The 2025 888poker LIVE Barcelona This festival was a resounding triumph, with our 888poker ambassadors and the 888 StreamTeam showcasing their skills effectively. The Spring series in Barcelona was undeniably among the most thrilling events of the year.
As the highlight of the series, the Main Event soared in popularity, drawing in 459 entries that created a prize pool nearing €350,000, where the winner took home €70,000 and the smallest payout was set at €2,500.
Emerging victorious was Pau Veciana from Spain, who entered this event with career earnings of less than $10,000. A professional architect by trade, he admitted that despite this remarkable win, his lifestyle would likely remain unchanged:
“I don’t expect much to change. I plan to continue participating in the same tournaments that I usually do. Although it’s a considerable amount of money, it won’t shift my life dynamics,” he mentioned.
888poker LIVE Barcelona - Day 1A
On Day 1A of the 888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event, Chang Tan excelled, ending Day 1 with a remarkable 574,000 chips as he prepared for Day 2.
On this opening day, 59 players entered the competition, with ten advancing to Day 2, among them local favorite Ariel “Galactico” Faskowicz, who ended the day with 367,000 chips.
Although Team888 members didn't participate on Day 1A, three of our 888poker ambassadors made an impressive showing in the 888pokerLIVE Barcelona High Roller event.
💠5th Lucía Navarro 🇪🇸 - €5,700
💠7th Vivi Saliba 🇧🇷 - €3,850
💠8th Ian Simpson 🇬🇧 - €3,465
888poker LIVE Barcelona - Day 1B
Day 1B saw a total of 102 entries in the 888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event, including Team888’s Aaron Barone, who secured 349,500 chips, placing him fourth on the leaderboard.
We found a bag. 349k coming back to 5k BB.
— Aaron Barone (@abarone68) May 16, 2025
Average stack around 200k. pic.twitter.com/7ahIqNyuZu
Fellow ambassador Vivian Saliba also made a commendable entry, ending the day with a solid 299,500 chips.
Some 888poker ambassadors, like Nick 'Eastyyy22' Eastwood, Ricardo Mateus, Jack 'Jaack Maate' Dean, Ian Simpson, and Brazilian siblings Leo and Lua Jokura, unfortunately, did not make it to Day 2.
888poker LIVE Barcelona - Day 1C
The first two days saw a total of 161 entries, with 34 players already qualifying for Day 2.
The third flight of four was the largest one, attracting a bustling 204 participants at Casino Barcelona. This addition brought the total number of entries to 365 over the first three days, with 81 players earning a spot in Day 2.
On Day 1c, several well-known players like 888poker Ambassador Ian Simpson, Jack Hardcastle, David Algarra, and Marius Gicovanu unfortunately did not advance.
888poker LIVE Barcelona - Day 1D TURBO & Day 2
As the final day approached, Day 2 commenced with 15 newcomers from Day 1D joining the survivors from the previous day.
By the end of the day, only nine players remained in contention.
- 459 Total Entries
- 55 would make the money.
- The minimum cash was €2,500.
- First-place prize was €70,000.
888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event Payouts
|
Place |
Prize (EUR) |
Place |
Prize (EUR) |
|
1 |
€ 70,000 |
9 |
€6,305 |
|
2 |
€43,500 |
10-12 |
€5,000 |
|
3 |
€ 30,000 |
13 - 16 |
€4,050 |
|
4 |
€ 21,500 |
17 - 20 |
€ 3,400 |
|
5 |
€16,650 |
21 - 24 |
€ 3,000 |
|
6 |
€13,000 |
25 - 32 |
€2,750 |
|
7 |
€10,200 |
33 - 40 |
€ 2,600 |
|
8 |
€8,000 |
41 – 55 |
€2,500 |
On Day 2 of the 888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event, Mauro Panto clearly showcased his skills, leveraging his unpredictable style, bold raises, and aggressive gameplay to establish a significant lead.
Panto concluded the day with an impressive 9,730,000 chips, more than double that of his nearest competitor.
Sadly, teammates and 888poker ambassadors Vivi and Ian did not perform well on Day 2, as both were eliminated before reaching the money stage.
Vivi finished in 119th place, while Ian came in 57th.
Lucia Navarro was similarly unable to advance to the money on Day 2.
In contrast, 888 Streamer Aaron Barone successfully leveraged his stack from Day 2 to finish in 50th place, earning a minimum cash prize of €2,500.
888poker LIVE Barcelona – Day 3 Final Table
It took just under eight hours to determine the champion from the nine finalists who returned on the last day.
Starting the day with a commanding lead, Mauro Panto maintained a 2:1 advantage over the second-place opponent.
