France's Simon Wiciak has emerged as the champion of the second-largest European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event ever held, collecting a €1,134,375 winner's payday on Sunday. Wiciak's win over a 2,120-entry field followed a three-way chop late in final-table action wherein Wiciak reached a deal with Brazil's Joao Sydenstricker and the United Kingdom's Carl Shaw.
Sydenstricker earned €1,048,555 as the event's official runner-up while Shaw collected €901,070 for third. The chop's guaranteed Wiciak and Sydenstricker million-euro paydays and left a small amount to play for, though had Shaw made a comeback from the shortest stack, he also would have logged a seven-figure payday.
As it played out, Sydenstricker sent Shaw to the rail before busting himself to Wiciak, who became the EPT's 11th main-event titleist from France.
Wiciak enjoyed a dominant run in the event's later stages, bagging the chip lead at the end of Day 4 and being in or near the lead for the remainder of the tournament. After Wiciak picked off a bluff for the last of Sydenstricker's chips, the career-best payday was his.
