Pocket aces five times... but Nacho Barbero denied at WSOPC final table

Eight hours later, he was still waiting.

Jay Hoebe survived a rollercoaster heads-up battle to claim his second Circuit ring and deny Barbero the ultimate holiday souvenir.

If you come for the king… don't come with kings

Right from the start of play on Sunday, Barbero wasted no time. 

First, he got his chips in with and was up against the of Fausto Munz. Nacho survived the scare on the runout. 

Then, Luca Zapatero opened under the gun with pocket kings and chip leader Hoebe put in a three-bet. Barbero looked down at pocket aces and four-bet, eventually getting all his chips in against Zapatero.

The nine-million-chip pot went Barbero's way after a harmless nine-high runout, sending him soaring into second place.

A few hands later, the aces were back. This time Barbero eliminated Munz in eighth. Barbero raised to 300K from the cut-off and Munz moved all-in on the button with . An eight-high runout catapulted Barbero into the chip lead with 13.1 million. 

Nacho Barbero had over $30 million in tournament winnings before playing the WSOPC Madrid Main Event.

Hayley Hochstetler

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Aces again… and again

Nacho was seemingly in a hurry to get back to the padel court.

The very next hand, he picked up and three-bet to 750K. Cesar Montanes, the original raiser, called with . 

Montanes check-called a 700K bet on the flop. Barbero picked up a flush draw on the turn and after Montanes checked again, Barbero moved all-in. Montanes had just under 4 million left. He thought about it but ended up folding the best hand. Barbero was up to 15 million. 

And then, incredibly, he peeled aces again. Aliaksandr Shylko called with and paired up on the flop. Shylko check-called a 500K bet, but folded when Barbero fired 1 million on the turn. 

Three hands later... he got aces again, for the fifth time in less than 90 minutes of play. 

This time, Barbero was on the button having seen a raise UTG from Tom-Aksel Bedell with nines and an all-in from Montanes for 4.5 million with . Barbero called and Bedell folded. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” another player exclaimed as Nacho flipped his aces. 

Montanes couldn't crack them and hit the rail in seventh. Barbero was up to more than 21 million – more than double what Hoebe had in second.

The Barbero show rolls on

The aces might have stopped, but Barbero's sun run was still in full flight. 

He picked up kings, flopped a straight in another pot with , and continued to pile pressure on the rest of the table.

Pocket jacks were enough for Barbero to eliminate Per Hildebrand in fifth. Hildebrand had and paired his ace on the flop, but a jack dropped on the turn to seal his fate. 

That took us to the first break of the day. Barbero now had over 30 million chips, with Hoebe in second with 9.5 million. 

Could anyone stop his march to the ring?

Cristobal Aguilera couldn't, falling in fourth place.

And three-handed, Barbero had over 30 million, with his two opponents on around 7.5 million each. 

Hoebe found a double with queens to halt his momentum, and then eliminated Bedell in third with against .

It meant that going into heads-up, the scores were a lot closer: Barbero had close to 30 million or 87 big blinds. Hoebe had almost 20 million. Game on. 

Nacho Barbero and Jay Hoebe start their heads-up battle for the WSOPC Madrid Main Event ring.

Hoebe turns the tables

The momentum swung, as it can so easily heads-up. 

Hoebe won some key pots and took the chip lead. Barbero lost another with to Hoebe's and gave him the thumbs-up on the showdown, shaking his head long after the cards had been swept away. Hoebe now had a near 2:1 chip lead. 

And then Nacho decided to make a move.

When Hoebe raised with , Nacho moved all-in with . Hoebe snapped, stood up and looked delighted. 

"My turn to suck out," Barbero said.

The flop was no bueno, but the turn proved the cards hadn't completely deserted Barbero. The river was a brick and, just like that, the stacks were even again.

Hoebe went back to work and started grinding Barbero down again. 

And he had a 2:1 lead when the chips went in the next time.

Barbero was at risk but he had by far the best of it this time: against Hoebe's .

Was it Hoebe's turn to suck out?

"I never lost with A-K in my life," Barbero said with a smile, and didn't break his record, making a straight on the river. 

The stacks were even. Again. 

One last twist in Madrid

It looked like Hoebe's comeback was going to be for nothing. Barbero ground out a huge lead, leaving Hoebe with just 6.5 million.

But Hoebe found a double with nines and stacks were getting shallower. Nacho still had the lead with 21bb to 15bb, but this one wasn't destined to go much longer.

Hoebe picked up queens, laid the trap with a call preflop, and doubled when Barbero moved all-in with .

The chips went in again the next hand. Hoebe had and was behind Barbero's , but a queen on the flop and another on the river gave Hoebe his second Circuit ring. 

And it left Barbero still looking for his first.