News

What They Said in Barcelona: PokerListings Wraps up Its Live Poker Year

What They Said in Barcelona: PokerListings Wraps up Its Live Poker Year
Image
Iva Dozet News Editor
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: January 2, 2026
  • Read time: 2 min

For PokerListings, 2025 was a year on the road. From the sun‑soaked tables in Malta to the felt in Barcelona and then every stop in between, our team chased stories about what actually makes the live poker circuit tick. Along the way, we sat down with organizers, players, commentators, and personalities who live and breathe this game.

And now, as the year winds down (or the new one ticks over, depending on when you’re reading this), we’re revisiting some of that material to reflect on 2025 and the moments that stuck with us, beginning with EPT Barcelona.

Held at Casino Barcelona from August 18 to 31, the 2025 edition delivered one of the largest Main Event fields in the tour’s history, drawing 2,045 entries for a €5,300 buy‑in and a nearly €10 million prize pool, the third biggest turnout Barcelona has seen. In the end, French pro Thomas Eychenne captured the title, but the real story was everything in between. The personal stakes, hopes, and local pride is what makes a festival like EPT Barcelona work.

That’s what our conversations with people on the ground brought into focus.

Fully Packed Schedules, High Integrity… One of My Favorite Stops

Kenny Hallaert, a familiar face on the live circuit and now an integral part of the PokerStars team, didn’t hold back when describing to us why Barcelona remains a highlight year after year. For him, the stop is the best example out there of what makes PokerStars’ well, what it is.

Kenny Hallaert

Barcelona, I think, was or is a great event so far. It’s a company where I really can find myself in. Like, they have very high game integrity. Their schedules are always, like, amazing, fully packed. Like, it is one of my favorite stops to go to every time. Like, not only EPT Barcelona, but all the other EPTs, PokerStars Opens, that we have. I’m always looking forward to those events, and, yeah, working on them makes it even more enjoyable for me.

And Barcelona did indeed deliver. Beyond the main, the festival was packed with mixed games, High Rollers, Mystery Bounties, and the usual chaos of cash game action spilling into the early morning. PokerStars even introduced a few tweaks to the schedule, including earlier starts and shorter breaks that players widely appreciated.

Kenny Hallaert
Kenny Hallaert

Spanish commentator and player Alex Romerole touched on something else: their need for a home-country champion. While Spain has produced elite players, Adrián Mateos being the crown jewel, Romerole reminded us of how long it’s been since a Spanish player closed out a Main Event in Europe.

Adrián Mateos

Why not? Here in Spain, in Barcelona, is the perfect place to do it… We want to try to win this tournament again, because since 2014 or more or less, when Adrián Mateos won in Monte Carlo, we haven’t had the chance to win.

While Romerole’s wish for a Spanish champion didn’t quite come true this time around, Spain was well-represented deep into the tournament, with multiple players making Day 4 and beyond, including local fan favorite Sergi Reixach.

Commentator and poker personality Willo el Pillo (yes, really) captured the vibe in only the way he can, by reminiscing about what makes EPT Barcelona what it is:

Willo el Pillo

The bubble, final table, final table, that two days should be always, there’s always like a really crazy rails with Brazilian guys, with Italian guys. I hope with the Spanish guys, please come to final table and come to rail them. It’s always a special. I always say like one of my favorite moments ever, not just in Barcelona, was the year of the seven. When you come here seven from outer space, this was like amazing ambience and atmosphere.

A New Year, Same Tour… But Never the Same Story

As 2025 draws to its inevitable close, the EPT is looking ahead towards London, Paris, and Monte Carlo on the horizon.

But if Barcelona 2025 reminded us of anything, it’s that live poker doesn’t thrive on just final tables and heads-ups. It lives in the little moments: the energy on the rail, the “why not?” optimism, and the genuine excitement of those who make it all run.

For now, all we can promise is that we’ll be there again, listening in and looking for exactly those stories. Because if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the live game’s still got plenty to say.

Image
Written By: Iva Dozet News Editor

Recommended