€30,000 Super High Roller Warm Up
Day 1 Completed
2024 PokerStars EPT Barcelona
€30,000 Super High Roller Warm Up
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
2024 PokerStars EPT Barcelona
Buy-in
€30,000
Prize Pool
€1,577,070
Entries
54
Level
24
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
54
Players Left
1
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
There's perhaps no player in the world that could win a trophy as casually as Jean-Noel Thorel. He strolled to a first-place finish in the €30,000 Super High Roller Warm-Up event at the Casino Barcelona, running as part of the PokerStars European Poker Tour.
Thorel came out on top against a field of 54 entries to take home the lion's share of the €1,577,070 prize pool. The veteran French player came onto the final table among the chip leaders and only went up from there. Following a heads-up battle with US high roller Justin Saliba, Thorel took €512,370 for first place, along with a PokerStars Spade for his trophy cabinet.
€30,000 Super High Roller Warm-Up Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Noel Thorel | France | € 512,370 |
| 2 | Justin Saliba | USA | € 339,100 |
| 3 | Maher Nouira | Tunisia | € 228,700 |
| 4 | Brock Wilson | USA | € 173,500 |
| 5 | Ottomar Ladva | Estonia | € 134,100 |
| 6 | Patrik Antonius | Finland | € 106,500 |
| 7 | Boris Angelov | Bulgaria | € 82,800 |
The field was full of well known faces, many of them who had been playing the previous day’s high roller tourneys at the EPT. Nacho Barbero, Niklas Astedt, and Sam Greenwood were among those to fall before the final table, while Teun Mulder and Nick Petrangelo made the final table but missed out on the money.
Boris Angelov of Bulgaria was the first to bust in the money after he lost out to Thorel’s straight for most of his chips. Antonius was involved in the pot and Thorel had all but wiped him out in the same hand. Moments later, Antonius ran his queens into Thorel’s kings and was sent to the exit.
Ottomar Ladva was next to go when he lost a flip to Saliba, and it was at this point that Saliba also started to establish himself as one of the likely players to make it all the way.
Brock Wilson and Maher Nouira both played valiantly but were ultimately up against the odds as the shorter stacks. Nouira won two all-ins in a row against Wilson, the first giving him the double-up and the second sending Wilson to the rail in fourth place.
By this point, Thorel was running away with it and Saliba had dropped down a position. Still, he doubled up before Thorel eliminated Nouira to take the competition heads-up, Thorel with a substantial chip lead.
After a little back and forth, Saliba managed to double up, but it wasn’t enough for him to gain momentum in the end. Saliba got his king-queen in against Thorel’s ace-five suited, and Thorel held to win the event, the top prize, and the PokerStars trophy.
That concludes the PokerNews coverage of the €30,000 Super High Roller Warm-Up event. Stay tuned to the EPT Barcelona coverage hub for much more.
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Jean-Noel Thorel raised from the button and Justin Saliba moved all in from the big blind for around 3,400,000. Thorel called and players turned their cards.
Justin Saliba: K♠Q♥ 
Jean-Noel Thorel: A♠5♠
The board ran out 9♦6♥5♥3♠J♦ and Thorel held, making a pair of fives on the flop. Saliba was eliminated from the tournament in second place for €339,100.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
13,500,000
2,600,000
|
2,600,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Jean-Noel Thorel raised to 400,000 from the button and Justin Saliba called in the big blind.
The flop came 2♣J♥8♠ and Saliba checked. Thorel bet 600,000 and Saliba check-raised all in for around 1,600,000. Thorel folded and Saliba took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,900,000
-400,000
|
-400,000 |
|
|
2,600,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Action was on the flop on a board of 2♠9♦5♥ and Jean-Noel Thorel checked. Justin Saliba bet 300,000 and Thorel called. Both players checked it back on the 5♦ turn.
The river came the 8♣ and Thorel checked. Saliba bet 1,000,000 and Thorel quickly called. Saliba had J♣7♦ for a bluff and Thorel flipped 10♦5♠ for trip fives to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,300,000
2,200,000
|
2,200,000 |
|
|
2,200,000
-2,300,000
|
-2,300,000 |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Justin Saliba moved all in from the button for a touch over 2,000,000, ten big blinds following the blind change. Jean-Noel Thorel called in the big blind and players turned their cards.
Justin Saliba: J♦10♠
Jean-Noel Thorel: A♦7♦
An action packed board ran out 6♦10♦J♥5♣Q♣ to give Saliba two pair on the flop and Thorel a flush draw. Saliba held to win the pot and double his stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,100,000
7,990,000
|
7,990,000 |
|
|
4,500,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
Level: 24
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Level 23
: Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Jean-Noel Thorel raised to 400,000 from the button and Justin Saliba called in the big blind.
The flop came J♠4♦5♣ and Saliba checked. Thorel bet 400,000 and Saliba called. Both players then checked it back on the 4♣ turn.
The river was the A♥ and Saliba checked again. Thorel fired out another 400,000 bet and Saliba folded to concede the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,400,000
-1,200,000
|
-1,200,000 |
|
|
1,110,000
-8,790,000
|
-8,790,000 |
Level 23
: Blinds 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
So far, the heads-up battle has resulted in small pots won and lost for both players. Jean-Noel Thorel still has a significant chip lead over Justin Saliba.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,900,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
3,600,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |
Level 23
: 80,000/160,000, 160,000 ante
Jean-Noel Thorel raised to 400,000 from the button and Maher Nouira moved all in from the big blind for 1,300,000. Thorel called with the bigger stack and players flipped their cards.
Maher Nouira: A♥7♣
Jean-Noel Thorel: K♣10♠
The board ran out K♠5♥Q♠5♦J♠ and Thorel paired his king on the flop. He held to win the pot and Nouira was eliminated from the tournament in third place for €228,700.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,600,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
|
|
3,900,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |
|
Busted |