With this month marking its 20th anniversary, the European Poker Tour (EPT) has been running since 2004. By coincidence, that year also marked Byron Kaverman’s start in poker.
Two decades on, both are doing well: a host of the game’s biggest names have come to the Catalan capital to play, and Kaverman (above) has already won close to €500K in the first few events.
O’Dwyer pips Kaverman to Knockout title
US pro Kaverman’s first score of EPT Barcelona came in the €12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout event, which saw 62 entries competing for over €537K in prize money, plus bounties. The climax came with a late-night final table that saw Kaverman face Steve O’Dwyer and Santhosh Suvarna in a three-way tussle for the title.
O’Dwyer picked up pocket aces and a big pot late in proceedings, and used his big stack to push on for the win, the trophy and the €163,720 up top, plus €48K in bounties. Kaverman finished in the runner-up spot for €107,400, picking up another €12K in bounties.
€12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout Final Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve O'Dwyer | €163,720 (+ €48,000) |
| 2 | Byron Kaverman | €107,400 (+ €12,000) |
| 3 | Santhosh Suvarna | €77,900 (+ €48,000) |
| 4 | David Coleman | €59,100 (+ €12,000) |
| 5 | Ottomar Ladva | €45,700 (+ €24,000) |
| 6 | Joakim Andersson | €34,900 (+ €12,000) |
| 7 | Fabiano Kovalski | €26,900 (+ €12,000) |
| 8 | Martin Zamani | €21,500 |
Kaverman rallies for €381K win
A couple of days later Kaverman found himself at another final table, this time in the €25K NLHE event, and again facing a fearsome line-up. The final table featured serial winners Mike Watson, Sam Grafton, Nick Petrangelo, Ren Lin and Niklas Astedt, as well as Italy’s Enrico Camosci and Estonia’s Markkos Ladev, both of whom have become regulars on the EPT circuit in recent years.
Occupying the last seat on the final table was another big name, Gerard Pique, the former Barcelona, Manchester United and Spain footballer.
Pique would be the first to go, falling short of the bubble alongside Lin and Petrangelo, as just six players would be paid. Ultimately it was Ladev who would run Kaverman the closest in the battle for the €381,060 first prize, but the Estonian was unable to derail Kaverman’s hot start to EPT Barcelona.
Ladev won a career-best €248,500 for his second place finish, while Kaverman’s performances in the first week of this EPT stop have pushed his career tournament earnings over the $20M mark.
€25,000 NLHE - final results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byron Kaverman |
€381,060 |
| 2 | Markkos Ladev |
€248,500 |
| 3 | Mike Watson |
€171,200 |
| 4 | Enrico Camosci |
€127,000 |
| 5 | Niklas Astedt |
€99,400 |
| 6 | Sam Grafton |
€77,300 |
EPT Barcelona runs through to September 8; we'll be bringing you more from this special anniversary stop throughout the week, so check back regularly for the latest.
Images courtesy of Manuel Kovsca/Jules Pochy/Danny Maxwell Photography/Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd/PokerStars Live
