The all-in bet on the turn prompted Sorainen to fold, which reduced his stack to 2.15 million. This calculated action underlined Doddapaneni’s capacity to seize important opportunities.
Dodapaneni had built his stack to 2.58 million at the dinner break. He had a little slump following the break, but he recovered remarkably in a hand against Daniel Myers. Myers was forced to fold by Doddapaneni’s strong river play, therefore reducing his stack to three million chips.
Doddapaneni’s stack kept increasing as the day went on, ending in a final Day 5 chip count of 3.21 million. By virtue of his performance, he qualified among the top 16 players and was near to create history as the first Indian to win an EPT Main Event.
Rania Nasreddine Charges Lead
Rania Nasreddine leads with a dominating 7.2 million chips entering Day 6. Previously third at the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event, Nasreddine is on the cusp of completing a rare and remarkable back-to-back final table. Her forceful and deliberate play throughout Day 5—including several eliminations—has confirmed her top ranking.
Significant hands abound on Nasreddine’s Day 5 journey: a knockout of Piero Alioto with pocket jacks and a forceful call against Jack Sinclair, which put Sinclair in 26th place. Nasreddine’s ongoing supremacy saw her drop Panagiotis Mavritsakis in 24th place, so reinforcing her reputation as a leading contender.
Strong Position Taken By Stephen Song
With his Day 4 chip lead stacked at 6.725 million chips, Stephen Song is another important player to keep on eye. Day 5 Song’s turning point came when his pocket aces bested Timothy Chung’s pocket kings—a vital hand that kept him among the top competitors.
Top Ten Chip Count:
Day 6 draws near, and the chip counts among the top players as follows:
- Rania Nasreddine – 7,200,000
- Stephen Song – 6,725,000
- Boris Kuzmanovic – 6,565,000
- Fabiano Kovalski – 5,550,000
- Jianwei Lin – 5,500,000
- Harry Lodge – 4,165,000
- David Coleman – 3,570,000
- Sriharsha Doddapaneni – 3,210,000
- Jelle Moene – 3,165,000
- Yurii Zabrodotskyi – 3,100,000
Sriharsha Doddapaneni: The Remaining Ground
Other participants who will keep on Day 6 are Alexandre Fournier (2,920,000), Marius-Catalin Pertea (2,535,000), Andrew Hulme (1,670,000), Daniel Myers (1,395,000), Jose Barbosa (1,080,000), and Govert Metaal (865,000).
Notable Eliminations
On Day 5, several well-known participants watched their Main Event runs come to an end. While other well-known players including Firoz Mangroe, Pablo Beltran, and Lauri Varonen all fell short of the final stages last year’s champion Simon Wiciak was ousted in 36th position.
Future View Of Sriharsha Doddapaneni
Day 6 of the competition brings increasing stress. The remaining participants are expected to fight valiantly with a guaranteed minimum payout of €62,150 and a top prize of €1,512,000 on offer. Starting on September 7 at 12:00 (local time), Day 6 will feature blinds at 40K/80K and an 80K big blind ante. The aim for the day is to reduce the field to the last six players, who will then fight for Sunday’s championship title.
The whole Day 5 replay is available on the PokerStars YouTube page for those keen to catch up on the action.
The enthusiasm and expectation keep growing as Sriharsha Doddapaneni and the other candidates enter the pivotal phases of the competition; it promises a remarkable ending to the 2024 EPT Barcelona Main Event.
