The 20th anniversary of the European Poker Tour (EPT Barcelona) in Barcelona is absolutely fantastic. The buzz in Casino Barcelona is evident as the €5,300 Main Event gets ready for Day 5. Only 40 of the original 1,975 players remain, and among them is India’s own Sriharsha Doddapaneni, a fierce competitor with the fifth-largest stack.
Day 4 Travel Diary of Doddapaneni in EPT Barcelona
Beginning Day 4 with a sturdy stack of 1.192 million chips (119 large blinds), Doddapaneni negotiated a roller coaster of highs and lows. Though his chip count varied somewhat, he finished the day with an amazing 2.73 million chips (109 large blinds), guaranteeing his place in the top five overall.
Thursday’s effort by Doddapaneni combined smart manoeuvring with forceful play. Early in the day he faced Oscar Mas in a major hand. He raised to 25,000 then saw Mas three-bet to 80,000. When Doddapaneni called, the action stalled as both players examined the board towards the river. Mas bet 140,000; Doddapaneni raised 520,000. Mas folded; Doddapaneni gathered the chips without disclosing his cards, therefore increasing his stack to 1.30 million.
Peak and Low Points in EPT Barcelona
Aggressive play by Doddapaneni kept paying off in EPT Barcelona. He squared off against Gabriel Moura in still another pivotal hand. On a board Moura checked, Doddapaneni went all-in covering Moura. Moura called, but his hand dominated his push of his stack to 1.55 million.
For Doddapaneni, though, things were not quite perfect. Ahmed Karrim knocked him down to 1.350 million, therefore causing a clear setback. After losing a flip to Umberto Ruggeri, a later hand saw Doddapaneni’s stack dropped to 700,000 in EPT Barcelona.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, Doddapaneni was clearly resilient. After winning a critical pot from Karrim with trip nines, he overbet 550,000 into a pot of less than 300,000, showing pure aggression afterward. When Evgenii Sboev called to find Doddapaneni show a flopped straight, launching his stack to 2.90 million, this action paid off.
Day 5 contenders in EPT Barcelona
Stephen Song leads the scoreboard with an amazing 4.13 million chips (165 large blinds) as Day 5 gets ready. Song’s day consisted in a pivotal hand where he unleashed Matthew Gillingham’s ace-king with pocket aces, therefore breaking Sindre Hansen’s kings.
Close behind Song is David Coleman, who following a pivotal double-up with a set of treys against Jonathan Sanvicens’ queens concluded Day 4 with 3.90 million chips (156 large blinds). While Jianwei Lin follows with 2.835 million (113 big blinds), Harry Lodge also had a great performance ending with 3.45 million (138 large blinds).
Notable Athletes and Possible Achievements
There are several very outstanding players in the competition who might write history in EPT Barcelona. Aiming to be the first player to win back-to-back EPT Main Events, Simon Wiciak, the reigning champion, is Currently with 1.30 million chips, Wiciak revealed his conflicting feelings and wary hope for his prospects.
Additionally in contention is Rania Nasreddine, who came third in the 2024 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event. Aiming for the final table in consecutive EPT events, she has 2.005 million chips.
Among other prominent players remaining in the mix are Timothy Chung (2.525 million), EPT veteran Govert Metaal (1.705 million), and 2022 EPT London Main Event runner-up Jack Sinclair (1.575 million).
Day 4 Highlights and Exits in EPT Barcelona
Though many well-known players were eliminated as the blinds raised and stakes skyrocketed, Day 4 saw 113 players start the day. Notable exits were Stoyan Madanzhiev (119th for €15,350), Jan Eric Schwippert (45th for €23,350), and Mark Teltscher (41st for €23,350).
Looking forward
The remaining forty players are assured at least €23,350 as the event moves into Day 5; the grand prize of €1,512,000 is still under offer. Starting with blinds at 10K/25K and a 25K large blind ante, the competition will resume guaranteeing yet another day of fierce poker action.
The entire Day 4 replay is accessible on the PokerStars YouTube page for those inclined in tracking the action in EPT Barcelona.
Top Ten Chip Counts for Day 5
- Stephen Song – 4,130,000
- David Coleman – 3,900,000
- Harry Lodge – 3,450,000
- Jianwei Lin – 2,835,000
- Sriharsha Doddapaneni – 2,730,000
- Pablo Beltran – 2,640,000
- Yurii Zabrodotsky – 2,635,000
- Timothy Chung – 2,525,000
- Jack Kiriakus – 2,005,000
- Rania Nasreddine – 2,005,000