Though Panto commanded the game's pace with his aggressive tactics while Veciana remained in the background, at one point, he controlled nearly 80% of all chips in play. However, such high aggression can be unpredictable, as Panto soon discovered.
Final Table Chip Counts
|
Rank |
Player |
Country |
Chip Count |
Big Blinds |
|
1 |
Mauro Panto |
Italy |
9,730,000 |
122 |
|
2 |
Hector Garcia |
Spain |
4,230,000 |
53 |
|
3 |
Martin Guerrero |
Spain |
2,800,000 |
35 |
|
4 |
Pau Veciana |
Spain |
2,325,000 |
29 |
|
5 |
Johnny Lindroos |
Estonia |
1,200,000 |
15 |
|
6 |
Fabio Peluso |
Italy |
935,000 |
12 |
|
7 |
David McConachie |
United Kingdom |
930,000 |
12 |
|
8 |
Cipriano Bonet |
Spain |
635,000 |
8 |
|
9 |
Alexander Sokolovsky |
Serbia |
395,000 |
5 |
- Martin Guerrero was the first to exit with a payout of €6,305 when his A♣️Q♣️ was outmatched by Panto's A♥️J♦️ after Mauro hit trips on the flop.
- Alexander Sokolovsky quickly followed him out in a five-way pre-flop stir, with his A♠️K♣️ falling short to Pau Veciana's K♠️Q♥️ (€8,000).
- Cipriano Bonet was sent to the rail in 7thThe next to go was another hopeful, finishing in €10,200 after his A♣️J♠️ couldn't beat Mauro Panto's A♠️A♥️.
- In an intense moment, Mauro eliminated two players in one hand, with his J♥️J♣️ overpowering Hector Garcia 's A♠️K♦️, securing 6th place for €13,000, and Fabio Peluso 's A♥️K♠️, who finished in 5th for €16,650.th Johnny Lindroos’ A♦️4♦️ stood no chance against Pau Veciana’s A♣️Q♣️, leading to his elimination in 4th.
- Mauro Panto’s thrilling run concluded when he mistakenly pushed J♣️7♣️ against Pau’s K♠️Q♠️, leading to an early departure in 3rd.thfor €21,500.
- As they entered heads-up play, Pau held a strong 3:1 chip lead:♣️Despite valiantly fighting back and doubling up numerous times to avoid elimination, the Brit engaged in a critical hand where David's T♣️8♣️ faced Pau's 8♠️7♣️. Both flopped well, but David's ten kicker proved advantageous.rdplace for €30,000.
888poker LIVE Barcelona – Day 3 Heads-Up
Eventually, McConachie surged to a notable 6:1 chip lead.
|
Player |
Chips |
|
Pau Veciana |
18,185,000 |
|
David McConachie |
5,540,000 |
However, Veciana was determined not to back down. David's lesser straight draw and pair were outperformed by Pau's superior rivered pair, flipping the chip dynamics back to a 2:1 lead for Veciana.
The climactic final hand occurred over three hours into heads-up play amid unsuccessful deal negotiations. McConachie’s K♣️6♣️ was bested by Veciana’s K♦️9♣️.
Both players matched a king on the flop and made two pairs on the turn, but the seven on the river secured victory for Pau due to his kicker.
Congratulations to all participants, and we'll see you at the next 888pokerLIVE event scheduled in London this September!
🎉 A heartfelt congratulations to Pau Veciana for his triumph in the 888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event!
After an intense heads-up showdown, David McConachie finished in 2nd place, earning €43,500 🥈.
🏆 Pau Veciana walks away with the coveted trophy and a cash prize of €70,000!
— 888poker (@888poker) May 18, 2025
888poker LIVE Barcelona Main Event Final Table Results
Hyacinth Swanson is a passionate part-time poker player, engaging in both live and online games, while also contributing as a writer and editor for poker content. She passionately manages the marketing consulting firm PurpleGob.com. pic.twitter.com/fYbfbZB0nq
888poker LIVE Barcelona – Day 3 Final Table
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1 |
Pau Veciana |
Spain |
€70,000 |
|
2 |
David McConachie |
United Kingdom |
€43,500 |
|
3 |
Mauro Panto |
Italy |
€30,000 |
|
4 |
Johnny Lindroos |
Estonia |
€21,500 |
|
5 |
Fabio Peluso |
Italy |
€16,650 |
|
6 |
Hector Garcia |
Spain |
€13,000 |
|
7 |
Cipriano Bonet |
Spain |
€10,200 |
|
8 |
Alexander Sokolovsky |
Serbia |
€8,000 |
|
9 |
Martin Guerrero |
Spain |
€6,305 |