Mokri Masterclass as Gerard Piqué Plays at EPT Barcelona

The latest event to thrill Barcelona not only pleased poker fans but supporters of the city’s La Liga soccer outfit. Former Barcelona F.C. central defender Gerard Piqué arrived to take on some of the best players in the world and certainly Europe. Did the former UEFA Champions League winner make it at the felt, or did he hit the crossbar?

Single Day High Roller Once Again Popular

With 47 entries each paying €20,000 – the equivalent of $22,195 – to play, the action saw the legendary Barcelona player Piqué arrive early in a bid to improve in his previous best finish of second place in an EPT Barcelona side event. Sadly for football fans the world over and in Casino Barcelona, Piqué didn’t last too long.

All-in with pocket deuces for just over 30 big blinds, Piqué ran into pocket kings belonging to Jules Dickerson and pretty soon, Piqué needed to hit a deuce to survive. The flop of left the former Spain center back hoping for a miracle escape with runner-runner for quads but the less-than-1% shot he had died on the 6s turn before the ended the hand. Others to bust early included Erik Seidel, Niklas Astedt and Ren Lin, who entered an incredible four times without reward, sinking around $90,000 into the prizepool.

Once Piqué left, it was a race to make the six money places that would also herald the arrival of the final table. With nine players left, the chip leader was Kayhan Mokri, the Norwegian on 920,000, which equated to 61 big blinds. Behind him, French player Thomas Santerne, who sat with 52 big blinds.

Out in ninth place was Estonian Markkus Ladev, who lost with after getting his chips into the middle after a flop of landed. Santerne it was who busted him, holding for a flopped top set and after a turn and river confirmed Ladev had left, Santerne was even closer to the chip leader.

The Bubble Bursts

German player Samuel Ju was the next player to bust, leaving for nothing in eighth place when his couldn’t improve from a flopped flush draw against the made bottom set of Harvey Jackson with . His elimination was followed by that of the bubble boy,   Elton Ostreni, but it was to be some hours before he left in seventh place.

All-in from pre-flop with , Ostreni was so short that three players called his shove and when Sam Greenwood bet on the turn of a board showing , everyone else folded. The Canadian showed and that was enough to send the Montenegrin to the rail after a landed on the river.

Now inside the money places, Jules Dickerson sneaked in for a min-cash, winning $70,100 when he lost to Sam Greenwood’s two pair eliminated him. The Canadian was on a roll, and so too was Santerne, who made a pair of jacks to take out the American Jesse Lonis in fifth for $90,000.

Mokri Makes his Mark

“I like Barcelona. I enjoy the competition a lot.” Kayhan Mokri

With four left, Santerne had twice as many chips as his eventual conqueror heads-up. It was Harvey Jackson who busted next, cashing for $115,100 in fourth. Losing with to Mokri’s flopped Broadway with , the Norwegian was dry in his response after the board ran out , simply saying: “I guess I’m taking this one.”

That hand was pivotal, elevating Mokri’s stack with Santerne in the hand too with ace-four. The Frenchman’s folly saw him taken out next in third for $155,125. Moving all-in pre-flop with , Mokri said: “One-point-five million I raise, so if you don’t have it go get your car keys.” Santerne called with and could start his engine when the board of sent him from the event.

Heads-up, Mokri’s stack of 2.45m chips was only marginally ahead of Sam Greenwood’s 2.25 million but after a break where players discussed – and agreed – a deal, the final duel didn’t last long. With the full amounts taken almost splitting the money, they flipped for the trophy as Greenwood’s was toppled by Mokri’s , a board of falling to reward the Norwegian, who was delighted with his victory.

“I run good in Barcelona,” he told PokerNews afterwards. “I like Barcelona. I enjoy the competition a lot. I think it’s very fun. We’re all very friendly so it’s a very good atmosphere to play in. I love it.”

There’s no better feeling in poker than winning and amassing a quarter of a million dollars in profit in one day tastes sweet for Mokri, who has now won over $2.7m in EPT events in the past two years alone.