A thrilling end to the EPT Barcelona Main Event saw Frenchman Simon Wiciak dominate the deciding moments to claim victory and a top prize of $1.1 million. With a final table containing PokerStars Team Pro and Brazilian legend Andre Akkari as well as British WSOP bracelet winner Carl Shaw, Wiciak needed all his skills to claim the biggest win of his career.

Ylitalo and Knight Miss Out on Final Day

While only six players would make the final day, eight players reached the official final table. The first casualty of those eight was the Swedish tournament poker legend Robin Ylitalo, who cashed for €179,000 as he moved all-in on the river of a board showing . Ylitalo had shoved with but it was no good whatsoever, as his bluff was called easily by Wiciak with for a wheel straight.

Simon Wiciak had a strong lead at this stage, with more than double the chips of his nearest competitor, British bracelet winner Carl Shaw. That changed a little with the next elimination, as Shaw’s got lucky against Curtis Knight’s . With the chips in the middle pre-flop, the board of rewarded the players from the United Kingdom, sending the Canadian Knight home with €232,700.

Overnight, Wiciak’s lead was still a strong one, with his top stack of 22.8 million chips ahead of Carl Shaw’s 17.4 million. Santiago Plante (7.5m) was the only other player with more than a third of the chip leader’s stack.

South American Slayings Start the Final

With six kicking of the final day’s play on Sunday, there were back-to-back South American players who busted. Ezequiel Waigel from Argentina was out in sixth place, claiming €302,500 when Brazilian player Joao Sydenstricker managed to take out his fellow South American. Pre-flop, Waigel three-bet shoved with , only to be called by the far superior belonging to Sydenstricker. That held and the field was reduced to five.

Sydenstricker was flying, but the other Brazilian at the final table was heading in the opposite direction, and PokerStars’ own Team Pro Andre Akkari was on the rail soon after Waigel. Akkari called a raise in the small blind with and on the flop of , raised all-in. Shaw called with and Sydenstricker  called with . The turn led to a bet call and so too did the river. While Shaw and Sydenstricker chopped it up, Akkari was left to rue a missed flush and cashed for €393,300 in fifth place.

Out in fourth and just missing out on the deal of a lifetime was Canadian player Santiago Plante. All-in for just 4,150,000 chips at a big blind of 300,000 with , Plante was uprooted by Carl Shaw, whose met with fortune on a board that came for a straight. Plante, devastated, cashed for €511,300 but minutes later was left cursing his luck.

The Deal of a Lifetime

Three players remained and after players went on the next scheduled break, the subject of a deal was raised. Eventually, it was agreed that Joao Sydenstricker would take home €1,048,550, Simon Wiciak locked up €1,025,400, and Carl Shaw guaranteed himself  €901,070 in the ‘plus’ column.

With €108,975 – and the trophy – still to play for, Shaw was the next to leave, busting when his started and ended his final hand some way behind Wiciak’s . In the middle, the greatest pain laid in the false hope a king-high flop provided, with an ace on the river reversing that switching of odds at the last minute.

Heads-up, one bluff into the battle saw Wiciak’s 32.2 million playing Sydenstricker’s 31.3 million. Sydenstricker took an early lead, but Wiciak won back a slim advantage after hitting top pair and winning without showdown, and soon afterwards, a superb call won the EPT title for the French player.

On a board of , Sydenstricker moved all-in on the river with just . Wiciak had the best hand with but faced a huge call to win it all. Eventually, he managed to pull the trigger and shot down Sydenstricker in second place, claiming the title and €1,134,375.

You can watch the final table play out in full with cards up coverage hosted by James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton right here on the PokerStars YouTube channel: