Giuliano Bendinelli goes from one big blind to winning record-breaking EPT Barcelona Main Event

The European Poker Tour's visit to Barcelona saw some exciting high-stakes action. But none was as exciting as the EPT Barcelona Main Event final table.

The €5,000 event attracted a record-breaking 2,294 players putting €11,125,900 in the prize pool. It also put €1,491,133 up top for first place.

It was this prize that was being fought for when the final six returned for the official TV final table and the last day of play.

EPT Barcelona final table action

It didn't start out with much drama. The players circled each other for almost three hours without a single all in. But when it did come, it changed the game entirely.

With blinds at 200k-400k, Jimmy Guerrero shoved with AK and Giuliano Bendinelli called with AQ. The board rolled out in Guerrero's favor. When the stacks were counted up, it turned out that Bendinelli only had 475,000 left behind.

After several more hours of turning his single blind back into an enormous chip lead, Bendinelli was in another all-in showdown with Guerrero. Guerrero's tournament life was at risk again. But this time, they were the last two players standing.

The two had battled it out for three hours heads up. This was another brutally long phase of what was already a brutally long final table. The three hours dragged twice as much as there wasn't all that much at stake except bragging rights. The two players had cut a deal for the cash before heads-up play began.

This time, the board came out in Bendinelli's favor, giving him the title and the trophy.

"From a chip and a chair to a champion," wrote PokerStars LIVE. "Congratulations to Giuliano Bendinelli, the Italian took down the biggest EPT Main Event in history, winning €1,491,133. This was a fitting end to a final table for the ages."

You can watch the whole final table live stream on the PokerStars Youtube channel.

2022 EPT Barcelona €5,300 EPT Main Event Final Table Results

Featured image source: PokerStars Live