The PokerStars Open Barcelona ended with a great result for Jason Wheeler. The American won the Main Event of € 1,650 and secured the biggest live tournament prize of his career. According to “The Hendon Mob,” the player now has over US$ 6.6 million in live circuit earnings.
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However, the recent title was by far the biggest reward of his career. The competition held at the luxurious “Casino Barcelona” gathered 4,333 entries with a buy-in of € 1,650. The grand tournament field formed a prize pool of € 6,239,520. The champion took home € 731,000 for the title.
Thus, the achievement also gained special significance for Wheeler. After all, the player has accumulated results in the EPT circuit since 2010. Before that, his biggest prize had been € 570,000, achieved precisely by a runner-up finish in Europe, during the EPT Prague Main Event in 2017.
However, Wheeler’s path to the title was complicated. The final table featured great players, including a Brazilian representative. The star Felipe Boianovsky finished in eighth place and received € 87,910. Thus, the professional also surpassed US$ 7.6 million in live earnings in his career.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Wheeler | United States | € 731,000 |
| 2 | Alexander Ivarsson | Sweden | € 457,000 |
| 3 | Darko Svesko | Serbia | € 326,200 |
| 4 | Bogdan Petrascu | Romania | € 251,120 |
| 5 | Mahersh Selvakumaran | Netherlands | € 193,190 |
| 6 | Han Feng | United States | € 148,610 |
| 7 | Gregoire Jarry | France | € 114,290 |
| 8 | Felipe Boianovsky | Brazil | € 87,910 |
Jason Wheeler aligns EPT title with bracelet
However, Jason Wheeler highlighted the importance of the result. The American already has a WSOP bracelet, won in 2021. At that time, he was champion of Event #81 (US$ 800 NLH Deepstack). Now, he places the Barcelona title among the greatest achievements of his career.
Additionally, the player expressed joy about the moment. “It’s amazing. I’ve been chasing this for a while”, Wheeler said. He also explained that he slowed down for a few years to dedicate time to his family. After the pandemic, however, he decided to return to tournaments with more intensity.
Finally, Wheeler defeated the Swede Alexander Ivarsson in heads-up. The runner-up took home € 457,000. Meanwhile, the Serbian Darko Svesko completed the podium and took € 326,200. The result consolidated Wheeler as a dangerous opponent on the international scene, taking this grand victory at the PokerStars Open Barcelona.
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