Spain's Soraya Estrada has a long history with PokerStars.
In 2023, she won a Platinum Pass to the 2023 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas, ultimately cashing for $35,100.
That year, she also notched the biggest cash of her career, finishing fifth in the 2023 Estrellas Madrid Main Event for €35,010, and earlier this year, through the PokerStars Power Path, won a Silver Pass to the 2024 edition of ESPT Madrid.
Now she's added the first victory of her live poker career, taking down the €550 Women's Event here at 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona after topping a field of 84 players.
She came into the final day fifth in chips, and defeated Joycelyn Lam Ho Yin heads-up to win €11,350. Ho Yin would have to settle for €7,330 here at the Casino Barcelona.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soraya Estrada | Spain | €11,350 |
| 2 | Joycelyn Lam Ho Yin | Hong Kong | €7,330 |
| 3 | Olga Iermolcheva | Ukraine | €5,230 |
| 4 | Maria Lampropulos | Argentina | €4,030 |
| 5 | Maria Ortiz | Spain | €3,100 |
| 6 | Paula Arreba | Spain | €2,460 |
| 7 | Anna Gulevich | Netherlands | €1,970 |
| 8 | Joy Waldau | Germany | €1,570 |
| 9 | Chien-Chih Weng | Taiwan | €1,260 |
"It's super amazing," Estrada told PokerNewsshortly after her victory. "I have to enjoy this moment. We were thinking of going to the hotel swimming pool, but it's a bit late, so we are probably going to drink a bit because we have to leave on Monday, so we will spend the last days with our good friends in Barcelona.
"It's one of my favorite tournaments because it always has a good environment from start to finish"
"It wasn't a very big field, but it's one of my favorite tournaments because it always has a good environment from start to finish. Everyone is happy, unlike other tournaments that are super serious. I felt like everyone was friends here at the table."
Estrada took home the lion’s share of the €40,320 prize pool, and when asked about her future poker plans regarding EPT Cyrpus, here’s what she had to say.
"Of course I will go, I won a tournament and won three EPT packages. This is the second one, and the third will be in Cyprus, so see you there."
Eleven players returned for Day 2, each guaranteed at least €1,010. After the elimination of France’s Shira Scharo in eleventh place, action tightened up considerably with just one more knockout needed to reach the final table.
Eventually, Mariona Canals (pictured) was sent to the rail after getting all her chips in the middle with a flush against eventual winner Estrada's two pair, but a brutal board pair on the river gave Estrada a full house, resulting in Canals' elimination in tenth place.
Joycelyn Lam Ho Yin came into the final table as the chip leader, holding a slight lead over Estrada, while Maria Lampropulos came in as the shortest stack with just five big blinds. However, it was Chien-Chih Weng who hit the rail first.
After doubling up Maria Ortiz to be left with just one big blind, Weng eventually fell at the hands of Olga Iermolcheva.
Joy Waldau was eliminated next by Ho Yin, before overnight chip leader Anna Gulevich fell in seventh place. She had struggled to maintain the momentum she had at the end of Day 1. In the end, she had to settle for €1,970 after her deep run.
Paula Arreba, on the other hand, had maneuvered her short stack throughout the day to climb the pay ladder. However, her ace-three ultimately fell short against Ortiz's queen-nine, sending Arreba out in sixth place.
Ortiz soon followed Arreba to the rail, eliminated by Ho Yin, before Ho Yin sent well-known pro Lampropulos to the rail in fourth, to sit atop the chip counts with roughly 75% of the chips in play three-handed.
An early double-up by Estrada helped balance out the chip stacks. However, in the following hands, three consecutive double-ups propelled Ho Yin back into the top spot, with Iermolcheva and Estrada virtually tied for second place.
Iermolcheva would finish third after getting all-in with pocket kings against Estrada's ace-ten. Unfortunately for Iermolcheva, the poker gods were not on her side, as an ace on the turn sealed her exit from the tournament in third place for €5,230.
When heads-up play began, Ho Yin still held a slight chip lead over Estrada. However, a straight-over-straight situation allowed Estrada to double up and take a commanding chip lead. Shortly after, Ho Yin got all her chips in with pocket eights against Estrada's king-ten. A ten on the flop and a king on the turn resulted in Ho Yin finishing as the runner-up for €7,330.
That concludes the PokerNewscoverage for this event, but be sure to stay tuned to our ongoing coverage for the final days of EPT Barcelona 2024.
